Possible move to Milwaukee from Australia advice for a young family (King: wage, living)

[kemst]

I saw the video SamirD. It was cool. I especially like the "throw boiling water in the air" and the bubbles freezing.

I can't imagine how cold it is, nor have I ever expreienced snow any deeper than a few inches (and then we had to go to the mountains in winter).

[SamirD]

That was very cool, or should I say cold!

Do you mind posting a link to the video? I wanted to show it to my wife.

That cold was probably even more cold than we had. And that swim would have been absolutely brutal to my system--I would have instantly had a heart attack.

Next time it's that cold though, we're going to try the boiling water trick. I also want to see what water guns can do.

[kalipovs262]

Hey,
I hope this reply reaches you before you made any decisions.

Im 27 and have been living downtown Milwaukee in the Third Ward. I lived in Sydney and grew up in Noosa so it has been quite the adjustment weather wise. Im a nanny for three families, one in Elm Grove and two in Brookfield. They are both extremely close to Wauwatosa and very nice areas to raise kids. Elm Grove is a little quieter, my husband grew up there and described it as 'boring.' It has about 4000 people and is 2kmX3km with its own police and fire departments that rarely have to do work. The children in elm grove can as a result of little traffic and hazards, play in their yards unsupervised, and my husbands mother and father generally are able to leave windows open and doors unlocked when at work. (hence boring) The school district however is FANTASTIC (for your kids age) Its in the top 10 schools of WI. Brookfield school district called (Elmbrook) is also really great. Wauwatosa is a nice area to live however the houses are usually smaller with tiny backyards. The home values are unchanging, even when the U.S housing market was at an all time low, the home values in "tosa" kept their price. Tosa school districts are average until high school (9th-12th grade), then families decide to send their kids to private schools. You need to live in the school district you send your kids to unless you decide to go private. Wauwatosa is a tight knit community but has its drawbacks. If you search craigslist.org for places in tosa you can see the houses, and you will notice the difference in area. Much of Tosa is middle class families, but as you continue east, the areas become "rough" the houses are unkept, and teens are driving with music loud. If you live in tosa, live west of 70th street.

Living in the city (Milwaukee relates to Adelaide city wise) it's not a place to bring kids up. The school district is HORRIBLE (Milwaukee Public Schools: MPS) and it would be a terrible commute to Wauwatosa fighting traffic everyday. City life is just as sydney. Business men going to work etc.

As far as guns and crime, I have not seen much crime nor guns. If you live in the Western Suburbs you won't either. The suburbs are really nice, very family oriented and pretty. I like it here, it is not forever as I can not bare this cold. The kids would love it for a few years tho. BRING ON THE SNOW DAYS.

If you need any other information,Id be happy to help. I remember what it felt like to be in your shoes.

[Jesse276]

Originally Posted by kalipovs262

Living in the city (Milwaukee relates to Adelaide city wise) it's not a place to bring kids up. The school district is HORRIBLE (Milwaukee Public Schools: MPS) and it would be a terrible commute to Wauwatosa fighting traffic everyday.

I just wanted to mention that Milwaukee shares a long border with Wauwatosa, you don't have to fight traffic or have a terrible commute. Also, MPS does have many poor schools but there are some very good programs that have high success rates & waiting lists including suburban kids wanting to enter those schools.

One such school located right near Wauwatosa, in Milwaukee, is German Immersion School.

Milwaukee]Milwaukee German Immersion School - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - WI - School overview

I'm not going to sidetrack this thread anymore, it just seemed like your comment was only reflecting what you've seen and there's more out there.

[Deasnake]

Being a Romanian expat myself and growing up in between the Gurnee-Kenosha-Racine areas ( I traveled to Milwaukee all the time.) all I can say is, American kids are the HORRIBLE! They WILL tease your children for being foreign, it will be a BIG change for them, BUT it is possible, I am a walking example, it only made me stronger. Winters are rough, summers are hot and humid.
Food variations are very different than what you would be used to at home, so all I can say is COOK AT HOME, unless you want to go to a fancy restaurant, otherwise food is very mediocre.
The area you are looking to work in is pretty shady, crime is BAD, schools are BAD, some areas around CAN be good, but I must warn you, it gets pretty quiet up here, not much to do unless you go downtown.

[HyperionGap]

1/10

Go back to Romania.

[Deasnake]

^ My point proven .

[kalipovs262]

Originally Posted by Jesse276

I just wanted to mention that Milwaukee shares a long border with Wauwatosa, you don't have to fight traffic or have a terrible commute. Also, MPS does have many poor schools but there are some very good programs that have high success rates & waiting lists including suburban kids wanting to enter those schools.

One such school located right near Wauwatosa, in Milwaukee, is German Immersion School.

Milwaukee]Milwaukee German Immersion School - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - WI - School overview

I'm not going to sidetrack this thread anymore, it just seemed like your comment was only reflecting what you've seen and there's more out there.

Yes, I stand corrected. The German immersion school is a wonderful school but there are few others. For the majority MPS is horrid and there is a reason why there are waiting lists. Here is a Link from 2012 with MPS success/failure rate.
Milwaukee Public Schools Earn a D- on Wisconsin's New Report Cards | MacIver Institute

I commute from downtown Milwaukee to Brookfield. I don't care what street you take in peak hour - you will be held up by traffic. I fight it every day, as everyone knows In mke there's always road, ramp and lane closures especially on route between mke and tosa. Then throw accidents in the mix, the drive sux!

I wrote to help a fellow Australian with his decision and explained my opinion on the area. I believe Australians typically have similar lifestyles and beliefs in our children's upbringing. There are kids involved in this decision and he has chosen to do some research and asked for clarification on what he has heard. All the fighting on this thread about generalizing is uncalled for. If anything, it is making their overview of Americans and Milwaukee worse. I love Americas (I'm married to one) and I love living here. How about we offer advice and our own opinion instead of looking for an argument.

[Jesse276]

Originally Posted by kalipovs262

Yes, I stand corrected. The German immersion school is a wonderful school but there are few others. For the majority MPS is horrid and there is a reason why there are waiting lists. Here is a Link from 2012 with MPS success/failure rate.
Milwaukee Public Schools Earn a D- on Wisconsin's New Report Cards | MacIver Institute

I commute from downtown Milwaukee to Brookfield. I don't care what street you take in peak hour - you will be held up by traffic. I fight it every day, as everyone knows In mke there's always road, ramp and lane closures especially on route between mke and tosa. Then throw accidents in the mix, the drive sux!

I wrote to help a fellow Australian with his decision and explained my opinion on the area. I believe Australians typically have similar lifestyles and beliefs in our children's upbringing. There are kids involved in this decision and he has chosen to do some research and asked for clarification on what he has heard. All the fighting on this thread about generalizing is uncalled for. If anything, it is making their overview of Americans and Milwaukee worse. I love Americas (I'm married to one) and I love living here. How about we offer advice and our own opinion instead of looking for an argument.

Hi, my goal isn't to attack you or have a game of who's right, no one benefits from us going back and forth like that.

With that said, Wauwatosa and Milwaukee share a border, there are many neighborhoods where the commute would be 10 minutes by car or easily bikeable if the OP was interested. You don't even need to use the freeway, it would probably take longer to use it, even without the road work. If it wasn't clear, I was never talking about the drive from Downtown to Brookfield.

Personally, I don't worry about the generalizing from either side. Some are trolls, some are curious... We all have stereotypes thrust upon us, it's our own choice to live up or down to them.

[CowsAndBeer]

Originally Posted by kalipovs262

City life is just as sydney. Business men going to work etc.

Haha, "city life" = "business men going to work etc" to you? Clearly you are not qualified to comment on the city of Milwaukee or any other metro.