Does Milwaukee have a lot of beautiful areas? Nice parks? Historic neighborhoods? Or is it all pretty much ugly? Thanks (Florence: real estate market, to rent)

[patrickmich]

I currently live in Denver. I want to live in a greener city. Something more
lush, with water and bike trails. But nothing butt ugly, either.

[LexusNexus]

Milwaukee is a beautiful city with some of the best parks in the nation. It's a clean city too. Perhaps someone can post some pictures for you. Beautiful, well-built homes as well. I miss the homes in Milwaukee.

[Nuclear_Art]

Milwaukee could only be seen as ugly by a blind man. The number of parks, lake access, and various other recreational opportunities is amazing. Denver is a wasteland compared to Milwaukee.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

I currently live in Denver. I want to live in a greener city. Something more
lush, with water and bike trails. But nothing butt ugly, either.

It's green, very green. There are some decent bike trails, especially in the greater SE Wisconsin area. The city is anything but ugly, IMO. As all cities do, it has ugly areas. The lakefront is beautiful.

Of course, the caveat is that the weather plays a large role in the greenery, so don't expect it to be green all year. That should go without saying, but you never know.

I currently live in the desert but spend the nicer months in Milwaukee, weather depending.

[patrickmich]

your comments on milwaukee sound promising. I had pretty much written it off after reading a comment from someone on here who said parts of MILW looked like a third world country. Then they went on about the south side and all the
shootings and so on. I am also considering moving to Phoenix, Arizona.
How weird is that that I am considering two places with such different climates. I wonder if it is a reflection of my confused state of mind.
(not intended to be funny). I just love Phoenix in the winter.
I would miss not having a real summer, though. Real summer=thunderstorms,
smell of freshly cut grass, and so on, and so on. I cannot afford to live in
both places. What desert do you live in? Do you rent or own? Just wondering. Thanks.

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

your comments on milwaukee sound promising. I had pretty much written it off after reading a comment from someone on here who said parts of MILW looked like a third world country. Then they went on about the south side and all the
shootings and so on.

Seriously anyone who says something like that is a pure, unadulterated idiot. Ignore them.

Originally Posted by patrickmich

I am also considering moving to Phoenix, Arizona.
How weird is that that I am considering two places with such different climates.

I haven't been to Phoenix but I do hear good things about it. The problem you might have to face in the very near future is going to be issues of water. Denver is fighting with water availability issues but Phoenix is in a much more severe problem. Milwaukee will have problems in the future but the proximity of the Lake and it's wetter climate will mean that problems that crop up elsewhere will not hit Milwaukee. Milwaukee will stay green until the lake dries up which will most likely never happen.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

your comments on milwaukee sound promising. I had pretty much written it off after reading a comment from someone on here who said parts of MILW looked like a third world country. Then they went on about the south side and all the
shootings and so on. I am also considering moving to Phoenix, Arizona.
How weird is that that I am considering two places with such different climates. I wonder if it is a reflection of my confused state of mind.
(not intended to be funny). I just love Phoenix in the winter.
I would miss not having a real summer, though. Real summer=thunderstorms,
smell of freshly cut grass, and so on, and so on. I cannot afford to live in
both places. What desert do you live in? Do you rent or own? Just wondering. Thanks.

Oh sure, parts of Milwaukee are a toilet. The same goes for anywhere, Phoenix included. The term here is perhaps un tocador. I don't know of ONE major metropolitan area that can claim that every single community within its boundaries, is crime-free and beautiful. It just doesn't happen. That said, Milwaukee has VERY bad crime in the areas that crime usually takes place. Those areas are well-defined and well-known. They do have third world qualities. Phoenix has the same problem. Chicago has the same problem.

I presently live in Scottsdale, AZ, which is a huge suburb of Phoenix, and one of the nicer ones. Phoenix is in the Sonoran Desert, which is very unique and, as you've said, has one of the best winter climates. At this moment, it is 82 degrees with 20% humidity. Perfect day. We had some violent thunderstorms the other night. It was fascinating to watch the lightning and the clouds. I miss summer, but there's always the north for nice summers.

Scottsdale is nice, I rent a condo. I decided to rent because it was pretty apparent that the real estate market was living on borrowed time, and properties had over-inflated to the point that the prices were almost a joke. I know someone whose home has lost 30% of its value in the last nine months, although the area that I live in is much more stable.

Phoenix--the whole area, is a love-or-hate area, IMO. The metro area is huge, and if you live in some areas, the traffic is horrible. Traffic isn't bad where I live, near the McDowell mountains. There are some beautiful homes and areas up here, and their prices reflect the nice area. Cheaper homes can be had though. As far as the boom goes, armchair real estate 'investors' are going to have to go on to whatever the next best thing is, because the boom here is over, as far as I'm concerned. Also it's smoking hot in the summer. Doesn't bother me too much, partly because I spend half the summer elsewhere, and because I hate cold. There isn't any grass except for the golf course I live on. But then again, it's a desert, which is why I moved here to begin with. Also I don't go to work, so I don't have to deal with traffic. That helps immensely with the quality of life!

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by Nuclear_Art

I haven't been to Phoenix but I do hear good things about it. The problem you might have to face in the very near future is going to be issues of water. Denver is fighting with water availability issues but Phoenix is in a much more severe problem. Milwaukee will have problems in the future but the proximity of the Lake and it's wetter climate will mean that problems that crop up elsewhere will not hit Milwaukee. Milwaukee will stay green until the lake dries up which will most likely never happen.

Sooner or later the water supply will be tapped out here. Between all of the growth in the Southwest, and the limited water, desalination is the only hope for the future of water in this area (save for a totally unlikely shift in climate that brings more moisture to the area). Desalination sounds impossible at this point, but I guarantee that it will become very possible when the current supplies of water dry up. (Read: become very costly). My water bill here seems to be the same as it was in Milwaukee, although I may use less because I have more efficient fixtures. Money talks, and when water gets really pricey, people will start to look elsewhere. Or move elsewhere.

Phoenix was the place everyone wanted to be a few years ago because land was cheap and plentiful, homes were cheap, and work was available. Now that everyone has already moved here, it's congested, it is getting more expensive, and people are getting frustrated. Kind of like other big boom towns. The climate is going for it though.

[patrickmich]

thanks for your input on Phoenix. I hope it's not frustrating the Milwaukee readers.
I hate winter, too. I used to like it. But now that I'm in my late 40s, I have
lost all love for winter. I did a search in the Phoenix area for houses. In the metro area, you are right, it is still quite high despite the fact that prices have dropped considerably.
But if you go 20 miles out of town (Florence comes to mind), you can buy a beautiful
new home in low 100s. I can't even remember why I was considering Milwaukee since
I obviously hate winter. But I think it's because I love Wisconsin, and I thought that if
I love a place enough I will be able to accept the winters. It is so lush in the summer.
The whole state is unique in its geography and infrastructure. Even though Phoenix became the place to move to a couple of years ago, and the quality of life has
gone down, and even though there might be future water supply issues, the Phoenix
area is expected to grow like mad in the next 20 years. By 2030 (don't quote me on the date), Phoenix and Tucson reportedly will have merged into one megatropolis. I find it hard to get a straight answer on
whether or not water supply will hold up. One would doubt that investors would be willing to invest millions if the water wasn't going to hold up, though. If I could have my cake and eat it too, I would live in Wisconsin in the summer and fall, and Phoenix the rest of the time.
But then, who wouldn't, right?

[#Littledog]

Patrickmich,

I love Milwaukee. It truly is a beautiful city. I, too, love green and lushness. Living close to Lake Michigan is so rejuvenating. The parks and bike trails are plentiful. I agree, the winters are BRUTAL but the summers keep us here year after year. I've been to Phoenix and to be honest, I think it feels like a big slab of concrete. It's so dry and brown and metal (cars), concrete everywhere you look. The mountains can be pretty but with growing up by the Great Lakes, the Southwest feels so "landlocked" to me.

As far as it being ugly with bad crime, sure there are places that would fit that description but those are the parts of Milwaukee most people try to avoid, just like any other city.