Before moving to a new city, it can be extremely important to learn both the positive and negative aspects. Learning these aspects can help individuals to find a city that best fits them, however, it is easier to find the positive about a city. So, what are seventeen reasons that an individual should not move to Kenosha, Wisconsin?
Looking for the negative aspects of a city can be extremely discouraging for any individual. There are a lot of factors that can impact whether or not a city is a good fit for a specific person. After conducting research, the following reasons that Kenosha might not be the best fit for an individual have been compiled below.
1. The Work Commute
Kenosha, Wisconsin is a commuting city. Most of its residents do not work in the same city in which they reside. The close proximity of Kenosha to its surrounding cities makes it an easy city to live in while working in a larger city. Residents of Kenosha are able to gain employment with better-paying companies as a result of the closeness of the city to other cities.
While being able to work higher-paying jobs is something that benefits many individuals residing in Kenosha, these individuals are forced to spend a decent amount of their time commuting to work as a result of the traffic. While some commuting individuals are able to get from their homes to their job in the areas surrounding Kenosha in less than thirty minutes, individuals commuting to larger cities can take over an hour to get to and from work.
2. Kenosha’s Economy
The reason that so many individuals living in Kenosha decide to commute has to do with the economy within the city. Kenosha is unable to offer its residents decent-waged jobs. As a result of this, nearly forty percent of Kenosha residents commute to surrounding areas in order to be able to provide for not only themselves but also their families.
As a result of the economy in this city, many individuals are forced to either commute for a better-paying job or to work more than one low-paying job.
The state of Kenosha’s economy has not only contributed to the need for individuals to find jobs outside of the city but also contributes to the high unemployment rate as well as the increasing poverty rate.
3. The Public Schools
Despite the fact that Kenosha is a family-oriented city, the public schools are not highly rated. While many parents in the area have had good experiences with the Kenosha public schools, there have been others who have not been satisfied with the quality of learning their children are experiencing.
As a result of the economy, the public schools are unable to pay the teachers a decent wage which often results in the schools hiring inexperienced teachers who are recent graduates who have only experienced the classroom as student teachers.
Some of the class sizes in the school districts of Kenosha are larger which does not allow for all children to learn in a way that is beneficial to them specifically. The way that an individual learns best is something that is specific to that individual, having larger class sizes doesn’t allow teachers to accommodate every child within their classroom.
Before moving to a new city, most individuals with children often check the rating of the public schools in an attempt to ensure that their children are having satisfactory learning. The rating of a school district can cause families to avoid living in certain parts of a city to help their children have the best chance to learn all that they can.
4. Proximity to Surrounding Cities
Kenosha is a city in Wisconsin that is close in proximity to other cities in both Wisconsin and Illinois. This is one of the reasons this city is filled with so many individuals who commute to and from their jobs.
However, there are negative aspects that accompany having large cities near. The biggest is the traffic that comes into Kenosha as a result of individuals trying to get to larger cities like Milwaukee or Chicago.
The surrounding, larger cities often cause individuals to stay in Kenosha in an attempt to save money when these tourists are wanting to see the surrounding areas.
5. A Bar on Nearly Every Corner
Aside from the numerous families that have decided to settle down in Kenosha, there is a large population of college students in this area as a result of the number of colleges that are found within the city. In order to cater to the younger college-aged individuals in the area, there has been an increase in the number of bars that are present throughout the city.
As a result of the large number of college students in this location, there are bars located on nearly every corner. The number of bars allows these individuals to enjoy the nightlife that is often associated with college.
The individuals living in Kenosha that are not at the college-age, they are often drunk college students that have to be dealt with when at any of these local bars.
6. Bad Parts of the City
Like every city, there are parts of Kenosha that are less than ideal to live in. While most of these bad areas of the city are able to be avoided, there are individuals who end up living in these areas and are forced to deal with the negative that comes with them.
Overall, residents suggest avoiding the downtown area considering that seems to be the part of the city that is plagued with the most crimes and drug use. Individuals worry about their safety in these areas as well as the idea of raising children in this area of Kenosha.
7. Renting Instead of Buying
When settling down and beginning a family, most individuals want to purchase their own homes. However, in Kenosha, there are more homes that are available for rent than there are homes that are available for purchase. This causes many residents of Kenosha to be forced to rent rather than buy.
Even when there are homes that are available for purchase, there are very few residents who are able to purchase homes as a result of the low wages they are being paid working jobs in Kenosha.
8. The Winters
Like most cities in the Midwest, winters in Kenosha can be difficult for many to adjust to. There can be a lot of snowfall that occurs throughout the winter months. As a result of being so close to Lake Michigan, Kenosha experienced lake-effect snow. This is snow that is heavier than snow that is not formed above a lake.
Lake effect snow contributes to the winters in Kenosha, Wisconsin to be filled with dread and seems never-ending. These winter months are often filled with cold temperatures and wind which can be an adjustment for individuals who are unfamiliar with this type of winter.
9. Property Tax
The property tax in Kenosha has only been increasing throughout recent years. This causes many individuals who would typically be able to afford to purchase a home to be unable to do so as a result of being unable to pay a large amount of property tax that accompanies being a homeowner.
Despite the large amount of property tax that is being paid by homeowners, very few residents seem to have any idea what this money is being used for. For most, it does not seem as though this money is being funneled back into various aspects of the cities such as the public schools.
10. The Traffic
Traffic is something that comes with the territory of living in any city with over a hundred thousand residents. In Kenosha, there is an increase in traffic as a result of its close proximity to other larger cities.
The surrounding cities cause a lot of individuals to travel to and from the larger cities to drive through Kenosha. In addition to this cause of traffic, there are many individuals who commute for work which also contributes to larger amounts of traffic that are experienced by residents.
11. Crime in Kenosha
While Kenosha, Wisconsin overall does not have a lot of crimes that cause residents to worry about their safety or the safety of their property, there are some areas where these types of crimes do occur.
The majority of these crimes occur in the bad areas of town, areas that are around the downtown area. These crimes are not typically violent and the majority of them are nonviolent offenses. It is far more likely that a resident of Kenosha will be a victim of a property crime than it is that they will be a victim of a violent crime.
One in every sixty-nine individuals in Kenosha is a victim of a property crime. This category of crime includes offenses of theft, robbery, vandalism, and arson. In most cases, no one is harmed during these crimes. One in every two hundred fifty-six individuals in the Kenosha area is a victim of a violent crime. This category of crime includes sexual assault, assault, battery, and homicide.
12. Large Populations are Dealing with Addiction
It is becoming more common that individuals are struggling with addiction. The residents of Kenosha are no different. Throughout this city in Wisconsin, there are many individuals who deal with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, or gambling addiction.
These addictions have led to an increase in drug activity in the area. More and more individuals in the Kenosha area are being exposed to different types of drugs and developing addictions of their own. With bars on nearly every corner throughout the downtown area, it is easy for individuals in Kenosha to access alcohol which means it is easy for individuals to fuel their addiction.
13. Family-Oriented Town
Kenosha, Wisconsin is a city that is very family-oriented. Despite some of the negative aspects of the city, many individuals choose to settle down in Kenosha in order to start a family of their own.
As a result of this, there are many parks that are located throughout the city. This provides the parents of young children to have a variety of options to take their children to play.
Kenosha being so family-oriented is something that can be isolated for couples who do not have children and even more so for individuals who are single.
14. Friendly Neighbors
For some individuals, friendly neighbors are a good thing. For other residents, it is a negative aspect that accompanies Kenosha.
It is very common for neighbors in this city to introduce themselves to individuals who are new to the neighborhood. These friendly neighbors often ask questions about the personal lives of those who leave next to them.
This is something that some residents of Kenosha do not like. For some, it feels as though the friendliness of their neighbors only exists so their neighbors can be nosy.
15. Police Violence
Police violence is something that has been increasing throughout the Kenosha area. There have been instances of police officers showing violence to underaged individuals in addition to the violence they show to adults throughout the community.
The majority of Kenosha have only had positive experiences with the police department, however, the amount of individuals who have felt unsafe near the people who are supposed to protect the city outweighs the individuals who feel safe.
16. Unemployment
While the unemployment rate in Kenosha, Wisconsin is slightly lower than the national average, there are still 5.8 percent of the population of Kenosha faces unemployment.
These individuals are often unable to get jobs as a result of the lack of decent-paying jobs in this city. This is something that causes residents who do not have access to transportation to find work outside of Kenosha which results in some of them working low-paying jobs while others are forced to rely on unemployment and untraditional means in order to provide for their families.
17. Public Transportation
Public transportation is a service that many individuals in a city like to take advantage of. It allows residents of a city to get to and from their destination without the need for a car. However, residents in Kenosha are unable to rely on the public transportation that is offered by their city.
There is only a metro bus service offered in Kenosha. However, it does not run frequently or on schedule. This makes it difficult for individuals in this area to use it as a means of reliable transportation.
