Where to move w/ 3 kids, good schools, close to lake? (Milwaukee: fit in, houses)

[mz1]

My husband has been offered a job in Milwaukee. We are considering moving from Chicago's north shore suburbs with our 3 kids (10, 8 and 18 months).

Currently, we are close to the lake (7 blocks -- we can ride our bikes) where there is a beach, harbor, park, lots of community recreation activities and great schools. People are great, but prices are high in Chicago's north suburbs.

Where can we find something similar around Milwaukee? I've heard very high-level about Shorewood, Whitefish Bay. Any others we should consider? Is there a resource for best schools / school report cards?

Would also love to hear from former Illinoisans who've made the move and what you think... how you adjusted!
Thanks in advance!

[heyheyheyhey]

what is your price range and in your price range would you need a 3 or 4 bedroom home? i love whitefish bay, but it is a little rich for my blood. I
have lived in the city of chicago for 3 years and then moved around and now i live in oak creek....VERY affordable great town good schools and close to lake, has a nice bike path..but i would say it probably is not what you are looking for, cause it is very different from whitefish bay and shorewood...cause it is more of a true suburb.

[100%Michigan]

Stay in Muskegon, Michigan and have him take the daily Ferrie to Milwaukee, or simply a boat of his own. Its not a long ride :P
Well worth it

[quijote]

I agree that Shorewood and Whitefish Bay sound compatible with your interests; both are highly urbanized and densely populated suburbs with good schools, nice houses, lakefront living/access, lots of cyclists, etc. Fox Point is also nice but more residential and less urbanized.

[dkmisol]

Shorewood and Whitefish Bay... with Fox Point, Mequon, and River Hills as second runners up.

[SusieQZ]

Come to beautiful Bay View! I am 2 blocks from Humboldt Park, about 10 blocks from South Shore Park (home of South Shore Water Frolics in July) and surrounded by some top notch Milwaukee Public Schools including a Montessori school and another elementary school that specializes in the arts.

Good luck and keep in touch...we're moving to AR and perhaps you could look at our home if you're interested in this area.

[code10t]

I agree with dkimsol. If you are looking for great schools and want a more urban area (with a downtown), Whitefish Bay is good, as they are known for their excellent school system.

To the north, Fox Point & Bayside also sound like good options. They don't really have much commercial development, but shopping is easily accessible by car. River Hills is nice too, but it's a bit farther from the lake. River Hills has a minimum lot size requirement, so everything there is very spread-out. There is also no commercial development in River Hills by village policy. The Maple Dale-Indian Hill & Fox Point-Bayside primary school districts in those villages are both high quality, and feed into Nicolet High School which is another one of the best public high schools in the state.

Mequon is probably the next logical choice. It is north of Bayside and a bit more rural, depending on where you are. Mequon is a vast city geographically compared to the other villages I mentioned, so you'd probably be interested in the east portion near Lake Michigan. Homestead is a quality high school, and I imagine their elementary schools are good too.

Wherever you go, you'll probably be saving money compared to a comparable place on Chicago's north shore. Good luck.

[msgrlzs]

Have you looked into Port Washington? It is about 20 minutes north of Milwaukee. It is a beautiful town, right on the lake. The whole town is very family orientated, with plenty to do for the kids. The schools are also great. Its well worth the commute.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by mz1

My husband has been offered a job in Milwaukee. We are considering moving from Chicago's north shore suburbs with our 3 kids (10, 8 and 18 months).

Currently, we are close to the lake (7 blocks -- we can ride our bikes) where there is a beach, harbor, park, lots of community recreation activities and great schools. People are great, but prices are high in Chicago's north suburbs.

Where can we find something similar around Milwaukee? I've heard very high-level about Shorewood, Whitefish Bay. Any others we should consider? Is there a resource for best schools / school report cards?

Would also love to hear from former Illinoisans who've made the move and what you think... how you adjusted!
Thanks in advance!

I lived in Lake Forest for five years and am quite familiar with the north shore suburbs of Chicago, from Evanston all the way to Lake Bluff. Milwaukee has similar areas, also similarly, they are north of the city. I moved from Milwaukee several years ago, to Washington, DC, and then to Scottsdale, AZ.

Starting at the 53211 zip code (which is City of Milwaukee), and north through Bayside, there are areas that would look quite familiar to you, if you're used to the north shore of Chicago. Generally speaking, stay along Lake Michigan for the nicest homes (that probably goes without saying). Any of these areas close to Lake Michigan are very nice. Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, and Bayside all have excellent schools. Each of them had high schools that were very highly ranked in the nation. In the 53211 zip code in Milwaukee, there is the Milwaukee Public School district (private school might work better). There are some very good schools in MPS but I'm not well versed in the MPS system.

OF the above, the easiest areas to access the lake are from the city (53211) north to Whitefish Bay. In Fox Point, there are a few areas. Bayside has virtually none, unless you live on Lake Drive at the very north end, or have lakefront property. The environment and people are similar as well.

Acceptance is a factor moving to a new city. I strongly feel that you could slide into one of any of the areas I mentioned, and fit in immediately. There are some areas of Milwaukee that are far less "worldly". What I mean is, people tend not to ever move away, not to "get out much". In the north shore, I don't think that's a problem. I've lived in 53211, Shorewood, Fox Point, more than once.

There are many other nice communities. River Hills is kind of like Barrington Hills. Large properties, large homes. Mequon is newer, more like Highland Park. To me, the western or northwestern suburbs of Chicagoland were not quite the same as the North Shore. I feel similarly about Milwaukee and would recommend that, if you enjoy the North Shore of Chicago, check out the North Shore (and the north part of the city).

My recommendation would be to take a few afternoon trips, evening trips, or whatever, to see the area, especially potential areas that you'd like to live. It is just over an hour to most of those areas, from points north of Evanston. You've probably already done this, but if you haven't, do it. Try a weekend afternoon or two, and maybe a weekday evening or afternoon also, to get the feel of it. Drive around the neighborhoods starting along the lake in Milwaukee (53211 zip code, which is northeast city of Milwaukee). It looks somewhat like Kenilworth or the older parts of Winnetka. Ditto for Shorewood and parts of Whitefish Bay. You get the picture.

[gigi1966]

I am interested in learning more about bayview....is your house listed yet?