Information about West Bend,WI (Milwaukee, Racine: low crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[indyyy]

My wife is planning to take up a job in West Bend. We currently live in Racine. I would like to have some information about West Bend. We have not decided whether to move or commute from Racine. We have 2 kids - 1 and 3 yrs old, so we are looking for a city with good schools, quiet neighbourhood, low crime rate, basically a good place to raise a family.
Any inputs or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[rso092]

Originally Posted by indyyy

My wife is planning to take up a job in West Bend. We currently live in Racine. I would like to have some information about West Bend. We have not decided whether to move or commute from Racine. We have 2 kids - 1 and 3 yrs old, so we are looking for a city with good schools, quiet neighbourhood, low crime rate, basically a good place to raise a family.
Any inputs or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

WB is alright; not too big but not too small. Think Mt. Pleasant, minus the east edge and parts that cut into Racine itself.

Living here would definately be better than a commute from the Racine area. There are many places you can look at depending on what you want, e.g. right in the city, a cookie-cutter subdivision, or some land out in the country.

I live on the south side off Vine. What type of price range are you looking at? My house is worth about $165 now, and most houses in my neighborhood are pretty comparable.

[WI RULZ!!]

I grew up in West Bend. DON'T MOVE THERE!!! I say this because there is nothing there. Fond du Lac would be better!!

[Milwaukee City]

I grew up in West Bend. DON'T MOVE THERE!!! I say this because there is nothing there. Fond du Lac would be better!!

Just his/her opinion I wouldn't put too much weight on it. If your moving there to raise a family it's perfect very clean and safe and cheap. Nice standard of living. Great schools, great people. This is coming from a guy who used to hate wb but since I used to work their, I now I have a great respect for the town and it's people. Plus 40min from downtown Milw isn't bad either.

[EnjoyEP]

With all due respect (seriously...not said in jest) to all, I would not particularly want to live in West Bend (too still rural, out there, semi-farm-laden personna for my tastes).

HOWEVER,

I would probably rather live in the WB than Racine (although that might be close) but would easily / EASILY rather live in the WB over Fond du Lac.

I think I would rather eat rat poison than live in Fond du Lac.

West Bend is what it is. It is an emerging exurb of Milwaukee, although having been a youthful Milwaukeean in the late-70s and then 80s, to me West Bend still hangs on to what I remember at that time - a bit of the farm/rural element that some like and others, like me, would rather avoid.

It is however a very quiet, safe, traditional area and surely a very nice place for a young family if you don't mind the non-urban or even kind of "out there" for suburban.

Nothing really *wrong* with the WB. In fact, it is one of the more affordable suburbs for young families. It just still has a bit too much Hartford in it for my tastes.

But compared to "Fond du Lac"??? Jeez, give me the WB any day.

[code10t]

West Bend is a nice small city. I think it's comparable to Racine, though smaller. There are a lot of hills up there that make the landscape quite picturesque. I guess the downside is that there's not a lot going on up there and a lot of things you would have to drive closer to Milwaukee for.

It's a pretty quick commute (almost all expressway) from Germantown to West Bend if you prefer to be closer to Milwaukee. If I worked in West Bend I would probably look at living in Germantown and commuting up there. The schools there are pretty good and the prices are decent for the houses and neighborhoods available there. Lots of families there too.