Great place to be a young professional!
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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!
Jen | Eau Claire, WI