Wisconsinites – have you ever really sat down and thought about how amazing our state is? Wisconsin has so many cool places to go and things to experience, yet I feel like most of us often take these things for granted. Sure, our state, like any, has its drawbacks. But, overall, Wisconsin is actually a pretty awesome place to live. 

My personal favorite thing about living in Wisconsin is that it has both city and country life. I love immersing myself in the exciting, busy energy that cities have to offer, but at the same time, I often long for the open, peaceful beauty of the great outdoors.  

Wisconsin is such a cool state to me because both my needs for city and country life get satisfied here. If you go to Madison or Milwaukee, you can find neat shops with all the latest trends and eat at pretty much any type of restaurant that you are craving! However, if you wander up north a bit or visit one of the many state parks here, you can enjoy scenic hikes and take advantage of a variety of activities that can be done at one of the state’s many lakes. 

Our state also has many notable tourist attractions, such as Wisconsin Dells (aka “The Waterpark Capital of the World”), Door County, Summerfest – which promotes itself as “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” and the Dane County Farmer’s Market, which is the biggest farmer’s market in the country.  

Another thing people love about Wisconsin are its sports teams – particularly the Green Bay Packers, who are consistently recognized for having the most loyal fan base of any football team. In fact, every game played in Green Bay has sold out since 1960. This is particularly impressive because Green Bay is not a big city like many of the locations of other football stadiums around the country.  

Wisconsin is also known for its food – especially its dairy products. I mean, it is, after all, “America’s Dairyland.” Fried cheese curds are one of my favorite foods, and I often forget that other states do not commonly have them! I feel bad for people in other parts of the country who go to a restaurant and cannot get cheese curds as an appetizer. 

The final reason why I enjoy living in Wisconsin is because we experience all four seasons here. I love having perfect, warm weather in the summer, watching the leaves turn bright colors in the fall, waiting for flowers to bloom in the spring, and seeing snow fall during the holidays. However, this one is also a big con of living in Wisconsin… 

The weather is 100 percent the worst part of living in Wisconsin. Although half the year is really nice, the other half can be quite brutal. Wisconsin winters can get freezing, snowy and just downright unbearable at times. My least favorite part about the weather is driving in it, which is an absolute disaster in the wintertime. I hate having to wake up extra early to brush snow off my car each morning, and driving on slick, snow or ice-covered roads is no stroll in the park.  

Speaking of driving, construction is another reason why living in Wisconsin can be not-so-fun. It seems like whenever the roads are not covered in snow, they are being torn up for construction. Can we ever just drive in peace?! 

The only other somewhat bad part to living in Wisconsin are the bugs. And, by bugs, I mean the mosquitos. Mosquitos can be so bad here that people actually jokingly call them the “Wisconsin State Bird.”  

Although there are some things that can make living in Wisconsin not so enjoyable, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. So, next time you get mad about the cold weather or driving through construction, just think about all the amazing country and city life our state also has to offer.