Opinion on Appleton
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4/2/2006
I find Appleton to be generally welcoming of out-of-towners. People here are very friendly. The violent crime rate is extremely low and it is basically considered to be a very safe place to raise a family. The winters are very long and very cold (expect some days to be below zero with the wind chill) and lots of sunless gray skies during these times. Housing is affordable in my opinion, with an older 3 bed/ 2 bath resale home going for about $150,000-new construction usually starts in the low $200's, but property taxes are very high (ours are $5000/year)! Pollution is a concern for much of the state including Appleton because of the factories, paper mills, farms, etc...check Appleton's rating on scorecard.org-it's not pretty! There are current accusations of local businesses dumping waste into our waterways. Public schools in Appleton, in my opinion, are substandard and not up to par with what other districts are doing across the nation. You hear nothing but talk around here about "budget cuts" and having no money for computers, etc....there is also no foreign language instruction for elementary children. It is EXTREMELY hard to obtain a job as a teacher in Appleton or any of the Fox Cities for that matter unless you are already in the system. They do not tend to hire outsiders and when there is an opening they will hire first year teachers over ones with experience because they are cheaper to pay. And when someone vacates their position, it is commonplace for the person's duties to just be dispersed to others to save money. No, I am not a disgruntled teacher, but I know plenty of them and this is how it is done here- very "good ol' boy" in that respect. Children in Appleton do not get a "state of the art" education by any means. For some reason (even though there is a state tax in Wisconsin and property taxes are astronomical) there is never any money for educational purposes. Skiing, camping, lots of outdoorsy things to do. Lots of hunters. There are many good things about Appleton, but a few negatives as well (just like any other place). It just depends what is most important to you and then deciding if Appleton is going to be the right fit.
IDaveZ | Appleton, WI