Milwaukee vs. Madison suburbs (Waukesha, Washington: apartments, houses, neighborhoods)

[getgoin]

Hi,
I touched on this in my last post asking about suburbs, but can anyone please tell me their opinion on the differences in living in Madison vs. Milwaukee? Specifically relating to raising kids as a SAHM, as well as people, lifestyle, things to do, etc.. I couldn't find an existing post on this, if there is one, could you please let me know? Thank you!
Also, are there more tornadoes in Madison? Actual tornadoes and warnings?

[Milwaukee City]

Are you asking about the difference of Milwaukee suburbs and Madison suburbs or living in the city of Milwaukee and Madison city? or do you really mean Milwaukee city vs the Madison suburbs which is apples and bowling balls. I would put Tornadoes on your list of things to worry about somewhere around #857. To me it's kinda obvious, Madison is more of a college town and smaller with less things to do but it's not like you can't find anything to do. I find the people in Milwaukee to be more normal than the people in certain areas in the city of Madison but Madison burbs people tend to be more normal. The Milwaukee suburbs in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington county are listed in the top 100 wealthiest counties in the country but that doesn't mean you cannot find affordable housing or apartments. Great schools in all of Milwaukee's suburbs, some better than others but all in all you can't go wrong with any of them and safety is not an issue with any of them.

The Milwaukee suburbs surrounding Milwaukee the inner ring suburbs reflect the city lifestyle with small lots, small backyards and houses are very close to one another. You'll have more traffic in MKE but it's not unbearable at all in my mind, just by MKE area being bigger you'll have more things to do. It's not like you will find happiness in one place and not the other, you just have to be more specific about what you are looking for in a city or what you want close to you. You can find a small town suburb around Milwaukee that doesn't feel like a suburb and you can find suburbs that fit the stereo typical image of a suburb. There are many great urban neighborhoods in MKE and many great suburbs in the 7 county area. I like Milwaukee more but that's just because I am more of a city guy and I love going out and seeing a NBA game or a baseball game or going to a play or the art museum or taking the train down to Chicago. Milwaukee has a great night life scene and so many great restaurants in the city and suburbs. Milwaukee also has great options for shopping and if I need a Saks I can just drive an hour and a half or train it.

If you fly a lot chances are you will have to drive up to Milwaukee to go anywhere, I hear you can take a connector flight but from what I heard it's really expensive and cheaper just to drive up to Milwaukee and get a direct flight. In my mind you can get a smaller town feeling or small town vibe in and around the Milwaukee suburbs but you can't get a city vibe like you do in Milwaukee in Madison.

Plus living on Lake Michigan really has it's advantages like in Winter when Madison got 8-12 inches this year we got just rain, in winter it can be as much as 20 degrees warmer in Milwaukee and right along the lake however in summer it can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than say Madison. I just find there is so much more to do in Milwaukee and it's bigger that wins out for me but I am a person that would rather raise a family downtown than in the suburbs or out in the country.