We recently had some friends from Minnesota share the weekend with us, and we were thrilled to host them. We miss our friends terribly, and it was great to have company and engage in new adventures. This was two weekends in a row for us to host friends, and we just loved it.
Throughout the weekend, we talked a lot about our new home to our Twin Cities friends. They inquired how we liked our new home, and while there are definitely big things that we miss from Minnesota, there are some things about this location that make it a very nice place to live.
In no particular order, here are ten things that make Green Bay a nice place to call home:
- Traffic - being a town of only 105,000 people, there is no such thing as a traffic jam here, with the exception of Packer games. My morning commute has been reduced from an hour to 15 minutes, and that extra hour and a half every day of productive time that I get back is precious.
- Civic Pride - Green Bay citizens love their town. It is a relationship that is sweet, sincere, and evident. While there's a touch of inferiority complex by living in the shadows of Chicago, the Twin Cities, and to a lesser extent Milwaukee and Madison, there's plenty of pride with what is here to compensate.
- Proximity - The big towns listed previously are 4 hours away, and the smaller ones 2. Miss the big city? You're just a short car ride from a change of scenery.
- Door County - Speaking of a change of scenery, this location is the most beautiful jewel Wisconsin has. And it is only a short hour drive from Green Bay.
- NFL - I absolutely love how much this city knows its football. A not just about the Packers; they have the goods on the entire league. The work fantasy football league already has me a bit intimidated...
- Lake Michigan - I was able to see first hand last weekend what a gem this lake is. Not only does it aid the weather patterns in the area, it also boasts some incredible fishing opportunities - from huge walleyes in the Bay to massive salmon on the big lake.
- Fish Fry - As long as we're talking fish, I confess that the Friday tradition of a fish fry is a real treat. Every restaurant has some kind of offering (even some of the ethnic ones), and everyone who lives here has their favorite spot. As do we - Farr's Grove
- Old Fashioned - Speaking of fish fry, the meal would be nothing without this requisite accompaniment. It is a damn fine cocktail, and I'm a clear convert.
- Work Ethic - The people of Green Bay are a hard working lot. This is a working person's community, and is a great place for businesses to harness this valuable resource.
- Airports - Both the Green Bay and Appleton airports can get you where you need to go, and can do so within about a half hour of arriving. The bad news is that you'll have to connect, but the good news is that a line at check in or at security will basically never be worse than five people deep. For one that travels only every month or two, it is a fabulous configuration.
Info like this is hard to find. Thank you for sharing it. I may be moving there, but am concerned that it is a town that does not like diversity. It seems like "Ozzie & Harriet" to me.
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