Historic Coldspring Park (Milwaukee, Highland, Cold Spring: real estate, apartment, houses)

[gleisnll]

We're thinking of moving to Milwaukee and have been looking at houses in the "historic coldspring park" neighborhood (McKinley Blvd). Is this a relatively safe area? I've heard bad things about areas further north, but I'm not sure... Are we better off sticking to the suburbs or the East side?
Thanks!!

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I would buy a home in Coldspring Park. The neighborhood overall is on the up and up and a purchace there right now would be a sound investment. But there are a few caveats.

As with just about any urban neighborhood, you have to do your homework, spend some time (especially after dark) in the neighborhood you're interested in, and then make your decision.

There are beautiful old homes in Coldspring Park, and the neighborhood is very close to Downtown Milwaukee, literally 2-3 minutes by car, 10 to 15 minutes by bike or bus. The neighborhood has a strong identity, with a neighborhood association, block clubs and get togethers, a yearly historic homes tour.

Coldspring Park is one of those pockets of the City with a number of standout public schools. There is an excellent public Montessori School on Highland Boulevard, as well as the highly-regarded Milwaukee High School of the Arts, the only arts-focused high school in the state.

If you have young kids, you'll want to be careful. I grew up in the city of Milwaukee and as a kid had much freedom to ride my bike and go on crazy adventures with my friends all over the South Side neighborhood where we lived. I would be somewhat hesitant to allow my kid to roam like this in Coldspring Park, because while the neighborhood is stable and mostly middle class, there are some crappy apartment buildings sprinkled throughout the area. These apartment buildings are known for being problem-magnets. Although a strip of the most egregious apartment buildings, along Highland, have been bought up buy a developer who will revamp them and market them to middle class families.

The commercial strips that run adjacent to Coldspring Park, 27th and 35th Streets, have their share of problems. I personally wouldn't hesitate walking these streets (and I have) but I know plenty of people who would.

The key is make yourself more educated than the real estate agents are about the neighborhood. It's easier to do this than ever thanks to online resources, like mapmilwaukee.com, where you can use an interactive map of neighborhoods to look at home ownership, owner occupancy, housing value, etc, of every property in the city.

[gleisnll]

Thank you so much for the quick and very helpful reply!

[ecmchris]

You can check out the neighborhood association's website at Cold Spring Park Neighborhood Association - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Home. Lots of good information is posted here, including contacts for the neighborhood -- so you can talk to people who live there (like me). We have a 3 year old daughter and can't say enough positive things about the Montessori school in the neighborhood. We have lived there for 6 years and love the neighborhood.

[milwaukee jill]

Cold Spring Park is an urban Milwaukee neighborhood with housing stock second to none. The value is pretty incredible, especially with the market right now. It's a tight knit neighborhood. I, seriously, did not believe neighbors could be so connected before we moved in. We are organized & socially active. CSP is very diverse ethnically & socioeconomically. There are lots of families with children, singles, retired folks, empty nesters, gay, straight, dog lovers, cat lovers, you name it, we've got them all living
here. . . peacefully. I love how interesting this neighborhood is & the people who make it up. Come join us! We love new neighbors!