Wauwatosa Info?????? (Milwaukee, Glendale, Honey Creek: property taxes, work, housing)

[pandagal]

We have an oppportunity to move to Wauwatosa but don't know anything about it. Before we decide we were hoping for some more info. We have 2 little ones (under 5) and are wondering about housing, family life/activities...safety etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, any city info in close proximity. Commuting isn't a problem for the right location if not too far seeing as how gas prices don't help.

Thanks!

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by pandagal

We have an oppportunity to move to Wauwatosa but don't know anything about it. Before we decide we were hoping for some more info. We have 2 little ones (under 5) and are wondering about housing, family life/activities...safety etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, any city info in close proximity. Commuting isn't a problem for the right location if not too far seeing as how gas prices don't help.

Thanks!

I think given your situation, overall you would be very happy with Wauwatosa...it is a really neat town / a great suburb to Milwaukee metro.

First off, commuting won't be an issue really in Wauwatosa, except that during rush hour, you are in the "heart" of the rush hour so it can be congested.

Wauwatosa is fairly safe...you may wish to avoid the areas that directly divide Milwaukee and Tosa around North Avenue's area (around 60th and North)...however, most anywhere else in Wauwatosa, it is relatively safe and nice for being in the thick of a large metro area.

Wauwatosa in many respects feels a nice "part of Milwaukee" in that it truly is meshed closely right up against Milwaukee. Thus, without traffic, you are only 10-to-15 minutes from downtown Milwaukee. Access to areas of the metro is very good in 'Tosa...the accessibility to highways I-94 and I-45 is good.

The current nicest mall in Wisconsin is located in Wauwatosa - Mayfair Mall (although Bayshore Mall in Glendale is a close competitor to niceness). Wauwatosa has two public high schools - East and West - do not know much about them. It also is right on the border of two pretty nice private high schools - Pius (Catholic) and Wisconsin Lutheran.

There are nice restaurants (especially around the Mayfair Mall area as well as the 68th and State area) and parks / open spaces. If you like to run or bike, there is a nice Honey Creek area for running in a wooded area.

Housing is semi-pricey, but not outrageous compared to Milwaukee's North Shore or Lake Country suburbs. You can find deals. Homes are typically nice but older, as Wauwatosa is a relatively older, established suburb. I would say the typical price for a home in Wauwatosa is in the $190 - $250K range, surely with much higher priced houses also available.

Wauwatosa is a fairly urban suburb. Due to its age and proximity in the heart of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, again, it truly feels like a more established part of Milwaukee than many of the suburbs...(eg: you won't find massive lots generally or farmland, etc., in 'Tosa).

Wauwatosa is very nice. Frankly, I would rate it easily in one of the top 5 suburbs (personally) to pursue living in in the Milwaukee Metro area...family / young kids especially.

[pandagal]

HUGE THANKS enjoyEP!! I have been trying to read through so many threads to see what I could find out and where a good place to live would be with easy access to 'Tosa. You really helped me alot. My husband would be working in 'Tosa, so if we could live there that would be great. A small commute would be ok too. But sounds like the schools and area have alot to offer right there and the pricing you mentioned is right about the range we are wanting to be in. My husband is handy so a little older isn't a problem, he completely remodeled our current home, so updating another shouldn't be a problem. We are just hoping that in that range we wouldn't be in a 'less desireable' section of town. And we love that almost all the houses have basements.

Thanks so much for your info!

[Adair]

Originally Posted by pandagal

We have an oppportunity to move to Wauwatosa but don't know anything about it. Before we decide we were hoping for some more info. We have 2 little ones (under 5) and are wondering about housing, family life/activities...safety etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, any city info in close proximity. Commuting isn't a problem for the right location if not too far seeing as how gas prices don't help.

Thanks!

Hi, my husband and I bought a home and lived in Wauwatosa for 2 1/2 years. For the most part I agree with the comments posted on Tosa. First of all, with kids I would make sure you try to stay west of 76th street. My husband is a police officer and we checked the police reports to see what the neighborhoods were like and determined that west of 76th was had the fewest reports and was the safest. Please don't think east of that is horrible, it is not. In fact we lived right on 61st street but I wasn't very comfortable living there once we had our baby. I would have rather been 10 or so more blocks west.

Tosa is very centrally located - very close to downtown, and right next to the baseball stadium, the zoo, many parks etc. and Tosa itself has a cute downtown village area. It is definitely cheaper than other areas of Milwaukee. The one thing I would caution is prepare yourself for the property taxes and the small lots. Property taxes in Tosa are reasonable (compared with the North Shore area) - but to an outsider they may seem high. Plan on $2500 to $3500, possibly higher for a home in the range of the previous comment. Also, as an older suburb, it is primarily older housing on smaller city lots - so if you envision a huge back yard, you will not get that.

You won't have to worry at all about being in a "less desireable area". You'll find plenty of options in the nicer areas. Good luck!

[pandagal]

Thanks for your insight. My husband is partial to a larger yard....that is his 'sanity' from work stress. I don't know that we are looking for the 'city feel' so now I'm not sure that's the place we want to be.
We live in Illinois now, so property taxes aren't a big shock to us....WI seems to be a little lower.
Any ideas for another area that's not too far away with reasonable priced houses and not such a 'city feel'? I would say within 1/2 hour commute. We're not burbs people per se (and certainly not with the home prices up there..you get a little more bang for your buck here) but with little ones we're not really city people either if you know what I mean. We just want a nice community with things to do and a nice yard for the children to play in without traffic in every direction.

Any advice?