Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Whether it’s hot or cold -- and it will be both -- there’s always something to do in Milwaukee. The city is known for its world-class museums and theater, a resurgent (again) downtown, hip restaurants and hot spots, and its crowning jewel of three miles of beach lakefront. And it’s only a short drive from world capitals like Chicago, as well as vacation destinations like Door County, Lake Geneva and the Wisconsin Dells.

Here's the pov on the pros of living in Milwaukee from a local:
-relatively inexpensive to dine out and the food is generally underrated - plenty of good restaurants that are on par with Chicago but at a fraction of the price
-access to the lake is much better than Chicago
-people are genuinely nice
-summerfest

For more reviews of Milwaukee from locals check out: The Reviews

The lakefront is amazing in the summer, but it can be hell in the winter. “Cooler by the lake” can mean that it is literally 10 degrees colder than the rest of the state. That cold means temperatures well below zero, not even including the blasted wind chill. Tornadoes, hail storms and frigid temps are just some of the unpredictable weather that hits Milwaukee. The sun can be elusive for days, which can strongly affect people with seasonal disorders. Of course, all this means is that Milwaukeeans appreciate the good days all that much more.

Here's a pov on weather here from a transplanter:
I moved here from southern California 4 years ago now. The weather here is wonderful about 8 months out of the year. The other 4 are cold and/or rainy, which isn't necessarily terrible. Unlike California, the weather changes daily - sometimes even during the day - and it's rarely as hot as the Bay Area in the summer.

For more reviews of Milwaukee from locals check out: The Reviews

Consistently named one of the most affordable metro areas in the country, life in Milwaukee won’t eat away at your budget like it will in other big cities. But that’s not to say that it’s an inferior option. Over the past 15 years, Milwaukee has undergone one of its famous reinventions of itself, this time evolving (or devolving, depending on your perspective) into a hip and funky mini-metropolis.

The beer scene lives up to the hype, with highly rated breweries popping up all over town ‘Brew City,’ and foodies rejoice with highly rated restaurants and a wide variety of options aplenty… not to mention the cheese tastings that Wisconsin is famous for. Sports fandoms in Milwaukee are huge, with pro sports teams like the Brewers, Bucks and Packers repped all around town. The expansive Milwaukee Public Market and countless summer music festivals including the internationally known Summerfest give the more social crowd an opportunity to take advantage of the warmer summer weather.

If you want to get a flavor of what happens in Milwaukee check out the calendar of events.