Tomorrow marks the four-year anniversary of our family’s move to Waukesha, Wisconsin, for my husband to take a position as a pastor here. With a population of 72,000, this is the biggest city we’ve ever lived in by far. And it’s part of the Greater Milwaukee area, which has a population of over 1.5 million. Before we made the move here, I was worried about what it would be like to live in a big city (and some of you are probably laughing at my definition of a big city!), but I’ve found that Waukesha actually feels a lot like a small town. Here are some pictures from my morning walks the past couple of weeks—definitely has a small town vibe. (In the first picture, it’s a little hard to tell, but there are turkeys under the trees. As for the last picture…yep, we’ve gotten snow already!)
Although we live in the “big city” now, I’m a small town girl at heart, probably because I’ve lived in so many small towns in my life. I grew up in a rural area outside of the small town of Lomira, Wisconsin (current population 2,400, although I think it was closer to 1,600 when I was growing up). After my husband and I got married, we lived in the nearby city of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (population 42,000), before we moved to the picturesque town of New Ulm, Minnesota (population 13,000). Then we moved to the small town of Jackson, Wisconsin (population 7,000) and also spent a year in the tourist town of Eagle River in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. The full-time population of Eagle River was only 1,500, although it got much more crowded in the summer. Then it was on to Onalaska, Wisconsin (population 18,000), for four years before we moved to our latest (and biggest!) city.
Looking at my books now, I can see how all of these small towns have influenced the fictional town of Hope Springs, setting of my Hope Springs series. But Hope Springs is definitely most strongly influenced by a place I’ve never lived: Door County, Wisconsin. (If you look at a map of Wisconsin, Door County is the little “thumb” that sticks out into Lake Michigan on the eastern side of the state.) This is our favorite camping spot, and I just love the laid-back, friendly feeling of the area. It’s a narrow peninsula, so you’re always within about 10 miles of the water. And both shorelines are dotted with the sweetest small towns. Here are a few pictures I took on our last Door County trip of places that have directly influenced the setting of Hope Springs:
From the name, you might never guess what kind of shop the Chocolate Chicken is—it’s an ice cream shop! We stop there every time we’re in Door County, and I love the name so much that I didn’t change it for my books. You’ll find characters stopping in for ice cream in nearly every one.
We always take our ice cream from the Chocolate Chicken outside and eat it in the gazebo that overlooks the harbor below. So do Sophie and Spencer in Not Until Forever (Hope Springs book 1).
This is the view from the gazebo at the top of the hill down to the marina below. We love to walk out on the pier (holding tight to the dog’s leash so she doesn’t decide to go for a swim!). I haven’t incorporated sailing into the Hope Springs books…yet. But there is a ferry ride in Not Until Us (Hope Springs book 4).
In Not Until You (Hope Springs book 3), Nate and Violet walk on a rocky beach. Here’s the inspiration! Somehow, my kids can walk on this barefoot. I cannot.
The breathtaking dunes at Whitefish Dunes State Park inspired the sand dunes along areas of the beach in Hope Springs. My family loves this park because it has hiking and swimming—including a beach where dogs are allowed to swim too.
I think the one thing I haven’t seen in Door County is a fudge shop. The inspiration for that came from Eagle River, which has not one but two fudge shops, where you can watch the workers making fudge. I think that (along with eating the fudge!) may have been one of our favorite things about living there. Of course, I just went through every single picture from the year we lived there and didn’t find a single one of the fudge shop. It’s almost as if we didn’t know that a decade later I’d be writing books inspired by the town, lol.
If you’re thinking you’d love to visit Hope Springs, I’ve just released the first three books in the Hope Springs series as a box set. You can get it for 99 cents for a limited time!
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About Hope Springs Books 1-3
“Just discovered this Hope Springs series, and I fell in love with the town, the characters, and this author’s writing.” -Amazon reviewer
Three fast-paced, emotional Christian romances in one collection.
Not Until Forever: Sophie knows she did the right thing when she declined Spencer’s proposal five years ago. So why does seeing him again stir up old feelings? Spencer promised himself he wouldn’t fall for Sophie again. But there’s something different about her now. Something that makes him think maybe God is giving them a second chance…
Not Until This Moment: Peyton thought Jared was “the one”—until he told her he never intended to get married. Jared wishes he could give Peyton everything she desires. But marriage is the one thing he can never offer her. When they’re thrown together again on an annual ski trip, both have to reexamine what they want. Because it’s just possible God has other plans for them…
Not Until You: Three years after her husband’s death, Violet is sure her chance at happily ever after is over. Until Nate moves in next door and stirs feelings she thought had died with her husband. But when Nate reveals a devastating secret, they have to decide: should they walk away, or trust that the God of second chances has a plan for their future?
If you love deeply moving stories filled with faith, forgiveness, love, and the promise of forever, then the Hope Springs Books 1-3 box set will touch your heart and leave you breathless with the power of true love.
What about you—do you live in a small town or a big city? What’s your favorite thing about where you live that you’d love to see in a book?
Valerie M. Bodden has three great loves: Jesus, her family, and books. And chocolate (okay, four great loves). She writes emotion-filled Christian fiction that weaves real-life problems, real-life people, and real-life faith. Her characters may (okay, will) experience some heartache along the way, but true to her tendencies as a hopeless romantic, she will always give them a happy ending. Valerie is living out her happily ever after in Wisconsin with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and their four children. Visit her at www.valeriembodden.com to get a free story.
Hi Valerie, thanks for sharing about these places- I have never been to the US but your pictures make it look very beautiful. I love small towns, but I also enjoy the conveniences of a big city. I think I have the ideal at the moment- living in a small town that is near to a large city. I like that I can drive into the city when needed, and escape home to peace and serenity each evening:)
Blessings:)
Hey Valerie, I live in the growing village of Giroc in Romania 🇷🇴…. it is on the edge of a big city Timișoara RO… so I love being able to walk to the market and meat store or post office…. or ride my bike where ever I need to go. However the city offers incredible parks and philharmonic music concerts and many churches… so I enjoy where we live and work as missionaries teaching biblical counseling… Sophie and Spencer story is great!!! I find myself counseling them along the way 😂 you are a gifted author and I’m glad to hear some of your life journey here …
Hi, Valerie! I am reading Hope Springs right now and loving it! When I was much much younger I read a book that was set in Door County and fell in love with the place. To this day I think about how much I would love to visit it! Thank you for sharing such beautiful photos!
That does sound ideal! That’s definitely one of the things I like about living in a larger city than we have before–we’re so close to so many conveniences and things to do, like the zoo or the museum. But it’s a small enough city that it’s still pretty tranquil. :) Peace and serenity at home is so important!
Wow, Romania! It sounds like an amazing place to live–and like you have a perfect blend of small town and big city. I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying Spencer and Sophie’s story–and that you’re even counseling them, lol! Love it!
I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving Hope Springs! Isn’t it amazing how long the places we’ve read about can stick with us? Door County is a beautiful place–I highly recommend a visit if you ever get a chance!
Thanks for sharing your photos of the beautiful scenery. I’ve mostly lived in the suburbs of larger towns, some big cities like Dallas and Atlanta.
Glad you enjoyed the photos! The nice thing about suburbs is that they’re just far enough away from the city that they feel like kind of a separate world. But at the same time you can get to the city easily enough for things to do. :)
I live in a smallish city, with about 21,360 people. The thing I like best is still the small town feel, and that I can go outside in either my front or back yard and watch the launches from the Cape Canaveral and KSC.
That’s a nice size–big enough to have everything you need but small enough to still have the quiet feel of a small town. It must be amazing to be able to watch launches from your yard! Wow!
I completely relate to this post. I am from a small town and went to a small college town. We spent our first married years in a small town until God called us to Youngstown, Ohio. Although we now live in a more country-like setting, we are minutes from what I used to think was a giant city.
My romances are set in Upstate NY small towns as my tip of the hat to all those years. The series I wrote for middle grade and women, that I set in Ohio as a tribute to where I live today.
Then there is Wisconsin! I married into a family and those children are now adults who both live there. Last month we landed at the Milwaukee airport (my favorite so far,) and drove to Prairie Du Sac. Everyone was so nice. Everything was within blocks of each other. It was easy to picture it as a fictional setting.
I really enjoyed your post and pictures!
I love that you set your books in locations based on where you’ve lived as well! It’s always fun to start out with a real place (or mix of places) in mind and then add our own touches. :) So glad you enjoyed your visit to Wisconsin! I have to agree–the people here are nice and the towns are just right. :)
I have lived out in the countryside and in cities. I like the peace of the countryside, but the convenience of a city.
Agreed! After growing up in the countryside, I thought I’d like to be away from everything. But it turns out that I do enjoy the convenience of having everything nearby. It’s always nice when you can kind of get the best of both worlds. :)
I live in the rural hills of WV. My daughter lives in Oostburg not far from you.
I bet it’s beautiful in the hills of WV! It’s been a while since I’ve been through Oostburg, but if I remember correctly, it’s one of the towns our high school used to play in sports. :)
I live in a small town on the Oregon coast, probably around 7,000 all told. However, I grew up in Illinois in what they call the Quad Cities (obviously four cities). The one I lived in most of my life (East Moline) was a population of about 20,000 with Moline bordering that about 40,000. But as you said, it felt like small town to me :-) I think the only thing I miss, is the variety of grocery shopping places nearby, some of the bigger named box stores, and more popular restaurants (Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Sizzlers, etc). It’s always a treat when my husband and I do a day trip and go to one of our favorite places to eat! When we go visit my sister-in-law who lives in Washington, the population is about 130,000! I certainly don’t like fighting traffic or all the people.
My favorite thing about my small town, is how everyone knows everyone! You can’t go into a store and not run into at least one person you know. I love the ease of getting around (except for Summer time tourists!), the slower pace, and the friendliness. I also love how community orientated our city is. I wouldn’t trade a small town for a big city for anything! :-)
I do love reading books with small towns, they are probably my favorite settings. It doesn’t matter to me what state or country it’s in. Authors who can make you want to visit that town because of how real they make it, are awesome in my opinion! I’m going over to Amazon and buying your boxed set Valerie so I can live in Hope Springs for a while :-)
I like in a small country town. Growing up the population was around 5,000 its around 6,000 with a large country community (several small one horse towns so to speak with very little maybe a hall) a couple in the 20 – 30 mins drive have a primary school but little else maybe a small corner store with a post office for the basics. Most of these people come to my town for shopping and school or high school. We have a larger city of around 28,000 which is around an hour away and many go there for shopping in larger stores and some medical stuff.
Our capital city is around 3 and a half hours away.
I like being in a smaller town because most things are within walking distance or riding a bike distance. The medical centre and hospital are less than 5 mins walk straight up the hill and cross a road from my back driveway. The town centre is about 10 – 12 mins walk from here and the church is a 10 – 12 min walk away. The gym where I have started going for health reasons is under 10 mins on the bike (its also the place I hurt my back!). So for someone like me who doesn’t drive its easy to get around. I can get a taxi which I do at times. The downside is not as many shops and often I have to go to the capital city to see a specialist. We have some come but not Neurologists. Also if you don’t drive we have a bus service to the city but its only 6 times a week and its not a return service in the one day.
Hi Valerie! Thanks for sharing your pictures. Wisconsin is a beautiful place. Visited often when we lived in the Chicago area in the 1980s. It was only an hour’s drive to Kenosha, WI and in the summer we loved frozen custard. I have lived in about 7 different cities. Most of my life I have lived in SW Michigan – a community of 10,000. We are the county seat, have great schools, a hospital, shopping, community college with a theatre, farm markets, and beautiful beaches. Chicago is 100 miles away. As retirees, we appreciate the lack of traffic. As a pastor’s family we also moved often, but were glad to return to my home town to be near my aging parents. Best wishes.
Your small town sounds lovely, Trixi, and I can tell how much you love living there! It’s wonderful that everyone is so community oriented there. It’s so funny that even though our new city is the biggest we’ve lived in, we still run into people we know almost everywhere we go here too. I love traveling to new towns through books–I hope you enjoy your visit to Hope Springs! :)
Your town sounds like just the perfect size, especially with everything in walking or biking distance! That’s one thing I definitely miss about some of the smaller towns we’ve lived in. We could walk or bike to the library or the YMCA or even church in our last town. Here that would be a little harder. Like anywhere, small towns come with their trade-offs in not having as many conveniences, but I’m glad there are ways to get to the larger cities for those. Prayers for recovery from your back injury!
Glad you enjoyed the pictures! I agree, Wisconsin is a beautiful place–and we do have great frozen custard here. :) Your town sounds just right–everything you need without the hustle and bustle of a big city! One of the things I think I didn’t anticipate about being a pastor’s family is all the moves, but it’s been a great blessing to meet people in so many places. :)
I love small towns! Awesome pictures! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Alexa! Glad you enjoyed the pictures!