Milwaukee sounds dangerous on the internet but still need a place (West Allis: appointed, apartment complexes)

[khanmo01]

I am looking for a decent house/duplex in Milwaukee area. My wife just got accepted at the Marquette University and we need to find a place starting August 1st. We have a 3 year old so needless to say that safety gets precedence over a happening lifestyle although places like the library and parks will be a plus.
2-3 bedrooms is needed but since both of us will be busy studying, a finished basement, den, nice quite space in the house is ideal.
We are looking for a place for around $800 to $1000...even more with more utilities and amenities included.

Things that we are looking for:
1) Easy access and travel route to Marquette University (Even Wauwatosa and West Allis works)
2) A safe/quiet/diverse neighborhood.
3) A backyard to kick our kid out so she can play herself tired.
4) The quality of the home itself better than what the pictures depicts.
5) Energy efficient with big open spaces.
6) A parking garage/spot (i guess its a privilege in Milwaukee to park and i find it weird that its not standard)
7) We have a cat.

This might look like a lot of stipulations but we plan to move to a place where we can live for a few years and feel like home. I personally love old houses (and i don't mean the ones with walls falling apart) with a nice charming look to it.

We visited Milwaukee a month back to get the feel of the town and checked some neighborhoods and housing option but were disappointed to see the housing available walking distance to the campus. This lady (connected to on the housing rental places) took us to a duplex right behind the Ambassador Inn and it was a rickety mess. The university website took us to Wiegand Enterprises that has the shadiest reviews by past renters i have ever came across. It was borderline sad and hilarious.

Currently we live in Decorah, Iowa and are 4 1/2 hours away from Milwaukee so to actually walk around or repeated visits are not possible with our jobs and frankly, Decorah has spoiled us with a beautiful landscape and non-existent crime rate.

Any kind of advice, suggestions and recommendations are welcome.

[John241]

Advice? Suggestions?

Try being a bit more optimistic. It sounds like you need a resource your current town does not provide and you will therefore have to deal with issues that come along with having that resource at your fingertips.

It seems to me like Wauwatosa fits all your needs.

[northbound74]

Moving from an idyllic small midwestern town to a larger city... yeah, you're not going to find easy comparisons, but Milwaukee has a lot of nice quaint family-oriented areas. Just don't expect to walk to work at Marquette.
Wauwatosa is really nice. West Allis would be a bit more hit-and-miss for what you're looking for. I think it's a cool town, but it may not be for everyone. Can't say enough good things about Greendale.

[khanmo01]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Moving from an idyllic small midwestern town to a larger city... yeah, you're not going to find easy comparisons, but Milwaukee has a lot of nice quaint family-oriented areas. Just don't expect to walk to work at Marquette.
Wauwatosa is really nice. West Allis would be a bit more hit-and-miss for what you're looking for. I think it's a cool town, but it may not be for everyone. Can't say enough good things about Greendale.

You didn't say enough good things about Greendale :S But i am looking into it right now. I guess its only a fifteen minute drive to Marquette University and that is very doable.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by khanmo01

You didn't say enough good things about Greendale :S But i am looking into it right now. I guess its only a fifteen minute drive to Marquette University and that is very doable.

Yes it's a short drive to downtown. Greendale's best access to downtown is currently closed off and under construction, my guess it would be back open later this year, but even with that it's well under 30 minutes.
For the most part, Milwaukee generally is not very spread out for an area with it's population. Some people find themselves living in far-flung places, but you certainly shouldn't feel like you have to.

Most places in Greendale will have two parking spaces. Parking on the street is prohibited in some places during 3-6 a.m. unless you have a permit or call the police dept. for limited-time permission like when people are visiting you. A lot of the town is typical suburbia (but nice), but it's claim to fame comes from the 'original' part.
Walking trails link everything together and parks are in every neighborhood. Sidewalks are everywhere and if you live in the old part of town, you can walk to the library, post office, schools, malt/burger shop, drug store and even the mall is almost easier to walk to than drive.
On any remotely warm day, it seems like half the town is out walking or playing in the parks, or playing catch or hitting golf balls in the open fields... very pleasant.
Greendale doesn't have any bad areas at all, but there are a few older apartment complexes that I don't find particularly attractive. Not run down, just not appealing.
Lot's of duplexes come up for rent.
A pretty good chunk of the Root River Parkway runs through town. The botanical gardens are either adjacent to or in Greendale. There's also a nature center in that area.
Plenty of big-box shopping on 76th street in addition to the cutesy downtown.

[brian571]

Also check Glendale to the north. It would be a quick drive down I-43 to get to Marquette. Whitefish Bay and Shorewood are also very good options, but are probably out of that price range. Doesn't hurt to check though.

[43north87west]

The suburbs are the place for you. Tosa, Glendale, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay. In the city, Bay View is nice. The upper East Side is nice. Brookfield is nice. You have plenty of options.

Milwaukee is a big city, with an area of almost 2 million people. In big cities, parking is often a problem. Crime is a significant problem in some areas of major cities.

Might want to lay off the condescending internet expert judgments until you get here, or you're going to have a pretty rough transition.

[Nuclear_Art]

Milwaukee is not Decorah. I have friends that live around there and you will be paying much more here for that same quality. It will be even costlier for less quality than Iowa. Do not bother looking anywhere around MU - go much farther west or much farther southwest. You may be spending more than $1000 but you should probably look in Milwaukee along Wisconsin Avenue and west of HWY 41 and towards the east side of Tosa. These areas are convenient to Marquette. Many profs live in Wauwatosa. You can find areas around Milwaukee like Decorah but it will cost you and it will be an hour drive.

[Allan Trafton]

Do yourself and us a favor and stay in beautiful crime free Iowa.

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by Allan Trafton

Do yourself and us a favor and stay in beautiful crime free Iowa.

The funny thing is that eastern Iowa has an abnormally large number of meth labs. Iowa has had the distinction of being known as the Meth capitol of the world.