Moving to MKE this fall, considering Shorewood and Whitefish Bay (Milwaukee: apartments, renters)
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Moving to MKE this fall, considering Shorewood and Whitefish Bay
Hi all, my wife and I will be moving to Milwaukee and are pretty sure we would like to live in Shorewood or Whitefish Bay.
We will be renting an apartment and just wanted to see if there are other spots we should consider or if there are any concerns we should be aware of before moving to either of these communities.
We want to spend $800 or less for a 1 bedroom. We don't have kids or pets.
Thank you all!
Last edited by SubieGuy; 04-30-2012 at 06:50 PM..
Reason: Spelling correction.
Both communities are good choices. Shorewood is very liberal and Whitefish Bay isn't as liberal as Shorewood. Shorewood does have a good supply of apartments. Property taxes in both communities are very high due to the highly regarded public school systems.
I currently own a home in Whitefish Bay, but previously rented in Shorewood. Both are charming communities with their own personalities. Shorewood is younger and more urban, liberal, and hip. There's a good chunk of students and recent grads who live in Shorewood, making it more youthful and social.
WFB is older, more settled, more family oriented, and has one of the higher income/capita in Milwaukee. WFB has recently been named one of the top 100 places to live in Money Magazine .. and they have the #1 school system in the Milwaukee area. Shorewood's schools are also excellent, to be sure.
Both are walkable communities, but Shorewood has far more places to walk TO, than WFB, which has a very small downtown area. As an example, WFB has one restaurant and a couple coffee shops. Shorewood has a dozen+, and a few bars.
Neither Shorewood nor WFB have a ton of apartments for rent .. Shorewood has many duplexes, though.
My guess is that you'd like Shorewood the best. I really enjoyed my time there.
Regardless, make sure you have enough parking at wherever you select, as Shorewood in particular has tight parking restrictions.
Although this would be a different setting, Milwaukee's Lower East Side (east of the Milwaukee River, south of North Avenue and north of Ogden Avenue) has a bunch of beautiful one-bedroom apartments in your price range.
This area is /much/ more walkable than Shorewood or Whitefish Bay, plus there's much more to walk to- local coffee shops, boutique restaurants, the harbor and Bradford Beach, the Conservatory of Music, music shops, clothing stores, etc. The age group of renters is on the younger side here, especially when compared to Whitefish Bay; there's much more activity going on outside your apartment. However, the places for rent are very close to some beautiful condos where the age group is significantly higher. There's something for everyone here, and much more available to renters.
I recommend looking into Summerfield Court on Farwell Ave, the Royall Villas on Royall Pl, and the Viking on Kane Pl. A place I used to work for had some beautiful one-bedrooms in these buildings that I think you might like.
I currently rent in Whitefish Bay. I suspect it will be difficult for you to find something in your price range in WFB. Most rentals are in the $900-$1100 range. There is actually relatively little rental stock in WFB -- what there is is concentrated along Henry Clay St. and also the southwest corner of the Village.
Shorewood has far more rentals. You should be able to find a 1br for $800, but it will probably be in an older building without central air.
I currently rent in Whitefish Bay. I suspect it will be difficult for you to find something in your price range in WFB. Most rentals are in the $900-$1100 range. There is actually relatively little rental stock in WFB -- what there is is concentrated along Henry Clay St. and also the southwest corner of the Village.
Shorewood has far more rentals. You should be able to find a 1br for $800, but it will probably be in an older building without central air.
I have found a number of rentals on Henry Clay St. Are there any concerns about living in such a densely packed apartment rental street like that?
Also curious if central air is a necessity as you mentioned we may not get it in Shorewood? In AZ I would die without it, but I have been keeping an eye on the weather and MKE seems to be consistently 20-40 degrees cooler than AZ. Could we be comfortable most of the time without central air or should we look for a place that has it?
I have found a number of rentals on Henry Clay St. Are there any concerns about living in such a densely packed apartment rental street like that?
Also curious if central air is a necessity as you mentioned we may not get it in Shorewood? In AZ I would die without it, but I have been keeping an eye on the weather and MKE seems to be consistently 20-40 degrees cooler than AZ. Could we be comfortable most of the time without central air or should we look for a place that has it?
Henry Clay is fine. It is much less dense than most areas in Milwaukee proper in that the apartment buildings are not all that big. You will want to be sure what the parking situation is though. I don't know how bad street parking is there, especially during the winter months when the Village has more restrictions on overnight parking.
Central air near Lake Michigan is really a matter of personal preference. I know many folks who are fine without it. Personally, I could never live without it. The biggest difference between Arizona and Milwaukee is when it gets hot in the summer, it is humid with dew points in the 60s and 70s. Some years we will have mild summers where the temp rarely breaks 85; other years we will have hot stretches with temps 90+ for several days at a time. The lake often (but not always) acts as a natural air conditioner, so temps near the lake are usually cooler -- sometimes dramatically so -- from areas inland.
If I remember, a lot of those rentals on Henry Clay have utilities included so the higher rent is offset. Many include heat, and some include the A/C as well. Seems like I remember 1 or 2 throwing in cable but I wouldn't count on that.
I've only been here one summer, and it was by far the coolest summer I've experienced. I don't know if it was normal or not. A few days here and there above 90. Hit 100 one day. Frequent breaks between the heat. Consistant warmth only lasted maybe a solid month or two: July and August. Even June had quite a bit of cool weather.
I have lived in a duplex on Morris Blvd in Shorewood for 2.5 yrs and just purchased a home in Shorewood, a few steps south of Whitefish Bay. The best value you are going to find for a rental is a unit in a 2-family house in Shorewood. I was renting a very well maintained 2br upper flat with 2 parking space (1 in garage), basement storage, laundry, and green space for 800. AC will be less of concern if you are in a lower unit vs. an upper. You can always pop in a window unit, you only need it for 2 months out of the year. There are typically a lot of units that come available in Aug/Sep, I recommend scanning craigslist. There are plenty of early 20th century gems out there, I would stear clear of the cookie cutter complexs where you will get fewer square feet, pay a higher price, and a less comfortable feel.
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