House sold, job acquired. MKE, here we come (Milwaukee, West Allis: renting, hotel)

[Valerae]

Our Milwaukee move seems to finally be coming together. My husband received a job offer at the gigantic medical campus near Wawautosa. Woot! We visited in June and went around on our own and with a realtor. Now we need to buckle down and get into a new house, preferably before the fall. I have a couple of questions for the locals that are little more specific than my broader questions before...also just some observations as part of my brain dump.

First - what we want

<$150k
<$4k in taxes
3 bedrooms
1.5 baths
Love classic bungalows and sprawling ranches (can you get any different style-wise? but there are advantages to both)
Securely fenced yard is a huge plus (dogs!)
Quiet street

Jackson Park
We really liked the Jackson Park area best out of all the areas we checked out. Am I nuts in thinking the Jackson Park neighborhood is excellent because of that stellar liquor store on Oklahoma? My coworkers out here in NY told me I needed to find New Glarus when in WI so I went to that liquor store (the one by the Serb Hall) and it was amazing. Not only can your beer and wine be sold in the same shop but it's CHEAP! Ha! So it's not just the excellent park and great liquor store...I love the houses. There are those couple of streets with the stone Tudors that are to die for. There's a wide variety of house styles and everything is priced nicely. We even like the area across Oklahoma that seems to technically be Greenfield.

Bay View
Bay View was an interesting mix of housing styles. Humbolt Park was lovely. How noisy are the planes in Bay View? We stayed at the crappy Motel 6 right across from the airport but NEVER heard the planes - it was weird. But I'm wondering how frequent and low they fly over Bay View...does anyone worry about jet fuel residue or anything? Maybe these are odd concerns, but noise pollution really can mess with your quality of life.

Washington Heights
This is the neighborhood I thought I'd love most. And I kind of do. The thing that bugged me about Washington Heights was the kids. There were so many of them. I'm only 33 but could see myself out there screaming get off my lawn! I get it, I'm terrible, but they were all over flying down sidewalks on bikes, zipping around behind moving cars, etc...you know, being kids - like we all used to be but they're so annoying. I don't think kids would bug me so much if the homes weren't packed so tight together and the streets weren't so narrow.

West Allis
Eh. West Allis had some nice areas. I did like it around McCarty Park. It's weird, though, you can be in a totally residential area and turn the corner and there's a mini-factory in the middle of town. Not sure I'd love that. The area down the Honey Creek Parkway was pretty nice though.

Brady Area
Eh. It was fun to visit. But I've done my time living with street parking, puking neighbors, etc. I like my garage. Ahhh...middle age. You can bet I'll be there enjoying the fun on Brady Street but I don't need to live there.

Shorewood
We drove along the lake for giggles. We lamented we didn't have anything fancier on than shorts and flip flops or we'd have gone into the open house for the $700k place. We had a stack of our realtor's cards and practiced our, "oh, we're working with a realtor" voice but didn't have the courage to pull it off.

Wawautosa
We didn't spend too much time there but we did drive around those awesome mansions. Wow wow wow! Considering its proximity to my husband's job we should look closer. It looks like there are bargains to be had (clearly not on the same block as those mansions!) but taxes are tough.

Glendale
A few comments on the board have piqued my interest in checking out Glendale. I just wrote it off as suburbia before our visit but I'm definitely adding it to the list to check out when we arrive in a few weeks.


Dog neighborhoods? Are there some neighborhoods that are better than others for dog lovers? I don't need to be near a dog park (but that certainly would be nice!).

Would you pay a little more for a house and live closer to your job? Does it really matter in a town where it takes 15 minutes to get anywhere?

Lastly, I did want to share my random overall MKE observations:

• I can't believe how easy it is to park downtown. Love.
  
• Sitting at the Horny Goat while the polka boat went up and down the river (Polish Fest weekend) was a treat. Also, that patio is awesome for dogs.
  
• Cafe Perrin - also dog friendly...OUTSTANDING breakfasts and cocktails. Abysmal cheese plate (seriously shameful for Wisconsin).
  
• The Lake is gorgeous.
  
• That 10 degree temperature difference between the Lakefront and West Allis. That might drive me nuts.
  
• Where are the trash cans near the Art Museum by the lake? I carried a bag of dog poop for what seems like forever.
  
• Cannot wait to call MKE home.

[fonitin]

Honestly, just move to Bay View. It is underneath a flight path but I don't think it's a quality of life destroyer. It's dog friendly and active but not too active. It's the area where you are most likely guaranteed to be happy (I think). West Allis has nice houses but.. it's west allis. I've never been to Jackson Park so maybe you are on to something there but I think in Bay View it will be easier for you to meet new people. You can make friends at the dog park and go to taverns in the evenings.

Town of lakes is nice (just south of bay view). I don't know why I mention this since it is very close to the airport (and you specifically said you were concerned about airplane noise) but in some ways it's quieter then Bay View due to the fact that it's not directly under the flight path. If you want to save a little money it's not a bad option and actually the neighborhood is really nice.

Also gurl don't stay at the motel 6. Have you tried Airbnb? https://www.airbnb.com/ You can try out a neighborhood you think you might like.

[cheese plate]

Some friends in Bay View that are right on the southern border of the city do in fact get some noise and fuel residue does end up on the siding. I'm on the north side and I don't have any problems. Just maybe stay away from the near-airport area and you'll be fine. I moved to Bay View after visiting the city for years and questioning friends who lived in various neighborhoods, and I've never regretted it. It's definitely getting busier and more expensive, but the amenities are also on a sharp rise.

[Empidonax]

Most of the places on your list are good bets. The Jackson Park neighborhood is underrated and has good housing stock: the areas around Alverno College are particularly nice. The neighborhood is a tad sleepy for some, but you're minutes away from retail and anything else you may want. Of the places on your list, West Allis would be my last choice, but even there you have some really nice neighborhoods.

[Pete.]

Welcome to Milwaukee! I love your positivity and good research!

I highly recommend Jackson Park, especially the Greenfield portion across from Alverno.

Jackson Park has a neighborhood association that is very active in planning activities for 4th of July, Easter, and Halloween. A Farmers Market is planned for next year. Residents communicate well and are very active with discussions on Facebook and NextDoor.

The thing I like about Jackson Park is that I can walk to my bank, church, library, eye doctor, dentist, public pool, multiple parks, barber, convenience store, grocery store, and restaurants.

There are many young families though, so if kids aren't your thing you might want to take a stroll through the neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon to see if it's acceptable.

[Valerae]

Originally Posted by fonitin

Also gurl don't stay at the motel 6. Have you tried Airbnb? https://www.airbnb.com/ You can try out a neighborhood you think you might like.

Lol! We're big fans of Airbnb. Did a cross country roadtrip last year and stayed at some of the coolest places! We travel with two large dogs so we have to find dog friendly ones and MKE has a severe lack of dog-friendly Airbnb options that are affordable/available. And Motel 6 is dog friendly, affordable and USUALLY clean...I would NOT recommend the MKE airport Motel 6, though. It was the sketchiest one I've ever stayed in. The Brookfield one is much nicer and worth the drive.

The husband is renting an Airbnb room in Tosa when his job starts - I'll be with the dogs in Illinois w/my family until we buy a house. I've actually been looking at houses with the idea in mind of having a space set up to host people w/dogs.


Thanks to everyone for the feedback on Bay View and Jackson Park. They're definitely at the top of the list.

[mizzou65201]

I love Bay View, and would not hesitate to move back there if it wasn't for my commute.

I would put the drive from Bay View to the medical center complex at 20 minutes...longer in rush hour and construction (and the area near the medical complex is going to be in major construction for the next four years)...and also longer in bad winter weather. Just something to keep in mind.

I would look at the "finger" of Milwaukee that splits Wauwatosa & West Allis on the west side. Go to google maps and type in "Milwaukee, WI." You should see the city limits outlined in red. Very generally speaking it is US 41 on the east, Wisconsin Avenue or Bluemound Road on the north, US 45 on the west, and Schlinger Ave or Dickinson Ave on the south. Especially for anything north of I-94, you are right next door to Wauwatosa but not paying Tosa taxes.

[fonitin]

Originally Posted by Valerae

Lol! We're big fans of Airbnb. Did a cross country roadtrip last year and stayed at some of the coolest places! We travel with two large dogs so we have to find dog friendly ones and MKE has a severe lack of dog-friendly Airbnb options that are affordable/available. And Motel 6 is dog friendly, affordable and USUALLY clean...I would NOT recommend the MKE airport Motel 6, though. It was the sketchiest one I've ever stayed in. The Brookfield one is much nicer and worth the drive.

The husband is renting an Airbnb room in Tosa when his job starts - I'll be with the dogs in Illinois w/my family until we buy a house. I've actually been looking at houses with the idea in mind of having a space set up to host people w/dogs.


Thanks to everyone for the feedback on Bay View and Jackson Park. They're definitely at the top of the list.

Ahh that's funny. I just remembered I stayed at very same hotel when I first visited Milwaukee because everything else was booked. I was too young to think much of it but I remember my mom was begging me to stay anywhere else no matter the price but everything was all booked up. Well at least it has a good precedence for happy relocations. That is very nice of you to think of the dog lovers. You should get something that could accommodate airbnb guest. This city is often lacking in hotel rooms in the summer months and it sounds like fun.

How's the housing search going? Have you found anything?

[Valerae]

Fonitin, that's pretty funny - glad I wasn't alone in that experience. The house search has had its ups and downs. We fell in love with a place near Jackson Park but someone else beat us to an offer (so much for 'sleeping on it!'). But I'm glad it happened because I really went and explored Bay View and realize it's definitely the place for us, especially east of the Parkway. I thought at first I might get fat because of all of the great dining but I realize I will be walking everywhere. :-)

I saw a house yesterday that would be great for us. We make an offer tonight. Fingers crossed!

[noamchomsky]

Good luck moving to Bay View Valerae! I've lived in the city my whole life and in Bay View for ten years. It's a great neighborhood. Tons of stuff to do and you can walk almost anywhere. Housing market is on fire over here though. I hope you can find something nice and affordable.