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Old 01-24-2014, 02:24 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,136 times
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Is there any advice in moving to the wauwatosa area for a small family (1 child in elementary school)? Husband's job is in Wauwatosa, so he would like to not have more than a 15 - 20 min. commute. We are from s.w. michigan, a town right on the lake, so I'm used to the weather, etc, but would like to live in a similar area, with good schools. I am lost as to where to start looking and feel very overwhelmed.
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Old 01-24-2014, 09:51 PM
 
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The entire Wauwatosa area has good schools and safe neighborhoods, I'd suggest live in Tosa. Even the Governor's family lives there.
Only down side is high property taxes, over 3% of assessed value.
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Old 01-25-2014, 09:47 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
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I grew up in Tosa. It's a gorgeous suburb. The east side--where I lived--is older and denser, while the west side (west of Highway 100) consists mainly of post-war homes. I would definitely live in East Tosa.

http://easttosa.org/

Some highlights:
1) Beautiful parks and parkways
2) Washington Highlands - the most affluent part of town
3) Tosa Village - restaurants, bars, shops, etc. Lively and increasingly walkable.
4) North Avenue corridor - North Avenue Grill, Il Mito, Bel Air Cantina, etc.
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Old 01-27-2014, 03:15 PM
 
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Yep Wauwatosa schools are great, and the city is very nice too.
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Old 01-28-2014, 12:34 PM
 
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My family and I are relocating as well from CA and considered Wauwatosa, the crime rate made me second guess it. Any advice on where to rent , that has the least amount of crime would be great! I've heard mixed reviews on Tosa and which area to live on? The downtown area looks nice, Is wauwatosa better than say brookfield or new berlin?
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Old 01-28-2014, 01:50 PM
 
1,258 posts, read 2,431,162 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alacombe14 View Post
My family and I are relocating as well from CA and considered Wauwatosa, the crime rate made me second guess it. Any advice on where to rent , that has the least amount of crime would be great! I've heard mixed reviews on Tosa and which area to live on? The downtown area looks nice, Is wauwatosa better than say brookfield or new berlin?
Brookfield and New Berlin are cookie cutter suburbs. If you don't mind living your life in an auto-dependent, nondescript city that has no distinguishing features from any other suburbs, then move there. The taxes are likely lower, along with less crime, good schools, etc.

If you want to live somewhere that is walkable, has a sense of community, interesting unique stores, and "charm" then I would look at Wauwatosa. Don't let the crime rate deter you, its quite safe.
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Old 01-28-2014, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Mequon, WI
8,275 posts, read 22,982,654 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pete6032 View Post
Brookfield and New Berlin are cookie cutter suburbs. If you don't mind living your life in an auto-dependent, nondescript city that has no distinguishing features from any other suburbs, then move there. The taxes are likely lower, along with less crime, good schools, etc.

If you want to live somewhere that is walkable, has a sense of community, interesting unique stores, and "charm" then I would look at Wauwatosa. Don't let the crime rate deter you, its quite safe.
Is it possible to give a recommendation without the ripping on suburbs and suburban lifestyle?

I prefer BK to New Berlin based upon reputation, location, schools and layout of the city and that it has a lot more to offer. I also like Tosa a lot as it has a lot of great home styles and tree lined streets and more shopping that you could shake a stick at. You won't find big yards like you would in BK and New Berlin but the larger lots are west of S.108th ST. I would not even consider crime as a factor of moving to Tosa, it's very safe. BK is more upscale suburban and more wooded than New Berlin, both have older areas obviously closer to 124th ST. Tosa is a urban suburb like most inner-ring suburbs that you find in large cities. Tosa has some great restaurants but so does BK. New Berlin a lot less shopping options but that shouldn't matter since Bluemound Road has everything anyone would ever need.

It really depends if you want a more suburban home and lifestyle or suburban lifestyle. Tosa and many of the inner-ring suburbs kinda offer the best of both worlds. A lot suburban benefits meanwhile looking and acting like a part of the city. Again you can see the transition from city to burbs right in Tosa, the eastern portion looks like Milwaukee whereas the far western portion blends right into Brookfield.

Eastern Tosa: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=wauwa...357.98,,0,0.23

Western Tosa: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=wauwa...,49.84,,0,2.42
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Old 01-28-2014, 08:41 PM
 
Location: La Jolla, CA
7,284 posts, read 16,589,442 times
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Milwaukee City offers a nice view from the end user's perspective.

Lower crime almost always means living in an area where there is nothing going on within walking distance. Stores, restaurants, offices, bars, and other commercial properties attract crime, period, end of story, end of thread, etc. That's just how it is. If you want a zero crime area, then you need to go farther from everything, and if you want sidewalk and streetlight neighborhoods near a major city, you might gain by not having to drive to go out to dinner and have some drinks, but you might have to compromise on some crime.

Also give Elm Grove a look. It's small, but a nice community.
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Old 01-29-2014, 11:50 AM
 
1,258 posts, read 2,431,162 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post
Is it possible to give a recommendation without the ripping on suburbs and suburban lifestyle?
I suppose so, but picking between Brookfield and New Berlin is like asking whether Skippy or Jiff is better when making a peanut butter sandwich.
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Old 02-11-2014, 06:37 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,971 times
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Since Everyone gave such great insight, I am making the move this Monday before my family comes out and was given the task to find a place to live within a week (my job will be in Butler Wi) , so If I could pick your brains one more time, I have a places to view for rent in Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Greenfield and Oconomowoc. Any feedback on saftey, schools, things to do for young families on the two latter cities of Greenfield & Oconomowoc would be awesome! Thanks all for the feedback thus far!
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