Which is better: east side of Madison or far west suburbs of Milwaukee? (Waukesha: for rent)

[wanderer74]

I may have a job offer that's located between Madison and Milwaukee, so I could settle in either city. Honestly, it's quite a bit closer to the Milwaukee side, but I really loved Madison and would consider commuting further because of how much I liked the city. However, I do also have three school-age children, and want to be in a place with good schools. We would be renting rather than buying a house right away and have a decent budget for rent, so cost of housing isn't really a factor. From what I heard, the eastern side of Madison isn't considered as good as the west side, and it would definitely be way too far for me to commute from the west side. So I am also considering some of the western suburbs of Milwaukee like Waukesha, New Berlin, Oconomowoc, etc.

Is there anyone who could help me compare school districts between the east side of Madison and the far western suburbs of Milwaukee? I would really prefer to live in Madison, but if the schools are really bad on the east side and would be much better in the western 'burbs of Milwaukee, I'd want to know. I don't need to be in absolutely the top rated or most prestigious school districts, but I don't want to be in the area with the worst-performing schools either.

Thanks for any help!

[JoshB]

I like Sun Prairie as it is the fastest growing community in Wisconsin. They have good schools, a new Target, Wal-Mart, Pick n Save, Sentry. It is mostly homes that are 15 years or newer, there is still older homes. Another nice town I'd recommend is Watertown, you can take 16 straight to the Hartland and jump on 94. Oconomowac and Pewaukee are nice too. I don't know much about the schools in the Waukesha County area.

[caieva]

Wales!
Blue ribbon Kettle Moraine Schools on the far west side of Waukesha country right by the fabulous kettle moraine state park.
Still seems a bit of a harsh commute. Taking my daughter to Mad campus takes 55 minutes.

[yo vanilla]

the more time you spend in the car, the less with your kids. i'd go as close as possible. i bet schools in the areas you are considering are all reasonably equal anyway. where is the job location?

[Milwaukee City]

Milwaukee's western suburbs are beautiful but more expensive as well. The schools are top notch, Wales, Delafield, Pewaukee, Brookfield, Oconomowoc. I would say Milwaukee's Lake Country is a better choice in quality and amenities and being close to Milw is a plus. However the drive might kill you and you may regret the drive. I love to drive and my theory on life is to live closer to where you like to live -vs- being close to work and grocery stores and schools. I love coming home knowing I can walk to the lake, boutique shops, theatre, art shows, museums, baseball/basketball games, festivals. Your going to have to drive to your attractions anyways I just prefer to drive it right away on my way home from work vs driving home and then driving back to where I want to go. Unlike the city of Milwaukee, public schools in Milwaukee's suburbs are all very good schools and the private are some of the best around. The western suburbs of Milwaukee have more hills and trees and lakes hence the name "Lake Country". Better camping and biking areas than the east side of Madison which is flat. But to each his own.

[ccjarider]

The 94 drive will kill you, if you have to do it every single day. I recommend living within 1/2 hr of work. We have lived in Dane, Waukesha and Jefferson county. For everyday life, there is little difference betweeen quality western Waukesha county towns, Jefferson county and eastern Dane county.