Eau Claire

I have a very promising line on a job based in Eau Claire (after 2.5 years of searching!) Anybody willing to give me some beta on the city? Anything really. I've never been before and might not have time to visit before accepting the job. All I know is what Wikipedia has to offer.

Should I stay away? Or is it a tolerable place to live? Where should I look at living? Anybody looking for a climbing partner and/or roommates?

I've been in Chicago for 6 years so the transition to a smaller city might be painful. Still close to Devil's Lake to some fun Midwest climbing and even closer to good ice climbing so I can probably deal with it for a while.

Cheers.
Jason

Eau Claire is a pretty chill town. It's located in a particularly awesome part of the state with much outdoor activity to take part in. There's decent breweries located in and around the town and you're real close to other climbing destinations outside of Wisconsin like Red Wing, Taylor's Falls, The North Shore as well as in state climbing like Willow River and Taylor's Falls. There's also a fair amount of bouldering in the area. All in all I'd say it's a tolerable place to live- I actually didn't live there but my sister and her husband did for a while and when I would visit it was a great place to be. If you're looking to escape the big city but not get too rural I'd say Eau Claire is a good place as any.

I lived in Eau Claire while going to school at the University. There is an indoor rock wall there, at UW Eau Claire as well as one near by at UW Stout, both are open to community members and offer dirt cheap memberships. It's a great way to meet some really amazing people and possibly some climbing buddies. If you're into Mnt. Biking/Hiking check out Lowes Creek.

Other than that, I think it's a surprisingly awesome little town. Farmer's Markets and concerts in the park(s multiple actually). The University puts on some great theatre. Pick up a "VolumeOne" when you get there it has a lot for a person to check out. I rented through EDJ rentals and he was a pretty stand up landlord but I've heard good things about most rental properties outside of student rental areas.

Thanks for the replies. I actually had some time today to look at rental properties and did a little more research on the city. I think I could be happy there.

Looking at rentals, $1000/month you can rent a big ass house! I think I paid $1100 for my first studio here in Chi city.

Got to ace the interview on Tuesday though.

Its been a while since I've been to Eau Claire but I have one excellent recommendation. Mike's Smokehouse. Quite possibly the best ribs I've ever had in my life.

ccerling wrote:Its been a while since I've been to Eau Claire but I have one excellent recommendation. Mike's Smokehouse. Quite possibly the best ribs I've ever had in my life.

Thanks buddy. I'll make that my first stop when I get the job.

Tomorrow is a follow up in-person interview (we're meeting half way in Milwaukee). It appears more of a formality than anything just to gauge my interest and make sure I'm not some whack job. Supposed to be casual (attire and in substance). Wish me luck.

JC

Eau Claire is awesome. 2 hrs to Devils Lake, 2 hrs to Taylors falls, half hour to Menominee for some fun ice bouldering, 2 1/2 hrs to Green Bay for the Ice Pit ice fest, 2 1/2 hours to Sandstone for ice climbing, 1 hr to Stillwater for ice climbing, 2 hrs to Gov Dodge for ice climbing, 1 1/2 hrs to twin cities for ice climbing, 1 hr to Red Wing. North Shore and Michigan not to far of a drive for a long weekend of climbing either. I have lived here all my life and I love it. Also I would second Mikes Smokehouse, great food. Good luck on the interview. I dont get a lot of time for rock climbing, but I love ice climbing and get more time to do that, and am always looking for a partner, let me know if you are interested.

I grew up in EC. Great little town. Reasonable property values and reasonable property taxes. Good schools. The university is great. The town has nice topography and two great rivers and plenty of water/forest/recreation options. You will love it. I learned how to climb at Mt Simon--- a crappy little sandstone plug in town near the dam site on Dells Pond. It is a rough townie party spot but has a great view and a bit of challenge to it for bouldering and s a few short TR's... You can boulder out at Big Falls spot on the EC river. Neat really old igneous metamorphics that have significant geologic study value and again just a bit of a challenege and interest for climbing. If you like biking (both MT and Road) you will love EC... road bike trails cut the town and there are a few very nice MB trail options as stated.... and more planned to be added I have heard... There is a great ice climbing option right in town as well (60 foot pillar) but I will only tell you in person where it is as there is a slight access issue.

Well I just got back from vacation and have since negotiated the terms of this new position. So it looks like I'll be moving north to EC at the end of the month. Information about best neighborhoods to live would be appreciated considering I haven't visited yet and EC craigslist postings leave something to be desired.

Congrats on the job. Hopefully we can do some ice climbing this winter, maybe hit the Sandstone Ice Fest or the Ice Pit ice fest or something. Let me know if you are intersted. I know where the ice pillar in town is too. Most neighborhoods in EC are good there are a few not so good ones, but not so good here is probably good in a bigger city. Are you looking for a house or apartment?