Eau Claire, Wisconsin
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Great place to be a young professional! - 4/16/2013

I went to school at the university from 2004-2008, but moved away for a job in the Madison area. I missed everything about it...friendly faces, the convenience, lack of traffic, events. When I got the opportunity to move back to Eau Claire for a new job, I was ecstatic! One of the things that really surprised me, moving back as a professional as opposed to a student, was the cost of housing. There may not be many decent apartments to rent as a professional with a dog (if you don't have a dog, you have many great options), but when I finally decided to take a look at housing prices I could NOT believe how reasonable they were. I got a nice older house (with all the beautiful original hardwoods) located on the Eau Claire River for under $90k. My mortgage is far less than I would be paying for rent! On top of my pleasure with housing, there are always options for entertainment, dining, and the outdoors. Tubing down the Eau Claire or Chippewa Rivers in the summer; biking and walking on the trails throughout the city; music downtown, on Water Street, or at the university; an active Young Professionals group...it's so much better than life was downstate. One thing in Eau Claire that isn't great is the driving, on occasion...it seems to be a commonly known fact that EC has some bad/inconsiderate drivers. It doesn't pop up a ton, but there are some in every town. Also not so great (and also related to driving) is the condition of some streets. The city is a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to fixing potholes and plowing side streets, so be aware of your surroundings![more...]

One of the best kept secrets of America. I'd move - 11/13/2012

Traveled extensively to this university town and it is the epitome of Wisconsin goodness and midwestern quality of life. It would be perfect except for the lack of commerce, but the rest of this community is perfect, a sincerely friendly population, decent weather for a northern state and just 90 minutes drive from the Minneapolis international airport. Great home values, a central core of "old money" that supports the community makes Eau Claire picturesque. [more...]

Need some advise - 6/15/2011

My husband and 3 kids may possibly be moving there this summer. What are the good neighborhoods, schools etc. Should we consider chippewa falls? We are moving from a burb outside of Chicago. We love to golf, dining out and outdoor activities. Kids ages are13. 11. And 9[more...]

Ok - 5/11/2010

Eau Claire is ok place to live. Low crime, several parks, and the Chippewa/Eau Claire Rivers. Good if you're in health care...rest of occupational wages are below average...college town and local home improvement giant to blame for most of that. High property taxes. City is in the hole like everyone else...when the city council is debating about chickens being allowed in city limits you KNOW something is wrong. Too many left wing liberals Obamaites....Id go west to the Minneapolis area if I were you.[more...]

Living in Eau Claire - 10/25/2009

In my opinion Eau Claire is a very laid back city. It has many great schools and colledges, Also plenty of outdoor activities to keep any outdoors man happy.[more...]

If You are different Do not go! - 10/9/2009

To get it out of the way, I can start by saying that I am black. I moved to Wisonsin to experience winter. The place itself, is ok. It's just that there is no possible way to find a significant other. Not everyone is opened minded. On top of that, Eau Claire is filled with bars and restaurants. If you plan on getting fat, never finding a significant other, and wasting your life, then Eau Claire is the place for you. But I can only speak for me and who I am. The percentage of me in this town is .052. Not good. Sorry if you are already here, but if not, please think twice before jumping in. Trust me, I've been stuck here for 6 yrs. I've been trying to leave since the first year.[more...]

Great Place to Live and Raise a Family - 11/17/2008

I moved to Eau Claire just a few years ago and was impressed with how welcoming it is to newcomers - there are always networking events taking place and people are very interested in you. It is a regional center with two hospitals and great shopping and dining opportunities. For entertainment make sure you check out downtown, there is always something going on. Low cost of living, little traffic and low crime rate make it the ideal place to raise a family. And it is only 90 minutes from Minneapolis/ St. Paul, so you can get the small town feel without compromising the metropolitan life. The City has programs for businesses and entrepreneurs looking to move to Eau Claire, so give them a call.[more...]

Eau Claire - 7/14/2008

I love living here in Eau Claire, housing is cheap, we bought a house here for 69,000 (8 years ago) that would have cost us $150,000 in Milwaukee with a 5x smaller yard. Probably not the smartest thing to do but we didn't have locks on our doors for about 2 years after we bought the house. The neighborhood is quiet, very nice neighbors and close to grocery stores, the mall and restaurants. We lived in Milwaukee for about 20 years and I can't believe I stayed that long. Don't get me wrong for a big city Milwaukee was for the most part pretty nice but I love the fact that here I can be hiking or camping within 15 minutes of Eau Claire. And no ozone alerts, ever!!!! If I ever miss the big city, the Twin Cities is only an hour away.[more...]

Eau Claire area has a small town feel - 6/26/2008

Eau Claire is really a city with a small town feel - this is because it is surrounded by small towns. A 90 minute drive will get you to Minneapolis, MN if you need a large metro city. It is a "Family City" which is a great place to raise kids. There are many things for kids and families to do (with a great school system too). The winters are cold and long, but the summers are green and lush with lakes, rivers, and hills. The area boasts three large outdoor summer music festivals: Country Jam, Rock Festival, and Country Festival.[more...]

Great City - 6/5/2008

Not too big, not too small... just right![more...]

Good to Raise a Family & Good School - 3/17/2008

Eau Claire goes not have a HUGE cultural selection of activities, although it is really trying its best to expand in this area & revitalize its downtown. Yes, it's a good city to raise young kids, because of low crime rates and there really is a lot for young kids (grades PK-6) to do. After that age, the city kind of dries out. It has good schools PK-college.[more...]

The Flip-Side of Eau Claire - 7/18/2007

I have lived in this area for ten years and although I love living here - there is a downside of Eau Claire that the Chamber of Commerce doesn't talk about. This is an open message to anyone who wants to move here. Please, please make sure you visit here first and check out the cost (and quality of apartments) and please have a job position already firmly in place. I worked with too many people that move here based on the belief that good jobs are plentiful and the cost of living is low. Well, everything is not so rosy. I personally know of several master-degree holding people that are working at low-paying service jobs because they can not secure the employment that they went to school for. An average family consisting of two adults and two school-age children will have a tough time unless one of the adults has a job paying 30K and above.[more...]

Eau Claire Employment - 5/29/2007

Eau Claire is a pleasent community to raise children. A deficit is the lack of adequate paying employment for professional career minded people. People seeking technical/professional employment do commute to Minneapolis/St Paul MN which is 97 miles away. There is a regional medical center which has assisted in elevated the prices of the average home in the area, and provides employment for those with a medical career focus; however, other opportunites for stable/decent paying jobs is challenging.[more...]

Boring - 5/6/2007

In spite of being the home of a college campus, Eau Claire is an incredibly boring city. Need to travel to St. Paul/Minneapolis (about 90 miles) for music, theater, etc.[more...]

Great place to live - 4/16/2007

Eau Claire is probably one of the nicest places in the country to live if you can handle 3 months of very cold weather.[more...]

Great place to live but job market is somewhat tig - 1/15/2007

I lived in Eau Claire for 6 years. It is a nice mix of white collar professionals, blue collar workers, and college students. Real estate is a good value for the money. The majority of people are firendly and crime rate is low. Very little violent crime. Eau Claire has great parks and recreational facilities and areas such as Carson Park, Lakes Altoona and Wissota and Hobbs Ice Arena. It's dog-friendly. The city is laid out better than a lot with convenient shopping, great thrift stores, several movie theatres and a mall. Nearby Fall Creek has the Beaver Creek Nature Reserve and Augusta has an old millm antique stores and the Woodshed, an Amish furniture store. Downtown Eau Claire has the farmer's market in the summer months and the Ski Sprites ski shows. The University of Wisconsin is in Eau Claire with various cultural events and activities, and Eau Claire has two hospitals from which to choose, as well as the Marshfiled Clinic. Luther Hospital is part of the Mayo Health System. There are a number of coffee shops, music stores, pet stores, a Menard's, super Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, office supply stores and about everything you could need or want --- except maybe a job.[more...]

Grew up in EC, but needed to get out - 12/26/2006

I grew up in EC and I have fond memories of the city. The city offers a beautiful bike trail system mainly along the rivers that spared me from childhood boredom. You can bike all through the city along inter-connected residential areas as numerous tunnels and bridges avoid conflict with major roads. All the shopping and services are spread out at the perimeter of the old city along Clairemont (U.S. 12) and Hastings (U.S. 53). Newer homes and business are steadily transforming the outskirts of the area. During a recent visit, I counted five Starbucks -- all on the southside. Unlike most cities, there really are no slums or "bad" areas of town. Even the older, lower-cost areas are kept up and safe. Crime is minimal. The local culture is dominated by the university and the city has given up trying to build a convention center as consultants have said Eau Claire is too close to Minneapolis. Water Street offers the college-age bar scene and downtown has it's share of bars. The Oakwood Mall area has lots of chain bar/grill places like Applebee's. I can't say the restaurants are that great like some larger cities, but the health inspections are very strict, so I know they're safe. Right now I live in the Southeast and could not imagine living back in EC. I don't want to live in a place that's cold from September until May and the leaves are only on the trees for 4 or 5 months. Hunting and fishing are really not my thing and the city is too small to offer much activity for young adults.[more...]

Resident - 7/10/2006

While the tempatures during part of December, january, and February tend to be cold they also allow for many opportunities for wonderful experiences. In addition, there is no place that is better during the autumn and summer (New England included) than this area.[more...]

Excellent Business Community - 7/5/2006

This city is amazing. The business community is very tight and the Chamber does an incredible job at bringing it together. There is at least one event a week and many networking opportunities. Also a great city for young people, there is a group called Young Professionals of Eau Claire, that meets regularly and brings together people under 35 - a great way to get into the community if you have just moved in.[more...]

Eau Claire - A best kept secret in Wisconsin - 6/29/2006

Very affordable and a great place to live![more...]