Tucked along the western shore of Lake Michigan sits a place where your retirement check stretches like saltwater taffy, where neighbors still bring casseroles when you’re under the weather, and where lakefront living doesn’t require a hedge fund manager’s salary.
Welcome to Racine, Wisconsin.
Between Milwaukee’s brewery buzz and Chicago’s big-city energy lies this unassuming lakeside community that might just be Wisconsin’s best-kept secret for affordable living.
I stumbled upon Racine during what was supposed to be a quick lunch stop on a Great Lakes road trip, but something about the place made me linger – first for an afternoon, then overnight, and eventually for a full weekend of exploration…