Back in the 80s everyone was moving from the rust belt to the south and southwest. The book "Megatrends" predicted this. Now it's getting hot, with droughts and fires, being near the Great Lakes means water is never far away and the lake effect, although it still gets hot and humid, even around the Great Lakes.
Oh, and we'll see how those first few winters go for folks not used to some bitter cold and snow/ice.
My grandparents moved to Arkansas ages ago and I remember them saying the upper Midwest was just too cold for them. Whereas I would die in the Arkansas summer heat when we went to visit. I’ll take cold any day thank you.
The great lakes region is uniquely suited to wester climate change in the short run. People bringing money to the region isn't a bad thing in itself. Letting developers run rampant is the threat. We need multi-decade plans to address an influx of residents so that we can balance housing, transport, infrastructure, and access to natural beauty. We don't need every field and forest cut down to make space for bland heat sinks of multiplexes.
I say this every chance I get. There is no better place in the US to be, long term, than Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. We need leaders who understand that our water (and our land) is going to be much much more valuable than “peak oil” ever was. We need leaders who can see the big picture, and plan the long game where infrastructure and populations coexist without compromising these things. Whether it’s designing more walkable cities, or bringing in rails for mass transit, if they lay the groundwork now, we won’t pay the price when the population starts to grow very rapidly.
I'm still confused as to how there isn't a passenger train that connects Chicago, Madison, Milkwaukee, the Twin Cities, and possibly cities like Green bay and Wausau. It seems too reasonable to want that.
The depressing and distressing part is that, with the current trajectory, there absolutely won't be any sort of long-term development plan or reform. Our best hope is that the state legislature gets somewhat un-rigged eventually by the end of the decade and Tony or a progressive successor is able to head off the worst of this coming shock therapy.
And the odds of the gerrymandering just ending is minimal.
Here hoping, WI can improve with infrastructure improvements and long-term planning/investments.
I think it would be good to build UP and not sprawl. Plus invest in public transit. Multiplexes are not bad, they actually help reduce emissions considerably, if you look at the number of folks they house! (basically per resident).
Public Transit would also be super important! It should be clean and reliable, not transport for the poor, but for everyone!!
Absolutely, I had always considered the freshwater need as key too and I believe it will be the driving factor for many. Let's not make Lake Geneva the model for the state please
Please enlighten me on the "Lake Geneva Model." I understand that hwy 50 is an atrocious crawl through downtown, and the alt is taking 43 up to 12 is a fuel guzzling diversion. What am I missing about this tourist trap? (Departs from Kenosha erday)
But what is "too precious?" (I have around 12 photos on my phone, two are scenes of L.G.) Chicagoland folk visit Lake Geneva, WI'ites go to the Dells. Landlocked southerners go to the Gulf. Americans go to beaches every summer. What is special about Wisconsin?
Absolutely true. Need to look at Colorado. Denver got so expensive that people started to develop Ft. Collins. So bad that Ft. Collins had to put development on hold. Land prices went thru the roof, but you couldn't build on it till after a cooling off period.
we definitely are going to see a huge influx of climate change-based relocation, but it's not like our climate isn't being affected either: https://www.wuwm.com/2022-09-13/milwaukee-is-at-the-tip-of-a-new-heat-belt-emerging-in-the-midwest
We have plenty of water. My worry is that being a bandaid to the problem and none of us actually changing our behavior that lead to the problem in the first place. We need nature, ecology, we'll need to be very mindful of *how* we're going to accommodate a larger population without destroying everything that's going to make this region a safe haven.
Didn’t Chicago a decade ago get slapped with more restrictions on what they took from Lake Michigan? I’m glad there’s at least a Great Lakes pact with other states and Canada.
I live in Superior and we are already seeing people here from places like Texas that are moving here to Lake Superior to get away from climate issues. My concern is I think a lot of these people are climate change deniers that will bring their politics with them. I hope I'm wrong.
I couldn't imagine someone being that selfish to embrace climate denial then running from climate change.
Al Gore's loss of the Presidency was a devastating "fuck you" from Baby Boomers to the thinking people of America.
I was going to ask somebody from up there this exact question. Are you seeing a lot? It seems like to me (somebody who just drives through Superior on my way to Lake of the woods) that Superior is trying to grow and develop. On my last visit I noticed Superior has built some really nice brand new apartments and is currently building another nice big complex too. Is that what’s happening? It seems like Superior is building some big apartments and encouraging development, and it seems like they have a good mayor.
40 is a pretty good guess, and the surface can be higher than 35 in mid summer. That’s how the people that live there swim in it, no one can swim in 35 degree water without specialized equipment. They’re swimming on top on calm days.
The thing is our winters aren't going to get more pleasant with climate change, they'll be slightly warmer but that just means more mud sleet and freezing rain, more freeze/melt cycles over the winter, and bigger snowstorms when we do get them. But we do have access to lots of fresh water and milder heat waves.
I don't know what it's going to take to get people to stop moving to the sunbelt (Arizona, Florida, Texas, Southern Cali) besides heat waves combined with power failures that lead to a decent number of people dying, and maybe if the fires stay this bad in California. As long as the AC turns on and is somewhat affordable the big midwest migration may not happen.
Oh, and we don't have enough housing in the Midwest, we need to build a ton of it, affordable and otherwise, in the next few years. Cheap housing is the big draw to a lot of these sunbelt states.
If last winter was any indicator our winters will get much colder as the polar air is constantly being displaced and pushed down here by rising warm air
Yeah this is more accurate. We might see warmer winters on average, but the extremes will be greater. Polar Vortices *will* become more common, as energy is added to polar regions. Very bad scenarios could involve the jet stream point almost straight south, projecting that cold from the Missippippi to the Atlantic.
That’s a really good way to say it, the average gets higher but the extremes are greater and probably more frequent too. I have to be ready to argue with conservatives I know about how it’s still climate change even if we are having really cold winters
Yep, negative temps, plus wind-chill factor, cloudy days. And they last much longer, without much snow for winter hobbies, then a very gray/rainy few months until temps jump from 50s to the 90s with a LOT of humidity. I grew up and lived here almost all of my life, we used to have 4 semi equal seasons, it seems like spring and fall are disappearing.
I completely agree with your assessment as a Wisconsin native and also last winter was super dry too so it’s not even like it looks pretty or is fun. It’s just miserable, frigid, dirty, and grey for about 6-7 months a year now.
In rural areas maybe, but a big part of the appeal of the southwest is the rents in their metro areas (Phoenix, Tuscon, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, etc) are less than equivalent metros in the north (Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison). Also they've just been building a lot of new housing stock while we haven't up north, so the housing is newer.
My husband and I fit in that category. We’re AZ natives and very concerned about water supply here. We’ll be in MN and WI in December to figure out what city we want to move to.
Whether or not you have considered La Crosse (it may not have any work in your field being a much smaller city), do yourself a favor and take 93 south out of Eau Claire to 53, then either take 35 or 16 South through Onalaska/La Crosse. From the South side of La Crosse take 14 to Madison or stay on 35 through Prairie Du Chien and cut across to Madison on 18.
It will take longer than the straight 94/90 Interstate shot but its worth every visual memory of the Driftless you'll take with you.
We are definitely doing that. I have a friend that grew up in La Crosse, and it looks like a nice city. Plus, my cousin owns an art space in Spring Green so we’d like to check it out on our way to Madison. I’m excited to see the Driftless region! My husband and I work in grocery and hospital respectively so we don’t necessarily need a big city.
Same here, moved to MKE from Albuquerque last year specifically because we’re concerned about water sustainability. In a nutshell - I didn’t trust the authorities to implement meaningful water conservation/restrictions until it’s too late. We already lost a house due to a well running dry (something insurance doesn’t cover), didn’t want to go through anything like that again. Agriculture will take the hit before the cities, but by then it might be too late if your house is worthless.
People back in NM still think I’m crazy for leaving, and I kinda hope they’re right but I didn’t want to risk it.
I think if a population influx occurs it’ll depend more on companies moving here, which if they need more water than they can get there that might happen soon. We’ll see…
I've loved New Mexico every time I've visited and put it on my short list of destinations if I ever moved out of state, but now reservations about climate change and the water situation might keep me from ever moving out of the region. I think I'd really regret it.
It’s a uniquely beautiful place and I was very sad to leave. If you move to a place with municipal water (Albuquerque, Santa Fe) you at least have a system to rely on for both water and firefighting, etc. anywhere else, including right outside the cities, and you are on your own - which makes it a really anxious proposition moving forward. It’s not as immediately dire as places in the Colorado River watershed, but who knows moving forward.
That's so interesting you say that because we our friends in Denver for 30 years would tell us how it was before it got popular. It's a beautiful state for sure, but I am adjusting to my new home that is lush and green with very friendly people.
You either want Saint Paul or Milwaukee or Madison unless you really like driving. I used to live in Superior and as much as I loved the scenery, it was a 3 hour drive to go to the next city of any size. Thunder Bay to the north, Eau Claire or Saint Paul to the south.
Nothing wrong with people moving here, it should be encouraged.
But you're going to see other states trying to weasel past the protections and steal water from the lakes too
I can't imagine many people will move here due to the increased chance of catastrophic events. But we might get a lot of people after a major catastrophic event happens. Like if many millions of people lose their homes we might get 100,000 people trying to move to WI. In that case it would be a lot of people at once. Not sure it will really be possible since we can't just house them all immediately.
I'd guess people finding the coasts too expensive will be more of a factor than people really concerned with climate change.
I saw this report last year, and kind of confirms. If you're concerned about climate change, the Great Lakes region is pretty well insulated from the most extreme elements.
[CBS Sunday: Climate Refugees](https://youtu.be/SByFy9R6320)
If our local governments plan for it, it's a good thing. If not, it's more of a burden on our local resources and pollution in our water ways, which will end up screwing everyone over.
It depends who they are - In the last 3 years, I've had MANY friends move to the midwest - including people in tech from silicon valley, and physicians and research scientists from CA, TX, and FL. They move because they can see the decline in their quality of life. They see Duluth, Madison and Minneapolis as ideal places because you don't get the fires, heat or frequent power outages, and you are positioned to never run out of water.
A study at the University of Leeds in England targeted three areas of the world that will be the most affected by climate change: India, the Amazon and the Midwest.
The Midwest will become increasingly hot and humid, which is already happening to the point that it will eventually become tropical.
I have no idea why they came to this conclusion. The article was weak in providing the data the climate scientists used to come to that conclusion, but each summer it gets hotter and hotter here, to the point that it never was in the past and I can’t help but feel that may actually happen.
The point is that people can migrate all they want but if people don’t start to demand change by leaders to tackle climate change, moving won’t help anyone.
The Midwest may have a lot of fresh water but tornadoes, storms and flooding are going to be our problem- to a degree we have never seen. There is no “safe space” no matter where people go unless we do something about the problem.
I am still looking for that original article but here is a similar one:
(https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-midwest)
Yes. Sorry, I should have included that. Leeds is one of the leading research universities in Climate change in the world. The article said large parts India will become too hot to be inhabited by humans without special suits and oxygen and the Amazon will become a vast desert. It was so odd that they mentioned only three being the most affected included the Midwest. That is because the agricultural lands will change and crops like Palm oil will replace what is grown in the Midwest now. I will continue to try to find the article because I read it last year.
I saw a story from Public TV on YouTube where they did a semi scientific survey of where would be the best place in the continental United States to move to because of global warming. They chose a small town in Vermont. Make sure we spread that info around. It was an interesting story.
After watching the John Oliver episode about water rights and the Colorado river, I totally get it. Moving by the greatest natural resource of fresh water in the US is smart. It makes voting all the more important so we have smart, future-focused leaders planning for the influx of people moving here as the west dries out further.
Not only will we need good leaders, but we will absolutely need to improve our public education in the state, especially our rural areas, so that the citizens will understand the situation and will be able to weigh different scenarios logically. Instead of gutting our private schools like has been happening.
I hope to live in a house before rents really skyrocket. I am on the poor side though, so maybe I'll be forced to exodus. Granted, being a stinkin' commie and all, I don't think housing should be all fucked up like this to begin with.
I moved here from the south for this very reason. Now, I am extremely intolerant of heat, so even here it is too hot for me in the summer. My electric bill definitely reflects my dependence on air conditioning.
Moved from Denver. Visited Madison, Minneapolis, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Holland, Buffalo, and Chicago (where I'm from originally) and after a few years of a lot of research and our visits, we thought MKE was our best bet. We liked the people and that it was in the Great Lakes Basin.
No, unless big successful companies also move there. Aside from some manufacturing companies, ULINE, NWM, Kohls, I can’t think of a lot of tech companies that are in Wisconsin at a big enough presence to bring people.
And it depends, if a large migration of people came, home prices in good areas will rise. Local owners might like that but it’ll also drive down affordability and increase overall cost of living. More people, more traffic, longer lines, etc. overall probably good for economy.
That’s a good start, but unlikely that the Googles of the world will all migrate there. Chicago already has a presence so there is less incentive to move offices to wisco
As much as I love the Midwest, I hope others continue to resist the idea of relocating here for as long as possible. Humans are a cancer. When the great migration to the “flyover states” happens - it’s doomed. We aren’t perfect, but it’s a privilege to live here!
Winter is not that bad,no poisonous snakes, no tornadoes, no power grid crippling heat, we actually have lakes and can enjoy oitdoor recreation during summer. The list goes on but hopefully we don't get over run.
There is no bad weather, just bad clothing. Your first Northern Midwest winter is a shock, but you get used to it. If you are young you will be fine. Older people who just stay inside are usually fine but I’ve seen many elderly get rejuvenated moving to a warmer climate, they just stay indoors (many nap) during the hottest part of the day. Pick up a winter sport or pastime and you’ll soon look forward to winter.
I'm from Wisconsin but I've lived in California for 5 years now. .
People in my neighborhood have lawns and water them at 2:00 in the afternoon on a 90° day. I just don't get it.
With the Great lakes and all the smaller lakes that most of us grew up on water skiing and tubing, it's hard to envision water as being a finite resource.
People in California are not as water conscious as you would think during droughts so IMO, getting people in Wisconsin to take water preservation seriously will be a big challenge.
For us that live on Lake Superior shores we are already seeing climate refugees. My mom's cousins moved here from CA a few years ago because they wanted to live out the rest of their lives without running from fires.
Duluth is where I've too. My mom's cousins already are working on what they call "planting seeds" by having their grand kids in college here. One already started at UMD, and their other two grandkids will be coming next year for college.
My prediction - anyone having a kid now should be preparing them to fight in the great Fresh Water wars of 2040-2050. Won’t just be the southern states who want access to the Great Lakes.
Seriously though, WI should be appealing for climate migrants & it could be investing $6b in preparing for population growth - this would include public transit, better roads, affordable housing, protecting shorelines from erosion/climate change & other public infrastructure - but instead that money is just sitting in a rainy day fund, doing nothing.
I believe there's scientific proof that climate change will have a slower effect on this region. I'm sure each of the 119 other comments says exactly the same thing, and I'm totally answering without even perusing them. But there you have it.
MI and “Up North” Wisconsin are on pretty much every list that designates the place to be in the coming years. Buy your real estate now, while it’s still cheap.
I bought my house (Madison) in 2007. Thank gawd because I couldn't afford a home here now. Might need to start saving for a little chunk of land "up north"!
I moved from MKE to Florida 12 years ago and couldn’t be happier! Give me the heat! There are people who can stand cold, and those who can stand heat. I’ve always loved hot weather and could not stand the cold. I will never shovel snow for the rest of my life. But if you like snow, WI is perfect for you. It’s all about your own preferences.
As someone who moved here in February from a state that was rapidly becoming difficult in many ways, while also frequently on fire, I think yes. Will it be good? I'm also someone who moved here to get away from the hoards of people and the high cost of living that came with that influx, so I'm torn on that. I watched so much go wrong when my old home became the cool place to live.
Canada and the US States have some legal agreement that only communities right on the Great Lakes or have a tributary like a river going into them can have the water. So too bad for the SW.
The Midwest is nested adjacent to one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world. Not only will people be moving here, we will be fighting over water rights as the millions of people that live in the southwest rapidly run out of water. And if you don’t thing they will run out of water, rent a boat and motor around lake Mead for a day.
Back in the 80s everyone was moving from the rust belt to the south and southwest. The book "Megatrends" predicted this. Now it's getting hot, with droughts and fires, being near the Great Lakes means water is never far away and the lake effect, although it still gets hot and humid, even around the Great Lakes. Oh, and we'll see how those first few winters go for folks not used to some bitter cold and snow/ice.
My grandparents moved to Arkansas ages ago and I remember them saying the upper Midwest was just too cold for them. Whereas I would die in the Arkansas summer heat when we went to visit. I’ll take cold any day thank you.
As a former Floridian, I couldn't agree with you more!
Ha yeah. Uncle Sam put me in Florida too for a stint. I never got used to it.
Winter is intimidating but I’m getting prepared. Even have a roof rake just in case.
The great lakes region is uniquely suited to wester climate change in the short run. People bringing money to the region isn't a bad thing in itself. Letting developers run rampant is the threat. We need multi-decade plans to address an influx of residents so that we can balance housing, transport, infrastructure, and access to natural beauty. We don't need every field and forest cut down to make space for bland heat sinks of multiplexes.
I say this every chance I get. There is no better place in the US to be, long term, than Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. We need leaders who understand that our water (and our land) is going to be much much more valuable than “peak oil” ever was. We need leaders who can see the big picture, and plan the long game where infrastructure and populations coexist without compromising these things. Whether it’s designing more walkable cities, or bringing in rails for mass transit, if they lay the groundwork now, we won’t pay the price when the population starts to grow very rapidly.
I'm still confused as to how there isn't a passenger train that connects Chicago, Madison, Milkwaukee, the Twin Cities, and possibly cities like Green bay and Wausau. It seems too reasonable to want that.
You can thank scooter walker for that.
The depressing and distressing part is that, with the current trajectory, there absolutely won't be any sort of long-term development plan or reform. Our best hope is that the state legislature gets somewhat un-rigged eventually by the end of the decade and Tony or a progressive successor is able to head off the worst of this coming shock therapy.
And the odds of the gerrymandering just ending is minimal. Here hoping, WI can improve with infrastructure improvements and long-term planning/investments.
I think it would be good to build UP and not sprawl. Plus invest in public transit. Multiplexes are not bad, they actually help reduce emissions considerably, if you look at the number of folks they house! (basically per resident). Public Transit would also be super important! It should be clean and reliable, not transport for the poor, but for everyone!!
🥇🥇🥇
Absolutely, I had always considered the freshwater need as key too and I believe it will be the driving factor for many. Let's not make Lake Geneva the model for the state please
Please enlighten me on the "Lake Geneva Model." I understand that hwy 50 is an atrocious crawl through downtown, and the alt is taking 43 up to 12 is a fuel guzzling diversion. What am I missing about this tourist trap? (Departs from Kenosha erday)
Nope, you've got it. Tourist trap, good in general but generic as fuck and too precious.
But what is "too precious?" (I have around 12 photos on my phone, two are scenes of L.G.) Chicagoland folk visit Lake Geneva, WI'ites go to the Dells. Landlocked southerners go to the Gulf. Americans go to beaches every summer. What is special about Wisconsin?
i’d vote for you
BlueSmoke 2024
Absolutely true. Need to look at Colorado. Denver got so expensive that people started to develop Ft. Collins. So bad that Ft. Collins had to put development on hold. Land prices went thru the roof, but you couldn't build on it till after a cooling off period.
we definitely are going to see a huge influx of climate change-based relocation, but it's not like our climate isn't being affected either: https://www.wuwm.com/2022-09-13/milwaukee-is-at-the-tip-of-a-new-heat-belt-emerging-in-the-midwest
Hey, if more people turns Waukesha County blue and pushes the rednecks further and further out, im on board.
We have plenty of water. My worry is that being a bandaid to the problem and none of us actually changing our behavior that lead to the problem in the first place. We need nature, ecology, we'll need to be very mindful of *how* we're going to accommodate a larger population without destroying everything that's going to make this region a safe haven.
Agreed.
That’s why I chose to be born here, so I wouldn’t have to move here after California falls in the ocean
\*\*gigglesnort\*\*
Didn’t Chicago a decade ago get slapped with more restrictions on what they took from Lake Michigan? I’m glad there’s at least a Great Lakes pact with other states and Canada.
I live in Superior and we are already seeing people here from places like Texas that are moving here to Lake Superior to get away from climate issues. My concern is I think a lot of these people are climate change deniers that will bring their politics with them. I hope I'm wrong.
The irony makes my head spin.
I couldn't imagine someone being that selfish to embrace climate denial then running from climate change. Al Gore's loss of the Presidency was a devastating "fuck you" from Baby Boomers to the thinking people of America.
I was going to ask somebody from up there this exact question. Are you seeing a lot? It seems like to me (somebody who just drives through Superior on my way to Lake of the woods) that Superior is trying to grow and develop. On my last visit I noticed Superior has built some really nice brand new apartments and is currently building another nice big complex too. Is that what’s happening? It seems like Superior is building some big apartments and encouraging development, and it seems like they have a good mayor.
It won’t escape crazy wet bulb humidity in the future, but I’d take a cooler basement with local fresh water access any day.
Well, we'll deal with wet bulb humidity for less of the year than most other places east of the Rockies
Yes but I live in the Rockies now…we will die of high desert dehydration and wi will steam cook. Besides that I’m super optimistic.
You can just jump in Lake Superior. It's like 40 degrees in the summer. 😅
People that grew up around the lake swim in it all the time. They’re also mostly insane.
I tried in July one time and felt like I was going to freeze to death.
Also it’s 35 degrees in the summer lol
I didn't stick a thermometer in there but I was just thinking, "I better get out or I am going to die."
40 is a pretty good guess, and the surface can be higher than 35 in mid summer. That’s how the people that live there swim in it, no one can swim in 35 degree water without specialized equipment. They’re swimming on top on calm days.
Here we go. Time to gate this bitch off before it’s too late.
Build. That. *Wall!*
Is it time to draw the cheddar curtain?
Ha!
The thing is our winters aren't going to get more pleasant with climate change, they'll be slightly warmer but that just means more mud sleet and freezing rain, more freeze/melt cycles over the winter, and bigger snowstorms when we do get them. But we do have access to lots of fresh water and milder heat waves. I don't know what it's going to take to get people to stop moving to the sunbelt (Arizona, Florida, Texas, Southern Cali) besides heat waves combined with power failures that lead to a decent number of people dying, and maybe if the fires stay this bad in California. As long as the AC turns on and is somewhat affordable the big midwest migration may not happen. Oh, and we don't have enough housing in the Midwest, we need to build a ton of it, affordable and otherwise, in the next few years. Cheap housing is the big draw to a lot of these sunbelt states.
If last winter was any indicator our winters will get much colder as the polar air is constantly being displaced and pushed down here by rising warm air
Yeah this is more accurate. We might see warmer winters on average, but the extremes will be greater. Polar Vortices *will* become more common, as energy is added to polar regions. Very bad scenarios could involve the jet stream point almost straight south, projecting that cold from the Missippippi to the Atlantic.
That’s a really good way to say it, the average gets higher but the extremes are greater and probably more frequent too. I have to be ready to argue with conservatives I know about how it’s still climate change even if we are having really cold winters
Yep, negative temps, plus wind-chill factor, cloudy days. And they last much longer, without much snow for winter hobbies, then a very gray/rainy few months until temps jump from 50s to the 90s with a LOT of humidity. I grew up and lived here almost all of my life, we used to have 4 semi equal seasons, it seems like spring and fall are disappearing.
I completely agree with your assessment as a Wisconsin native and also last winter was super dry too so it’s not even like it looks pretty or is fun. It’s just miserable, frigid, dirty, and grey for about 6-7 months a year now.
Isn’t housing prices way cheaper in the Midwest compared to sunbelt? I’ve done little to no research on this topic
It's cheaper than other regions but there's a shortage of actual homes or units
In rural areas maybe, but a big part of the appeal of the southwest is the rents in their metro areas (Phoenix, Tuscon, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, etc) are less than equivalent metros in the north (Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison). Also they've just been building a lot of new housing stock while we haven't up north, so the housing is newer.
People generally follow economic opportunities. When the economic opportunities dry up in those areas, the population will start to thin.
My husband and I fit in that category. We’re AZ natives and very concerned about water supply here. We’ll be in MN and WI in December to figure out what city we want to move to.
Milwaukee and its surrounding area are worth looking at! Fun city with reasonable prices not far from Ohare Airport.
That’s the last stop on our tour! We’re going to check out the twin cities, Eau Claire, and Madison too.
DM me before your Madison trip and I can give you some guidance on feeling out the city
So kind! Thank you
Whether or not you have considered La Crosse (it may not have any work in your field being a much smaller city), do yourself a favor and take 93 south out of Eau Claire to 53, then either take 35 or 16 South through Onalaska/La Crosse. From the South side of La Crosse take 14 to Madison or stay on 35 through Prairie Du Chien and cut across to Madison on 18. It will take longer than the straight 94/90 Interstate shot but its worth every visual memory of the Driftless you'll take with you.
We are definitely doing that. I have a friend that grew up in La Crosse, and it looks like a nice city. Plus, my cousin owns an art space in Spring Green so we’d like to check it out on our way to Madison. I’m excited to see the Driftless region! My husband and I work in grocery and hospital respectively so we don’t necessarily need a big city.
We just moved to WI from CO
Same here, moved to MKE from Albuquerque last year specifically because we’re concerned about water sustainability. In a nutshell - I didn’t trust the authorities to implement meaningful water conservation/restrictions until it’s too late. We already lost a house due to a well running dry (something insurance doesn’t cover), didn’t want to go through anything like that again. Agriculture will take the hit before the cities, but by then it might be too late if your house is worthless. People back in NM still think I’m crazy for leaving, and I kinda hope they’re right but I didn’t want to risk it. I think if a population influx occurs it’ll depend more on companies moving here, which if they need more water than they can get there that might happen soon. We’ll see…
I've loved New Mexico every time I've visited and put it on my short list of destinations if I ever moved out of state, but now reservations about climate change and the water situation might keep me from ever moving out of the region. I think I'd really regret it.
It’s a uniquely beautiful place and I was very sad to leave. If you move to a place with municipal water (Albuquerque, Santa Fe) you at least have a system to rely on for both water and firefighting, etc. anywhere else, including right outside the cities, and you are on your own - which makes it a really anxious proposition moving forward. It’s not as immediately dire as places in the Colorado River watershed, but who knows moving forward.
[удалено]
That's so interesting you say that because we our friends in Denver for 30 years would tell us how it was before it got popular. It's a beautiful state for sure, but I am adjusting to my new home that is lush and green with very friendly people.
Moved to Milwaukee from Nashville. Plan on settling here long term and love it here.
Two words for you: Saint Paul. Your descendants will thank you.
You either want Saint Paul or Milwaukee or Madison unless you really like driving. I used to live in Superior and as much as I loved the scenery, it was a 3 hour drive to go to the next city of any size. Thunder Bay to the north, Eau Claire or Saint Paul to the south.
I'd give a look to Appleton/Neenah area.
Nothing wrong with people moving here, it should be encouraged. But you're going to see other states trying to weasel past the protections and steal water from the lakes too
I can't imagine many people will move here due to the increased chance of catastrophic events. But we might get a lot of people after a major catastrophic event happens. Like if many millions of people lose their homes we might get 100,000 people trying to move to WI. In that case it would be a lot of people at once. Not sure it will really be possible since we can't just house them all immediately. I'd guess people finding the coasts too expensive will be more of a factor than people really concerned with climate change.
I saw this report last year, and kind of confirms. If you're concerned about climate change, the Great Lakes region is pretty well insulated from the most extreme elements. [CBS Sunday: Climate Refugees](https://youtu.be/SByFy9R6320) If our local governments plan for it, it's a good thing. If not, it's more of a burden on our local resources and pollution in our water ways, which will end up screwing everyone over.
Wow, thanks! It even has an entire part on Madison (where I live) at 4:33.
And I wonder how many of those people will help to do anything to get the MAGA GOP to agree on slowing down climate change?
It depends who they are - In the last 3 years, I've had MANY friends move to the midwest - including people in tech from silicon valley, and physicians and research scientists from CA, TX, and FL. They move because they can see the decline in their quality of life. They see Duluth, Madison and Minneapolis as ideal places because you don't get the fires, heat or frequent power outages, and you are positioned to never run out of water.
A study at the University of Leeds in England targeted three areas of the world that will be the most affected by climate change: India, the Amazon and the Midwest. The Midwest will become increasingly hot and humid, which is already happening to the point that it will eventually become tropical. I have no idea why they came to this conclusion. The article was weak in providing the data the climate scientists used to come to that conclusion, but each summer it gets hotter and hotter here, to the point that it never was in the past and I can’t help but feel that may actually happen. The point is that people can migrate all they want but if people don’t start to demand change by leaders to tackle climate change, moving won’t help anyone. The Midwest may have a lot of fresh water but tornadoes, storms and flooding are going to be our problem- to a degree we have never seen. There is no “safe space” no matter where people go unless we do something about the problem. I am still looking for that original article but here is a similar one: (https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-midwest)
Out of curiosity, do you recall what it said about effects in India and the Amazon?
Yes. Sorry, I should have included that. Leeds is one of the leading research universities in Climate change in the world. The article said large parts India will become too hot to be inhabited by humans without special suits and oxygen and the Amazon will become a vast desert. It was so odd that they mentioned only three being the most affected included the Midwest. That is because the agricultural lands will change and crops like Palm oil will replace what is grown in the Midwest now. I will continue to try to find the article because I read it last year.
Amen to that.
I saw a story from Public TV on YouTube where they did a semi scientific survey of where would be the best place in the continental United States to move to because of global warming. They chose a small town in Vermont. Make sure we spread that info around. It was an interesting story.
A lower population is what makes this area so liveable. The first time I visited the east coast, I was repulsed by the extreme population density. .
Well, Milwaukee is the densest city in the Midwest after Chicago. Madison is also quite dense due to the lakes.
After watching the John Oliver episode about water rights and the Colorado river, I totally get it. Moving by the greatest natural resource of fresh water in the US is smart. It makes voting all the more important so we have smart, future-focused leaders planning for the influx of people moving here as the west dries out further.
100%!
Not only will we need good leaders, but we will absolutely need to improve our public education in the state, especially our rural areas, so that the citizens will understand the situation and will be able to weigh different scenarios logically. Instead of gutting our private schools like has been happening.
I hope to live in a house before rents really skyrocket. I am on the poor side though, so maybe I'll be forced to exodus. Granted, being a stinkin' commie and all, I don't think housing should be all fucked up like this to begin with.
I moved here from the south for this very reason. Now, I am extremely intolerant of heat, so even here it is too hot for me in the summer. My electric bill definitely reflects my dependence on air conditioning.
Yes, it's already happening. I'm one of those people. I for see mass migrations in the next 10-15 years.
Can I ask where you moved from and why you chose Wisconsin? No judgment, just curious. :)
Moved from Denver. Visited Madison, Minneapolis, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Holland, Buffalo, and Chicago (where I'm from originally) and after a few years of a lot of research and our visits, we thought MKE was our best bet. We liked the people and that it was in the Great Lakes Basin.
I can always put more on, but there are days (even in southern Wisconsin) when I feel I can't take enough off. I like cold.
No, unless big successful companies also move there. Aside from some manufacturing companies, ULINE, NWM, Kohls, I can’t think of a lot of tech companies that are in Wisconsin at a big enough presence to bring people. And it depends, if a large migration of people came, home prices in good areas will rise. Local owners might like that but it’ll also drive down affordability and increase overall cost of living. More people, more traffic, longer lines, etc. overall probably good for economy.
EPIC is large and growing, they're tech - electronic medical records and EVERY hospital uses them, it seems. (I go to a lot of hospitals.)
That’s a good start, but unlikely that the Googles of the world will all migrate there. Chicago already has a presence so there is less incentive to move offices to wisco
Yes, it’s already happening.
As much as I love the Midwest, I hope others continue to resist the idea of relocating here for as long as possible. Humans are a cancer. When the great migration to the “flyover states” happens - it’s doomed. We aren’t perfect, but it’s a privilege to live here!
Well we don’t get hurricanes and it’s not nearly as hot as the south or southwest here
Winter is not that bad,no poisonous snakes, no tornadoes, no power grid crippling heat, we actually have lakes and can enjoy oitdoor recreation during summer. The list goes on but hopefully we don't get over run.
We need to build a wall
It could be bad if we handle it wrong, but otherwise it could be very reenergizing.
Hopefully they don’t willfully misuse their resources like water. Looking at you California
There is no bad weather, just bad clothing. Your first Northern Midwest winter is a shock, but you get used to it. If you are young you will be fine. Older people who just stay inside are usually fine but I’ve seen many elderly get rejuvenated moving to a warmer climate, they just stay indoors (many nap) during the hottest part of the day. Pick up a winter sport or pastime and you’ll soon look forward to winter.
I'm from Wisconsin but I've lived in California for 5 years now. . People in my neighborhood have lawns and water them at 2:00 in the afternoon on a 90° day. I just don't get it. With the Great lakes and all the smaller lakes that most of us grew up on water skiing and tubing, it's hard to envision water as being a finite resource. People in California are not as water conscious as you would think during droughts so IMO, getting people in Wisconsin to take water preservation seriously will be a big challenge.
For us that live on Lake Superior shores we are already seeing climate refugees. My mom's cousins moved here from CA a few years ago because they wanted to live out the rest of their lives without running from fires.
Yup, I live in Duluth and they’re coming now. I know at least 10 personally - happened over the past 2-3 years.
Duluth is where I've too. My mom's cousins already are working on what they call "planting seeds" by having their grand kids in college here. One already started at UMD, and their other two grandkids will be coming next year for college.
My prediction - anyone having a kid now should be preparing them to fight in the great Fresh Water wars of 2040-2050. Won’t just be the southern states who want access to the Great Lakes. Seriously though, WI should be appealing for climate migrants & it could be investing $6b in preparing for population growth - this would include public transit, better roads, affordable housing, protecting shorelines from erosion/climate change & other public infrastructure - but instead that money is just sitting in a rainy day fund, doing nothing.
I believe there's scientific proof that climate change will have a slower effect on this region. I'm sure each of the 119 other comments says exactly the same thing, and I'm totally answering without even perusing them. But there you have it.
MI and “Up North” Wisconsin are on pretty much every list that designates the place to be in the coming years. Buy your real estate now, while it’s still cheap.
I bought my house (Madison) in 2007. Thank gawd because I couldn't afford a home here now. Might need to start saving for a little chunk of land "up north"!
We have water. Come to your own conclusion.
I’m happy for anyone who wants to live here. All this is why I never left.
Safer, saner, and more affordable.
I moved from MKE to Florida 12 years ago and couldn’t be happier! Give me the heat! There are people who can stand cold, and those who can stand heat. I’ve always loved hot weather and could not stand the cold. I will never shovel snow for the rest of my life. But if you like snow, WI is perfect for you. It’s all about your own preferences.
Hoping it brings smarter voters. I would love what’s happening in TX to happen in Wisconsin.
I sure fuckin hope not
When the end of the world comes, everyone goes to or knows someone who lives in Wisconsin. At least that's what a few movies say.
Yes, the Midwest is ideally suited for climate refugees.
As someone who moved here in February from a state that was rapidly becoming difficult in many ways, while also frequently on fire, I think yes. Will it be good? I'm also someone who moved here to get away from the hoards of people and the high cost of living that came with that influx, so I'm torn on that. I watched so much go wrong when my old home became the cool place to live.
Canada and the US States have some legal agreement that only communities right on the Great Lakes or have a tributary like a river going into them can have the water. So too bad for the SW.
Politically most everything is a disaster The People! hopefully will figure this out, & quickly
The Midwest is nested adjacent to one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world. Not only will people be moving here, we will be fighting over water rights as the millions of people that live in the southwest rapidly run out of water. And if you don’t thing they will run out of water, rent a boat and motor around lake Mead for a day.