Milwaukee - Schools - Areas to look at (Waukesha, Wauwatosa: apartment, condos)

[mazzer]

Hi Guys,

I'm doing a little research I have a potential job I'd like to apply for in Milwaukee and I'd like some advice.

I live in LA currently and have 3 young kids, two of which are in special needs classes. (Ages 5-8-9). Needless to say we aren't getting good services from the district and house prices are just silly here, so we're stuck in a tiny apartment.

The job is about $10-$15k less that LA. While we are not loaded I think I can afford a deposit on a reasonable house in Milwaukee.

With all that said, where would people suggest I look. It appears the job is central Milwaukee, I don't mind a commute, just nothing above 25 miles each way??

One other obvious criteria is a safe community, looking over the site, I'm a little worried I'm moving to another LA from all the poverty and crime threads.

Cheers
Maz--

[trizkutt]

Try University School. Tuition starts at 14k for kindergarten, about 22k for high school. Hope that helps...



If that's out of your range, all along the north shore (Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Bayside, Fox Point, Mequon, Cedarburg) all have outstanding public schools are are within 20 minutes of downtown. Hell, Chief Justice William Rhenquist went to Shorewood High, as did the Zucker Brothers directing duo. Lots of famous people from Whitefish Bay high and Nicolet. Nicolet, which serves River Hills, Bayside and Fox Point, has graduted the likes of like Oprah Winfrey (it's true, look it up) Kato Kaelin of OJ Simpson fame, golfer Skip Kendall and I believe a nobel laureate. It is one of the best public high schools in the country.

The schools in the western suburbs are good, but I don't know much about them though and I think the north shore is nicer anyway. The expensive prep school out there is the Brookfield Academy, which is roughly as pricey as University School. The north shore is leafy, old-money territory, if you're in to that, and the west suburbs are gaudy, new-money type burbs, if you're in to that. Of course, there are a bunch of parochial schools all over.

[quijote]

If you move into Milwaukee's inner city or the neighborhoods just surrounding the inner city, you should expect lots of crime and other problems. However, many areas of the city are quite safe--East Side, Downtown, Third Ward, Brewer's Hill, Walker's Point, Bayview, the Oklahoma Street corridor, the Southwest side, the far West Side, and many others. And most of the suburbs are quite safe, too.

[sunflower53072]

You might want to check out Waukesha or Brookfield. Both are nice suburbs without too far of a commute.

[pollywannacracker]

when you say central milwaukee do you mean downtown? what is your price range and are you only interested in single family homes or also townhomes/condos?

[mazzer]

Can't say exactly where they are but their corporate address is downtown.

Looking for a SFH, public schools, can't afford $12K a year and likely outside of the city. Looking at homes in the $300s or less?

[trizkutt]

Originally Posted by mazzer

Can't say exactly where they are but their corporate address is downtown.

Looking for a SFH, public schools, can't afford $12K a year and likely outside of the city. Looking at homes in the $300s or less?

You won't find anything under 300k worth look at in Shorewood, Whitefish, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills or the far west suburbs. If you can settle for a 3 br/2 bath or smaller in those areas in less desirable areas, you can afford it. Try Wauwatosa, Mequon, Oak Creek, Franklin, Greenfield, Greendale, Muskego for better deals. You get what you pay for, though. The latter tend to be bland, cookie-cutter suburbs. The former are leafy, green established communities for the most part.

[heyheyheyhey]

you will be able to be in a nice are with a good school district in franklin or oak creek. the oak creek schools do a great job with kids that need help in school. i know numerous moms that have to have their kids do anything from speech therapy to cognitive learning with specialist within the school.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by trizkutt

You won't find anything under 300k worth look at in Shorewood, Whitefish, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills or the far west suburbs. If you can settle for a 3 br/2 bath or smaller in those areas in less desirable areas, you can afford it. Try Wauwatosa, Mequon, Oak Creek, Franklin, Greenfield, Greendale, Muskego for better deals. You get what you pay for, though. The latter tend to be bland, cookie-cutter suburbs. The former are leafy, green established communities for the most part.

Do you mean by "the latter" these communities you cited?: "Wauwatosa, Mequon, Oak Creek, Franklin, Greenfield, Greendale, Muskego"

If so, I would have to respectfully heartily disagree. Greendale and Muskego particularly are not "bland, cookie-cutter"...in fact, I would say Greendale is about as close as it gets here to your statement "leafy, green established communities".

Wauwatosa really is not bland or cookie cutter either, it is actually hard to compare to many of these others because it is more of an inner ring, urban suburb.

Mequon, Franklin, and Greenfield all have their cookie-cutter parts, but they also have several parts that are very un-cookie-cutter like.

I also would respectfully disagree that you cannot find anything worth looking at well under 300K in Glendale...you can find a really nice home in a really nice area in Glendale.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by quijote

However, many areas of the city are quite safe--...the Oklahoma Street corridor,...

Boy, that is a great call quijote. I just moved back to the MKE metro area and was never really familiar with the Oklahoma Street corridor, but now I utilize it quite a bit for work purposes (commuting) and am surprised how many underratedly nice areas there are in and around Oklahoma...homes carry a really nice price tag in this area too.

Really some nice areas here - very underrated area.