city living (Milwaukee, Mequon, Whitefish Bay: crime, houses, theatre)

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by pollywannacracker

If i had that kind of money to play with i would definitely look at whitefish bay or shorewood. Whitefish bay and Shorewood are defintely urban, they don't seem like a suburb

I'll cast another vote for 53202, in addition to my always-glowing endorsement of 53211 (Milwaukee/Shorewood). It is more urban than 53211 and has the amenities and the access that fit the bill. I lived there as well and loved the area and especially the views and the very close access to the marina (a major plus for me and other boaters).

[whereinmilwaukee]

thanks to you all again...amazing the no of condos that are available in the zip codes mentioned- some upwards of a million dollars.Whew! Will be interesting to see what they actually look like.
what do people in the city do for schooling ?(pre-school at least) . It appears from reading here that MPS sucks (like CPS in Chicago :-) )
Also what in your opinion is the most ethnically diverse of these neighbourhoods - East side/Shorewood etc

Thx.

[Twoaday]

whereinmilwaukee> You might also look into the many condo projects under construction currently, including The Edge, The North End, The Staybridge, Park Lafeyette, City Green and The Flatiron.

The Flatiron is almost done and I have pictures here: The Flatiron - Milwaukee - a photoset on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davereid/sets/72157602259740399/ - broken link)

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by whereinmilwaukee

It appears from reading here that MPS sucks (like CPS in Chicago :-) )
Also what in your opinion is the most ethnically diverse of these neighbourhoods - East side/Shorewood etc

Thx.

From what I hear MPS has some pretty good schools. Quite a few of my friends have their kids in their schools. Their Immersion schools in particular are very good. It would be next to impossible to find such a school in the burbs or as a parochial school. Tosa schools are very good. My girlfriend's son graduated from Tosa East and he had a very good prep education.

Shorewood has a pretty good ethnic diversity. They have a large enough Russian population to support a number of businesses and stores that cater almost exclusively to them. If you are talking about the racial diversity then there really isn't much there.

The East Side has a much better mix of races and ethnicities but is still predominantly white. Use of the lakefront is split by whites and blacks.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Originally Posted by whereinmilwaukee

It appears from reading here that MPS sucks (like CPS in Chicago :-) )


Thx.

There are over 400 schools in the city of Milwaukee. When people say "MPS sucks" what they're really saying is that most MPS schools are terrible. And this is true. But people often overlook that if even 1/4 of MPS schools are of good quality, that still leaves the parent with 60 plus good schools to choose from.

On the East Side of the city, you have several well-regarded public Montessori Schools closeby, and one of the most academically challenging elementary schools in the state, Golda Meier. On the West Side (where I live) there's truly no shortage of quality public schools. Good schools are to be found on the South Side as well.

My advice is to keep your eyes open, check out this great website: GreatSchools.net, ask around, and keep an open mind. Just because it says "MPS" on the side of the building does not guarantee it's subpar. In fact, it very well could be superior to most schools in the suburbs (see Milwaukee French Immersion, Golda Meier, Milwaukee School of Languages, etc ...)

[whereinmilwaukee]

thanks milwaukee ronnie and nuclear_art : thats good advice. Junior is still too young for regular school anyway..the montessori school sounds promising.

both 53211 and 53202 sound like great areas.

does anyone on this forum live in one of the east side condos? Or have any opinions regarding their value/quality etc ?

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Originally Posted by whereinmilwaukee

Junior is still too young for regular school anyway..the montessori school sounds promising.

There are three Montessori Schools that I would recommend checking out: Downtown Montessori on Kenwood next to the UWM campus, Maryland Avenue School on Maryland and Farwell, East Side, and Highland Community School on 30th & Highland, near West Side.

Good luck and if you do decide to move to Milwaukee, welcome!

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by whereinmilwaukee

does anyone on this forum live in one of the east side condos? Or have any opinions regarding their value/quality etc?

Any in particular? Last year when searching I went through many. Some were good, some were bad. The worst I've seen were the new ones on Commerce Street and also Shepard Ave.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by whereinmilwaukee

thanks to you all again...amazing the no of condos that are available in the zip codes mentioned- some upwards of a million dollars.Whew! Will be interesting to see what they actually look like.
what do people in the city do for schooling ?(pre-school at least) . It appears from reading here that MPS sucks (like CPS in Chicago :-) )
Also what in your opinion is the most ethnically diverse of these neighbourhoods - East side/Shorewood etc

Thx.

....and many of those 7 figure condos are owned by people who live in Chicago burbs.

[whereinmilwaukee]

I believe there is road construction going on in the downtown area . How bad is traffice coming in/out of the city ?
Anyone know how long the drive would take from East-side OR Shorewood to the medical district (CHW/Froedert) during rush hour?

Also, forgive my ignorance, but does one have to pass through this construction if driving from Shorewood?
Am sure anything is better than Chicago's constant gridlock on the expressways :-). We do live in the city now so are spoiled !