Any southwestern suburbs of Milwaukee good for a young professional? (Janesville: apartments, condos)

[bschropps]

I am a 24 year old man moving to Wisconsin for work. I grew up on Long Island, so being near a big city is important to me. Unfortunately my job is in Darien WI, which has a population of just over 1000 and is not the kind of place I want to live.

I think I would be happier living in a big city, unfortunately downtown Milwaukee is an hour away. I was wondering if there are any areas of Milwaukee that might be more south west and close to 43, that still have nightlife and fun things to do for a young single professional.

[Empidonax]

The southwestern burbs of Milwaukee aren't terribly exciting, but Greenfield is a retail hub with a variety of restaurants, bars, cinemas, gyms, etc., and there are lots of apartments and condos around. I know people who live there so they can be between Milwaukee's eastside nightlife and their workplace (Muskego). Greenfield is convenient to I-43, which would be your lifeline to Darien. Another option could be Hales Corners (adjacent to Greenfield)--it's much more residential, but from what I've read there is a significant showing of 25-44 year-old single professionals in the area.

If the commute seems a bit much (and in winter your commute could be bad at times), and if you're open to smaller cities, you might look into Janesville and Beloit (smaller industrial cities), as well as Whitewater (college town), Lake Geneva (lakeside resort town), and maybe Delavan (also a lakeside community). I don't know enough about these places to comment on the social/nightlife potential, though.

[MKEastsider]

Empidonax pretty much nailed it. Hate that I can't say something more encouraging, but pretty much anything outside of Milwaukee County is a church, a cow pasture, and three houses. If you're coming from Long Island, you'll either have to learn to deal with a long commute from the city, or grit your teeth wherever you end up.