Down-to-Earth or Snooty? (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wauwatosa: house, neighborhood, luxury)

[mcd595]

My family needs to relocate to the Milwaukee suburbs this summer. Schools are our top priority and we really want a family oriented place. Budget is not an issue. My husband will be commuting to downtown for work and we have three children heading to elementary school.

We recently visited and narrowed our choices down to Mequon or Elm Grove. We love the charm of Elm Grove coupled with all the shopping in that area. However, Mequon seems like it is more connected with downtown and we like the proximity to the lake.

Mainly, we don't know anything about the people and vibe in each town. Are folks down-to-earth and family oriented? How do the two towns compare to each other? What are the best and worst aspects of living in each town? Is either town snooty?

Any information would be helpful!

Thanks!

[CSD610]

The last time we were in Milwaukee I saw a girl walking down the sidewalk carrying a cow, I don't think that is snooty at all.

[CowsAndBeer]

Originally Posted by CSD610

The last time we were in Milwaukee I saw a girl walking down the sidewalk carrying a cow, I don't think that is snooty at all.

I have never seen this in my life - where/when exactly was this? And if you can call anywhere "snooty," Mequon would be a good start.

[Devitron5000]

Originally Posted by CowsAndBeer

I have never seen this in my life - where/when exactly was this? And if you can call anywhere "snooty," Mequon would be a good start.

Me either. If that person isn't just trolling, I'm guessing it was probably on Brady Street. I've seen so many people taking their "exotic" pets out for a walk on Brady over the years, I doubt anything could surprise me anymore.

To the OP... if you're worried about snooty people, stay away from the WOW Counties (Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington). It sounds like Whitefish Bay, Glendale, or possibly Shorewood might be closer to what you're looking for.

[pete6032]

Mequon is very snooty. Not sure about Elm Grove.

[Milwaukee City]

Mequon is not very snooty, people around here make it seem like Orange County or the North Shore of Chicago. Mequon maybe snooty in terms of how people see them but as far as actually interacting with people from Mequon, not snooty. Just because someone lives in a $800,000 house and drives a luxury car and doesn't wave at you at a stop light doesn't make them snooty. This snooty is more prececption than actually reality. Someone earlier said the North Shore of Milwaukee is not snooty, insert the standard "LOL". You don't need to stay away from the WOW counties there is nothing wrong with them, and writing off whole counties as snooty is extreme generalization.

Naturally you will run into more snooty people or have a higher chance of running into snooty people in wealthy areas and including wealthy urban areas such as the Third Ward, but all of my time I haven't picked up on a high amount of snobbery anywhere in Milwaukee and this is from a guy who plays a lot of golf all over the area. Trust me if you want to increase your odds of running into a snob, play golf. I love golf and everything about it but sometimes my fellow golfers act like they drive a Maybach instead of a Acura.

You'll be fine anywhere in the burbs and the city, and if by chance you run into a snob, write them off and not the whole neighborhood or city.

As for each city itself, Mequon in my mind has a huge advantage of being next to the lake, I love living next to the lake, cooler temps in the summer and warmer temps in the winter plus a day at the beach cures any ailment. Elm grove is surrounded by other burbs and is nice very quiet and a great location in the middle of the metro area. Mequon has it's western side more rural suburban and east of 76th street or Wauwatosa RD as it's called in Mequon is more subdivisions and homes closer together. I prefer Mequon because of the lake and bigger lots and the more space it has to offer. Plus you are a quick ride to Bayshore Mall and big box stores in Grafton when you need them too.

[Devitron5000]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Mequon is not very snooty, people around here make it seem like Orange County or the North Shore of Chicago.

That's because the comparison really isn't off-base. Every major metro area has a place like that, and Mequon happens to be that place for Southeast Wisconsin.

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Mequon maybe snooty in terms of how people see them but as far as actually interacting with people from Mequon, not snooty. Just because someone lives in a $800,000 house and drives a luxury car and doesn't wave at you at a stop light doesn't make them snooty. This snooty is more prececption than actually reality. Someone earlier said the North Shore of Milwaukee is not snooty, insert the standard "LOL". You don't need to stay away from the WOW counties there is nothing wrong with them, and writing off whole counties as snooty is extreme generalization.

That's a bit presumptuous to assume that's what everyone has in mind when they say Mequon is snooty, don't you think?

Just the other day one of my classmates from Mequon told the class about the time an officer came to speak to his high school for career day and admitted that the Mequon PD pulls over "any car that doesn't look like it belongs in Mequon." If the idea that it's okay to judge whether or not someone "belongs" in a place based on something as superficial as what type of car they drive isn't snooty, I don't know what is.

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

writing off whole counties as snooty is extreme generalization.

Yet, residents of those counties FREQUENTLY write the entire city of Milwaukee off as if it were perpetually South Central LA during the height of the crack epidemic... SNOOTY!

[pete6032]

Originally Posted by Devitron5000

Yet, residents of those counties FREQUENTLY write the entire city of Milwaukee off as if it were perpetually South Central LA during the height of the crack epidemic... SNOOTY!

I have met several people from the further out North Shore suburbs - Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Port Washington, etc. that hold this exact viewpoint. They basically seem to think we're better of bulldozing or fencing off Milwaukee because its a failed city, and the city failed due to its own poor choices, and that Milwaukee needs to be more like their home suburb, and if it was then it wouldn't be such a terrible place. If Milwaukee wanted, it could easily pull itself out of poverty, but for some perplexing reason the people that live there have no motivation to do so and thus it perpetually remains a **** hole.

[43north87west]

This thread might just be another drive by to stir up traffic in the slower forums. They always have a borderline contentious question that looks legitimate on the surface, but is really designed to get people arguing (is Chenequa diverse, are interracial lesbians with adopted Asian kids accepted in South Milwaukee, is Mequon "snooty", is 27th and Capitol a good neighborhood, is Milwaukee County unsafe, is Menomonee Falls good for nightlife, etc).

Also, the OP claims he/she has no budget, and likes the lake. Where did Elm Grove come from? It's nice, but there are other choices, and schools aren't a factor because they have no budget, so private school is always an option, even though most nicer suburbs have good schools. No budget means pretty much limitless options.

Maybe the OP can explain their requirements and budget a bit better.

[northnut]

Originally Posted by pete6032

I have met several people from the further out North Shore suburbs - Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Port Washington, etc. that hold this exact viewpoint. They basically seem to think we're better of bulldozing or fencing off Milwaukee because its a failed city, and the city failed due to its own poor choices, and that Milwaukee needs to be more like their home suburb, and if it was then it wouldn't be such a terrible place. If Milwaukee wanted, it could easily pull itself out of poverty, but for some perplexing reason the people that live there have no motivation to do so and thus it perpetually remains a **** hole.

You just agreed with the viewpoint of those from outside the area with this statement right here. Is that what you were intending? It doesn't correlate with the beginning of your post. Milwaukee isn't a s*ithole. I'd rather live in Milwaukee any day than move out into the lily white generic suburbs. .