Moving to Brookfield/Elmbrook school dist. (Milwaukee, Wauwatosa: for sale, new home, neighborhoods)

[Kski508]

We are relocating from NW suburb of Chicago. We have two young kids (6 and 2). We love the Elm Grove Brookfield area. Already enrolled in a private Christian school in Brookfield. My question is this- are there areas of Brookfield or Elm Grove that are better than others? We would like a family friendly neighborhood close to parks, etc. We have already looked at many homes in the area. Elm Grove is much smaller and easier to get a feel of neighborhoods. Are there areas of Brookfield that are better than others?

[Vegas_Cabbie]

"Better" is a relative term and means something different to everyone.

[Kski508]

Well, if someone asked me that question about my neighborhood I could tell them specially which areas to look. In my OP I said we are looking for family friendly areas. I know some neighborhoods tend to be an older population. But I'm guessing by your reply all areas of Brookfield are equal.

[cheese plate]

All areas of Brookfield are equally boring, so just throw a dart!

[Kski508]

Maybe will stick to Elm Grove then...

[mizzou65201]

Neither Brookfield nor Elm Grove have "neighborhoods" per se. There are developed subdivisions with typical generic subdivision names. The demographics are very similar anywhere you go, so I'd pick more based on the house as opposed to a "part of town."

[natemarq]

Originally Posted by Kski508

Maybe will stick to Elm Grove then...

Elm Grove is quite different than Brookfield.

Elm Grove is much wealthier with older Mansion style houses amongst wooded lots. Elm Grove is very walkable with a nice downtown.

Brookfield is slightly less wealthy with older ranch houses on the southside of town priced in the 200,000s to very large sub division mansions on West and Northside of brookfield that can reach into the 350,000-1 Million

A lot of people who post on this site are city dwellers and often thumb their nose at suburban living. I love Milwaukee the city and I love the suburbs as well. If you have a family schooling is important and although Elmbrook is a great district, it does have larger schools than other districts. Their are some great homes in the "City of Pewaukee" around Springdale road and North Ave that are in the Pewaukee school district, which is much smaller but equally as nice.

You cant go wrong with any of those places.

[HMY624]

I don't think any part is "better" than another- just depends on what type of house you are looking for. The only caution I would give you is that there are several railroad lines (and several freight trains a day) that go through both cities (you can't avoid them in Elm Grove) so unless you are okay with that noise, make sure you choose carefully

[Coldwake]

Originally Posted by Kski508

Well, if someone asked me that question about my neighborhood I could tell them specially which areas to look. In my OP I said we are looking for family friendly areas. I know some neighborhoods tend to be an older population. But I'm guessing by your reply all areas of Brookfield are equal.

This is actually fairly true. The area is fairly large, but still rather homogeneous. There is little difference regarding most family oriented areas. The main differences are 1. Housing stock. 2. distance to amenities such as shopping and restaurants. 3. School district regarding which highschool.

The first is really all personal preference. Some people prefer ranches and large yards, other large homes yet want wooded lots, and other want a brand new home and don't mind being right on top of their neighbor. Best bet is to peruse the houses for sale and be cognizant of major roads and as previous poster said, railways.

For the second, do you have a preference for how close you are to amenities? Bluemound road has just about any chain store needs you could want... and that is accessible from pretty much anywhere in the area pretty easily. What about other amenities or being closer towards job centers and entertainment venues?

The third topic is one that's debated only among other Elmbrook school district residents. Most people outside the district believe both high schools and their feeder systems are excellent... but residents within the system tend to disagree with that. However if you're keeping your children in private school that may not be a factor.

Point is, if you're someone who likes this flavor of suburban living, than you can't really go wrong regardless of where you choose.

[Iluvthepackers]

I personally LOVE Elm Grove. I live in Wauwatosa only 8 blocks from Elm Grove and we go there often! The downtown area is really cute and there is a real nice community feel to the place. There is a beautiful community park with a playground, pool, a small fishing pond, walking trails, volleyball, tennis, baseball, basketball and soccer fields. Elm Grove is small but is surrounded by amenities. There is a brand new Target, Trader Joes and Starbucks right on Bluemound in Elm Grove and then anything else you could possibly imagine further down Bluemound into Brookfield.

And in Elm Grove, you are a short drive away from the Wauwatosa Village, which is another fun place to hang out. Cute shops, fun resturants, lots always going on

I know you said the kids were going to a private school but I would also like to note that the Elmbrook School district (that both Elm Grove and Brookfield use) is one of the top districts in WI.