Anyone Live in Waukesha? Relocating to the area (Milwaukee, Madison: apartment complexes, waterpark)

[iqsgirl]

I'm relocating to Waukesha in a couple of months and was wondering about the area. Is there lots to do for middle-schoolers, families, mothers, etc...

Thanks,

iqsgirl

[rafanna]

iqsgirl,

I lived in Waukesha since about 1993 and just moved last fall to another suburb (15 years). I don't know your situation, but when I moved there I was a single parent (self supporting w/ no help or child support) and I found Waukesha to be a wonderful city to live in. There are three college systems in the immediate area, so there are some cultural activities for you if interested, plus Milwaukee is only 25 minutes east. The school system is very good and coming from Milwaukee it was a MAJOR improvement for my son. There are little league games and all sorts of activities,not to mention the Boy Scouts....You will find the people friendly and the neighborhoods safe. The rents are somewhat high, as are costs for buying a home, and of course the winters are cold, so expect somewhat high utility costs. But if you're looking for quality of life, good neighborhoods, cultural activities and stable families....Waukesha is sure to please!

[iqsgirl]

Wonderful! I live in Ct now, so the winter's won't be much of a change if any at all. I am most interested in living in a place where my children will have lots of activities available to them. Thanks for the info.

[mrkool]

Overall an OK city and country. Both have grown at a pretty good clip, but the city is still managaeable at about 65,0000 I think. You will encounter one of the most confusing road/street layouts you've ever seen in your life. North end of town (near hospital and north/west of Fox River) is on hills. Pretty good schools.
Nice and close to Brookfield (tons of shopping and amenities along Bluemound Rd) and about 20 miles to big city of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan lakefront. Also nice to be close to Milwaukee but not in it. Much to see and do, but crime and bad schools make it poor choice to live in.
Be a little careful about your neighborhood in Waukesha, especially apartment complexes if that's the way you go. Some have fairly high numbers of troublesome, undesirable tenants. We'll leave it at that.

[Kentuckian]

I live in the Oconomowoc area of Waukesha. I think it is a little cheaper than Brookfield. Look into it. I think you would love it too. Small but with just enough restaurants etc. not to small. Surrounded by beautiful lakes. I have only been here a year but love the schools and there are two new middle schools opening this year. Downtown being repaved so it is a mess trying to drive down there but there are routes to get around that you learn and rumor has it that everything will be shiny new the end of the year.

[mikki]

Occonomowoc is a town in and of itself and not at area of Waukesha, but it is a town in Waukesha County which can be confusing. Waukesha is a city in Waukesha county...who came up with that?? I lived and worked in the City of Waukesha for almost 20 years and I would highly recommend it. You have everthing there that you need including an awesome hospital. A previous poster mentioned the hills on the NW side and they are awesone! We owned a house on Manchester Drive off of Madison St. and the views were amazing! As much as I love our NV valley home and all of our sunshine, I definitely miss our house on the hill!

[iqsgirl]

I visited WI a couple of weeks ago. I checked out Oconomowoc, Brookfield, Merton, Menomoneee Falls, WFB, Shorewood, Hartland, Delafield, Summit, and Sussex. I think we are leaning more towards Brookfield, Merton, Delafield, and Hartland.

The feedbak has been great on this site. I truly feel as though I wasw directed to the best areas that Waukesha and Milwaukee County have to offer.

Thanks for your help,

iqsgirl

[sophiedubois]

I lived in Waukesha for a long time, close to 20 years. I was having a difficult time with the cold and moved to Florida. While the weather was there I missed the Waukesha library, the malls the stores and walking along the river. I then moved to California and now am planning on moving back to Waukesha. I guess the i discovered that the positive things out weigh the neg temps.

[slamont61]

I myself have lived in three areas of Waukesha County. The city of Waukesha really has come a long way in the 12 years I lived near by. The Down Town is so much nicer than it was when we first landed in the area. Frame Park and the Fox river area are so much nicer now and the down town is so much cleaner.

Our first venture was a duplex on the East Side of the City and we had a beautiful park near by and more tennis courts than you could believe. We liked our neighborhood very much so. My one complaint with the city is the traffic noise. There is light industry all around the city and therefore a good deal of truck traffic. Also there are slow moving trains moving about the city. A turn-out is included and the screaming noise that it makes is crazy. I guess that all can be tollerated.

We moved out of the city to buy a home in Pewaukee. Also in Waukesha County. However this was a lake home and we could not get this purchase fast enough. Along with my new found lake view I had the main line rail road between our back yard and the lake. Fast moving trains are easier to accept than are slow noise making trains. We loved the Community and the School System in Pewaukee. Our taxes tripled in the time after we bought the home and were forced to sell it or risk going into debt. We had a tight budget that did not allow for a couple thousand dollars extra per year.

We found a beautiful home in Oconomowoc near Okauchee Lake. We rented this time and our Landlord had a lake lot between us and the lake. We still had swimming and fishing rights... a nice pier to sit upon and enjoy the day. The city of Oconomowoc is a progressive community with lots of development going on. Enrollment in the schools was on the rise and the school system seemingly was very progressive too. They must have had a darn good budget and is currently busy building new schools to go with the increase in population. Beautiful cafe's and eateries line the city Main Street. The old railroad depot is one of the best places for a Beer or a Burgher. The community has a super summer program complete with movies at the lake front.

Here is the biggest bonus, so long as you own a car. About half an hour west in Jefferson is the Highway 18 Drive-in movie theater. Great summer time family activity there. The place is in the country, yes you are going to smell the cows! They show first run movies and have a great Snack Booth with excellent Food. It's a Family run business with grass covered viewing area. It's one of my favorite drive-ins of all time. Guess you could call me a drive-in nut. It's the only one you'll be able to attend from Waukesha as the next nearest is in Kenosha.

Another bonus IF you have childeren, Wisconsin Dells is about an Hour and a half drive from Waukesha. The Dells is a tourist based area which is the Waterpark Capital of the United States. There are also several Go-Cart places and MANY tourist attractions, too many to think of. It's a family resort area. Beats the heck out of a trip to Orlando at a fraction of the price.

Then if you desire a real Amusement Park, you'll drive the Hour and fifteen minutes to Six Flags Great America. You are also an hour and a half away from Chicago. Yeah bob. So much to do....

Waukesha County, the city and all the surrounding towns, make for a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Just far away enough from Milwaukee to be free of that crime, not that there isn't any in Waukesha, but it's hardly the same as inner city crime in Milwaukee. The areas I lived in were relatively free of most criminal activity.

That makes it a wonderful place to live. Even if you are going to work in Milwaukee, the commute is very doable. I used to take Coach USA buses in from Oconomowoc, and at 5.00 a day round trip, free of parking and rush hour there's no better option.

[famlife]

i've lived here since july.. not long, but i can tell you a couple of things...

PROS
nice, active and attractive downtown. seems safe, too.
homely feel, especially @ the 4th of july parade!
not a big city, but you can still find good sushi, and other restaurants.
clean and quiet neighborhoods with kids and nice families.
great dog parks, and other parks.
close to the zoo!
close, but not too close, to Milwaukee

CONS
i think everyone in the entire city sprays their lawns. ick!
winter
i really can't think of anything..