Green Bay, Wisconsin should probably be given the title of the most famous small city in America. If it wasn’t for the Green Bay Packers, this town would be basically forgotten by anyone not living in Wisconsin. Even though it’s the third largest city in Wisconsin and the Toilet Paper Capital of the World, without the Packers, that would pretty much all go unnoticed.
Although it is a charming city that many people enjoy living in, it is not a perfect place to live. Keep reading to find out about 17 reasons why you shouldn’t move to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
17. Packers Fans
There will be no delay in discussing the 4-time Super Bowl Champions and their fans. Packers fans are everywhere, which is actually an understatement. Packers fans are passionate and don’t give much leeway to anyone who isn’t.
The devotion they give to the Packers is a little scary, as many people go overboard, but getting used to them is a necessity for anyone moving to Green Bay.
It is also good to know that most of the city shuts down during a Packers game. Green Bay has a population of around 105,000 and Lambeau Field has had a maximum attendance of over 79,000 people, so in theory, a hilarious 75% of Green Bay residents could be absent from the city while attending a game, which wouldn’t include all the amazingly hard-working employees at the stadium.
16. Becoming a Packers Fan
For you to be considered part of the community by Green Bay residents, you will need to become a fan of the Green Bay Packers. You will have to buy jerseys and other forms of memorabilia, especially if you are lucky enough to get one of the 70-100
season tickets that are given out or available to purchase every year.
If you are a fan of an opposing football team, you will likely not be accepted, and many people will tease or make fun of you when your favorite team loses a game. If your favorite football team plays against the Green Bay Packers, expect to be taunted by those who know what your favorite team is. If you put up fanfare in preparation for the game, it might get damaged or destroyed at night by hardcore Packers fans before the big game.
15. The Sole Characteristic
Tired of everything being about the Packers so far? Well, that was the intention. It is the defining feature of this city and it is pervasive and encompassing.
One of the funniest things about Green Bay is the local news. It is in reality a detailed chronology of every aspect of the Packers, and there is nothing like turning on the news to watch a report about the new parking spaces at Lambeau field.
It seems like every little bit of Green Bay is covered in those classic green and gold, from the buildings to the people.
14. Closed Community
Most people born in Wisconsin end up staying relatively close to their hometown. Green Bay is no exception. Many people have lived there their whole life and have grown up with other members of the community.
It can be hard to access a culture that has such long and close relationships with each other. Anyone who moves there from out of state is guaranteed to be noticed by the close-knit Green Bay community, and you may find yourself ostracized.
13. High Poverty
Very shockingly, Green Bay has a higher poverty rate than the US. The national average is around 11%, while the poverty rate of Green Bay hovers around 15%. The high poverty rate helps contribute to many other problems in Green Bay, including crime.
It is a sad affair, but it is all too real in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
12. Cars are Required
An unfortunate feature of Green Bay is its spaced-out nature and lack of good public transportation. Because of the geography and mostly rural aspects of the area, it isn’t necessary to make buildings large and close together. As a result, much of the city is spread out, making commutes long and any mode of transportation other than a car implausible.
It is unfortunate that walking isn’t more popular and that the public transportation system isn’t better supported, but the need just isn’t there. Parking is generally not a problem, and if pretty much everyone owns a car, there really isn’t anyone pushing for public transportation.
11. Over Industrial
A large part of the jobs in Green Bay are industrial, including things like the food industry, factories, and construction. This means that the average income per household in Green Bay is low at only $49,251. That is well below the national average of about $67,000.
What this means is that finding a job that requires a college degree could be difficult, so if you have a college degree, you may struggle to find a job in your field of study. Green Bay just isn’t meant to be a city that has jobs that suit highly qualified college graduates.
10. Lack of Diversity
If you are someone who values diversity, look away. Wisconsin as a state ranks very poorly in terms of diversity at 39th overall. Over 81% of its population are white, and the minorities are so small in number it would be easy to miss them when in Wisconsin.
Similarly, over 81% of the population is Christian, so there isn’t a lot of religious diversity.
Now, this isn’t necessarily the fault of Green Bay, Wisconsin residents. They tend to like to stay put where they live, and it isn’t a very popular place to travel to, nor is it an accessible place for refugees like coastal cities are.
So, Green Bay isn’t very diverse, and there isn’t a lot that can be done about it.
9. Isolated
The type of isolation here is regional, but it is also prevalent while in the city. Most states are at least a few hours away if you drive, and there isn’t a lot to do when you visit the states that are relatively nearby.
When you are not traveling, you may feel lonely because the houses in Green Bay are typically not close to each other. While this is great if you value your privacy, it is not great if you enjoy talking to your neighbors while hanging out in your front yard.
8. Dying Legacy
One of the main goods produced by Green Bay is paper, but with paper becomming increasingly unnecessary because of screens and remote employees, large portions of Green Bay’s revenue and jobs are at stake.
So many of the jobs in Green Bay are industrial jobs that this could be a serious threat to the city. In a few years, it is possible that most of the residents of Green bay will be struggling financially because of a lack of jobs. With poverty already prevalent in this city, that does not bode well for its success.
7. Crime
Green Bay has a surprisingly bad crime rate, as does the rest of Wisconsin. You could blame it on the alcohol or the Packers losing, but Wisconsin ranks in the bottom half of the country in terms of crime rate.
Green Bay ranks 271st out of 298 cities in Wisconsin, and there were about 529 violent crimes in 2019. There are places that have a higher crime index in Wisconsin, but Green Bay is always highly ranked in terms of crime. It is maybe a little counterintuitive because Green Bay residents are normally seen as nice people, but there is some kind of disconnect that leads to so much crime.
6. Hope You Like Bratwurst
Bratwurst is extremely common in Green Bay. In fact, it is such a popular food that anyone who doesn’t like them should maybe try to hide that fact.
There is nothing like going to a barbecue and realizing the only meat being served is bratwurst. If you haven’t had one, it’s worth giving them a try, but if you don’t like them, you could end up being hungry when you go to barbeques and various similar functions. People will also question your taste in food and may look at you weirdly when you refuse to eat bratwurst.
5. Bad Schools
Probably due to the low average income of the residents of Green Bay, the schools in Green Bay are not very good, as there is a severe lack of funding for these schools. Not one of Green Bay’s high schools is ranked in the top 2,600 schools in America, and only one is ranked in the top 80 schools in Wisconsin, with Ashwaubenon High School coming in at number 80.
Again, a lack of public funds is probably the main culprit. Wisconsin ranks slightly below the national average when it comes to teacher salaries, but it also ranks above average in average money spent per student.
Unfortunately for Green Bay, they tend to do worse when it comes to testing scores than the state average. It could be worth it to live just outside of Green Bay in order to take advantage of better schools because the ones within the city limits simply aren’t that good.
4. The Smell
The Bay of Green Bay (which is also called Green Bay) smells pretty bad. Its name comes from the fact that the Bay is green because of all the algae that live inside of it, and algae do not always smell the best.
However, the algae aren’t the only things that are causing the smell, as the bay is also heavily polluted. Luckily, many people are trying to reduce the pollution in the bay.
However, the Bay has always smelled bad because of the algae. It was actually called the Pūcīhkit by the Menominee people who lived there before it was settled by Europeans. When translated, the name Pūcīhkit means “bay that smells like something rotting”.
3. The Winters
Although it is not quite as bad as parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, Wisconsin still has horrible winters every year. Green Bay gets nearly 50 inches of snowfall each year, and constantly battling snow and cold is a huge burden on its residents. Car accidents as a result are common. However, even if you don’t get in a car accident, you will have to deal with shoveling your driveway at 6 am or earlier so your car can get out of the driveway.
A side effect of the snow is all the salt that is layered on the roads to prevent accidents. Unfortunately, salt is terrible for both roads and cars. There is a reason Green Bay residents don’t drive nice, expensive cars.
The winters are so bad that several places in Wisconsin have sprayed the road with cheese brine since 2008, which is quite funny.
2. Excessive Drinking
Nearby Milwaukee is the Beer Capital of the world and as result, the rest of Wisconsin has a drinking problem, including Green Bay. And this isn’t the kind of drinking problem that you brush off with a few clever hangover tricks.
Out of the drunkest cities in America, 10 of the top 20 are in Wisconsin, 4 of the top 5 are in Wisconsin, and the top spot is Green Bay. Green Bay is where most drunk-driving incidents happen.
Make sure to drive carefully to avoid a tragic accident caused by one of the many drunk people in Green Bay.
1. Mosquitoes
The mosquito problem in Green Bay is dreadful. It can easily be compared to other mosquito hotspots like Florida, New York, or the Outer Banks. The immense number of lakes in Wisconsin are the perfect breeding grounds for these pesky insects and they take that advantage to the fullest extent.
If you choose to move to Green Bay, you will have to be covered by mosquito netting while outside unless you want to come home covered in red, itchy bumps that won’t go away for at least a few days. Not to mention the diseases you could contract because a mosquito that was carrying said virus bit you.
