Moving to Milwaukee from Chicago (Kenosha, Racine: how much, buying a house, buying)

[windycity2000]

Hi All,

I am considering an offer from one of the companies in Milwaukee Area. I think I will be working in Downtown Milwaukee.

At this moment I live in Chicago and I may need to relocate because of this new job.

From last few days I am thinking of few options.
1. Move to Milwaukee
2. Move somewhere closed to Illinois / Wisconsin Border (Gurnee, Waukesha, Kenosha, and Racine) and then drive to Milwaukee Downtown.
3. Stay at my current location in Chicago till I get comfortable in my new job (This may lead to loss of relocation benefits).

I am considering following things:
1. Thinking of buying a house.
2. Wife's career. She is into Information Technology and hoping that either she will find job somewhere in North Chicago or Milwaukee Area.
3. We don't have kids, but we are going for them in next 1-2 years.
4. Community which can accept diversity.

Any other things you will like me to consider?

Till date I have lived in big cities like Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago. This move is making me little restless. I will appreciate your advice.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Windycity

[EnjoyEP]

Windycity -

I am certain you'd get quite a bit of advise here, however, your post doesn't really ask any questions. Maybe if you threw out some questions regarding the kind of advice you would like / questions you are seeking answers to, you'd get better feedback.

Overall, Milwaukee and Chicago obviously have some similarities (close together geographically, both on Lake Michigan, similar weather, etc.) however both are quite a bit different too (Chicago is 10+ million metro, Milwaukee 1.7 million metro).

Let us know the type of info you are looking for!!

[Fishtacos]

You can strike Waukesha from that list of four places near the border.

Milwaukee is a major metro area, very unlike in feel to the border towns. While it doesn't have the size and isn't spread out in set up as Chicago, it does have many similarities.(Some differences too, but many similarities) It won't be similar to L.A. or Dallas.

First, where do you live in Chicago? City, Suburbs, what part?

2nd how long do you plan on working at this company, or have you to this point?...and in Chicago?

If it were me, and I liked the job, this wouldn't be much of a decision. I'd move to Milwaukee, take the relocation offering, work downtown. I'd live in Metro Milwaukee. City or burbs depending on your interests. Now if you aren't crazy about the job or had reasons for wanting to stay in Chicago or go elsewhere, that'd be different.

You have lived in 3 major metro areas and it doesn't seem as though you'd want to live in anything but a major metro. I'd stick with that streak.

Certainly you are used to the cold weather and often gray skies in Chicago, coming from Dallas and L.A. Milwaukee will be pretty close to exactly the same. Nice short summers and fall and that's about it. It's the same set up, along the same lake, with same weather, with a river running through the middle of downtown. Many people who live in Milwaukee have lived in or near Chicago at some point, or even grew up there. It's an easy day trip or weekend trip which is done all the time. 90 minutes downtown to downtown on the train, or you can drive to O'Hare in an hour.

Milwaukee is a very compact city and metro which offers a lot of advantages because of that.

You are married and looking to have kids asap. You would do well in the city of Milwaukee itself or in an inner ring suburb based on your description, but wouldn't be limited to that either.

Note: I have known several people who have commuted from Chicago to Milwaukee and vice versa. I've known people who lived in Milwaukee and commuted to Abbott Park and people from Lake Forest who commuted to Milwaukee. ALL of them grew tired of it much sooner than they thought they would and couldn't keep it up. I also know people who had one spouse in each city and tried the, I'll live in Gurnee, Waukegan, etc....and that didn't work either. Not saying any of those wouldn't work for you. (I'd also advise against a Chicago city dweller near the lake against a commute to the Western burbs for any longer than absolutely necessary)

Buying a house will be less expensive than Chicago and diversity is welcomed in Milwaukee.

I would likely have specific recommendations for you based on more information.

As the previous poster suggested, you'd have to provide more information regarding your situation for further assistance.

Good luck.

[windycity2000]

Thanks "EnjoyEP" for going through my post.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it advisable to stay around Illinios / Wisconsin Border (Gurnee, Waukesha, Kenosha, Racine) when one is working in Milwaukee Downtown? I see lot of new houses getting built up in those cities. Also these cities are closer to North Chicago Industry and Corporate houses.

2. Is there any public transport between those cities and Milwaukee Downtown? (I know Amtrak connects Chicago & Milwaukee with few stops enroute to Milwaukee. But those cities are not part of Amtrak system)

3. If we decided to move to Milwaukee, which suburbs are good from school disctrict perspective? Also where we can find new or near new houses? We are planning on buying one.

4. What kind of job growth and opportunities are available in Milwaukee? My wife is interested in joing workforce in next 6 months. Do you think she will able to get job in Information Technology Sector in Milwaukee?

5. How safe is the area between 1st to 10st & W Lapham to St Paul Avenue? Is it safe to walk in this area? I will be working in this area.

6. How is WhiteFish Bay, Shorewood, Fox Point compare to Wauwatosa / Wes Illis?

Help appreciated.

[EnjoyEP]

Hi windycity -

Originally Posted by windycity2000

1. Is it advisable to stay around Illinios / Wisconsin Border (Gurnee, Waukesha, Kenosha, Racine) when one is working in Milwaukee Downtown? I see lot of new houses getting built up in those cities.

I guess I still don't quite have enough information. Is it advisable? Well, for most, no, because if they are working in Downtown Milwaukee, they'd want to be living somewhere near Milwaukee to a) take advantage of living in the city of Milwaukee or adjoining metro area, or b) not have to commute that far every day.

For example, I work in Downtown Milwaukee. I live in Greendale - a very inner-ring suburb of Milwaukee that is about a 15 minute drive from Downtown Milwaukee, 8 or 9 miles.

To me, that is far enough to drive for work.

I would personally really not want to drive from the border of Illinois every day for my job. I wouldn't want to spend (waste?) the time in my car, spend the gas $$, etc.

However, is it that you'd prefer living semi-close to Chicago still, even though you wouldn't be working there anymore? Is it the concern about your wife's job?

As another poster mentioned, it surely is *doable* to live near the WI-IL border and commute to Downtown Milwaukee every day. Many folks do do it and do it to varying degrees of enjoyment. But they can do it. I have known folks that commuted from Milwaukee to Downtown Chicago - now THAT is nuts. From the WI-IL border to Downtown Milwaukee? Not nuts. But still a lot of time and a pain in the kiester.

One thing you might want to consider is, if it is Chicago you aren't wanting to give up, I am not certain how happy you'd be living in, say, Kenosha or Gurnee. I mean, these towns are being built up as you say, but are still a bit more than a stone's throw from anything of a inner ring into Chicago, especially with Chi-town's traffic. So it isn't like once you've hauled it back to your place in Gurnee by 7pm on a Monday night from Downtown Milwaukee you'd be able to hit dinner or a game in Chicago that night. You'd be at your house in between-cities suburbia (not that I find anything wrong with that but it'll be what it'll be) and will only be able really to access "Chicago" on weekends / days off.

And, having said that, you'd be able to access Chicago on weekends / days off, from Milwaukee metro itself too - so you drive 45 more minutes one-way - but it would still make the other 340, 350 days per year likely more doable for you.

Take Racine for example. I mean, how much really closer to Chicago are you in Racine than you'd be in Milwaukee? Plus, then you are still having a pain in the butt commute to-from Milwaukee every day, and still being no where near Chicago for general purpose every day stuff.

Also, I don't think you meant "Waukesha"...perhaps "Waukegan"?? Even still though, I don't think that this pits you "close" to either Chicago or Milwaukee, and while I understand the logic between doing a "close to both" type of middle-ground place and many people do (and are) try(ing) it, to me, it is even more of a "purgatory" type of situation - pain in the butt for weekdays having to commute to-from Milwaukee and still being no where really near Chicago for conventional daily activity.

Originally Posted by windycity2000

2. Is there any public transport between those cities and Milwaukee Downtown? (I know Amtrak connects Chicago & Milwaukee with few stops enroute to Milwaukee. But those cities are not part of Amtrak system)

I think if you'd combine Amtrak with Metra, you could do something - here is the metra website:

Metra - Welcome to Metra

I am not certain exactly how you'd do it though. Hopefully someone(s) else will have better perspectives.

Originally Posted by windycity2000

3. If we decided to move to Milwaukee, which suburbs are good from school disctrict perspective?

As I mentioned, I live in Greendale which as excellent schools. Other good school districts in nice suburbs would be (*but is not limited to - just some of my top choices) Franklin, Muskego, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Menomonee Falls, Pewaukee, Brookfield/Elm Grove, New Berlin, Hales Corners.

Originally Posted by windycity2000

Also where we can find new or near new houses? We are planning on buying one.

A lot of the suburbs on the inner ring are older and more established, so new housing stock is more limited.

I would say FRANKLIN again would be a great bet as there is quite a bit of new housing construction still occurring there (very rapidly growing, nice suburb - big landmass). Muskego has some new construction, as do the Lake Country suburbs (Pewaukee, Delafield, etc.).

Originally Posted by windycity2000

4. What kind of job growth and opportunities are available in Milwaukee? My wife is interested in joing workforce in next 6 months. Do you think she will able to get job in Information Technology Sector in Milwaukee?

Not as many as Chicago, as Chicago is 10+ million metro while Milwaukee is 1.7 million metro, however, I think with an IT background, your wife shouldn't have an enormous problem locating a nice job in the Milwaukee metro area.

I really wouldn't worry too much about finding a job in metro Milwaukee and living in Chicago currently, she'd be able to interview, etc., here relatively easily even if not yet moved up.

Originally Posted by windycity2000

5. How safe is the area between 1st to 10st & W Lapham to St Paul Avenue? Is it safe to walk in this area? I will be working in this area.

I hope someone(s) else here can help me out with this, as I am trying to picture the area off the top of my head but I don't want to give you any bad info. I am pretty darn familiar with the area, but again, sometimes exact streets, areas, can be a bit foggy to anyone.

Anyway, you'd be fairly close to Downtown Milwaukee.

St. Paul tends to be - especially in that area - fairly darn industrial / commerce. For instance, the Downtown (biggest) Milwaukee US Post Office with the heart of local postal operations is on 3rd and St. Paul. That area is neither good or bad - just busy industrial and/or commerce.

W. Lapham can be a hare more sketchy. During the daytime in that area, you shouldn't encounter any major problems. Many folks that work on the more south-western areas of Downtown Milwaukee will park up near Lapham (for free parking) and hoof it via foot / walking into Downtown.

However, I don't want to say that the area won't feel a bit gritty. You are kind of near an area that can be a bit sketchy. I don't think you'd have any major problems there, overall again a pretty industrial area, but certainly using some urban common sense in the area would be good form.

Originally Posted by windycity2000

6. How is WhiteFish Bay, Shorewood, Fox Point compare to Wauwatosa / Wes Illis?

I am guessing by "Wes Illis" you mean "West Allis"? (At first I thought you were abbreviating "Western Illinois"! ).

At any event, Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, and Fox Point compose a good chunk of the affluent and very nice "North Shore" suburbs. Shorewood is a fairly urban suburb bordering Milwaukee's East Side, Whitefish Bay a little less so, and then Fox Point a little less than WFB. All are very nice though, and again, are upper middle class-to-upper class. Very scenic communities near Lake Michigan.

Wauwatosa isn't as affluent as these three communities in general, but it does have some affluent and very upper/upper-middle class areas. Wauwatosa is a bigger suburb than the three mentioned filled much more with "conventional" retail / restaurants (meaning big chains as well as specialty/local stores) and is very much an urban suburb. Certainly, being more west, it doesn't have the lake-presence that the aforementioned have.

West Allis is definitely the most blue collar, middle class suburb with still a few areas of upper-middle class and even lower class. Like Wauwatosa, it is a bigger suburb than the three North Shore ones you mentioned. In portions feels very gritty, and in portions feels very much like a Wauwatosa or a New Berlin. It is certainly more affordable than the other communities mentioned.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

[ccjarider]

We have lived and worked in both Milwaukee and Chicago suburbs. Both are nice and have nice peopel (if you have a positive attitude.)

I don't recemend getting get sucked into the long commute lifestyle. You never get the hours an $ of commuting back.

If the job is something you want and are excited about - go for it!! You can always come back to Chicago or wherever you want to end up.

[arimor]

forget waukesha, dont waste your time there.

consider racine, kenosha county cities and towns

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

We have lived and worked in both Milwaukee and Chicago suburbs. Both are nice and have nice peopel (if you have a positive attitude.)

I don't recemend getting get sucked into the long commute lifestyle. You never get the hours an $ of commuting back.

If the job is something you want and are excited about - go for it!! You can always come back to Chicago or wherever you want to end up.

I'd agree with this 100%.

[Midwesterns45]

IS IT TRUE THAT MILWAUKEE IS NOT BUSY AND THAT THE DOWNTOWN IS LIKE A GHOST TOWN?

i was in milwaukee around december 26th and it wasn't very cold so that wouldn't of allowed people from not going outside and i couldn't believe how isolated and quiet it was. People tell me that over the last 25 years or so more and more people are moving to the residential areas, is this true or was i just expirencing the after holiday blues with people???

[414Milwaukee]

Originally Posted by Midwesterns45

IS IT TRUE THAT MILWAUKEE IS NOT BUSY AND THAT THE DOWNTOWN IS LIKE A GHOST TOWN?

i was in milwaukee around december 26th and it wasn't very cold so that wouldn't of allowed people from not going outside and i couldn't believe how isolated and quiet it was. People tell me that over the last 25 years or so more and more people are moving to the residential areas, is this true or was i just expirencing the after holiday blues with people???

it must have been that day because the downtown is always busy