Natives of Milwaukee please help a "transplant" out (Madison: renting, neighborhoods)

[ggggoat]

To kind of synthesize what's been said and add something new, you basically have 3 options: Riverwest, Brady street, and Bay View.

Riverwest

I lived here for a couple years and loved it. Strong sense of community, diverse, lots of bars and restaurants. The artsy/counterculture area of the city. It's worth noting that the rent is very reasonable and the house quality is far superior to other areas of the city.

So why not Riverwest? A lot of people cite safety and you'll hear horror stories every now and again, but I found you really just need to be aware of where you are. Don't wander by yourself at night, if you're walking to and from the bars, walk with confidence. Lock your doors, etc. However, theft and break in's is really just as high if not higher in the brady area and the rest of the east side. A general guideline is stay between Locust and North, and Don't go further west than Fratney, although the vibe from block to block really shifts.

However, you'll find that people who get tired of dealing with these negatives, but still like the quirky/artsy stuff, bars/restaurants, independent shops, green spaces, etc. end up going to Bay View. It's a little calmer and quite a bit larger, with rent still reasonable. A big joke is that most people who start off loving riverwest 'graduate' to Bay View at some point. Bay View is a little further from campus, but still only about a 20 minute drive.

Brady

I'd agree with what most people already said, but keep in mind rent is a bit higher than the others and the building is quality lower. It's also definitely not a 'community' vibe. I spent a year here a couple years back and loved it, but would say it has more of a party, fast paced, yuppie vibe. It still has its artsy feel, but I think the others factors are more predominant.

Like another poster said, Brady is great for visiting, but personally I don't think as ideal for living. Keep in mind Riverwest is a 5 minute drive and 15 minute walk from the Brady area.

Overall, I would say, if the pluses of Riverwest really appeal to you, go for it and don't dwell on the negatives. I would also strongly consider Bay View, I think it would be a good fit. Then Brady comes in 3rd place. Don't even consider shorewest, the 3rd ward, or the UWM area east side, I strongly suspect you'd shortly wish youd have moved to one of the aforementioned places.

[robmart]

Originally Posted by karfar

I lived in Riverwest for 2 years & I then lived off of Brady for 10 years so I qualify as a person who knows what they're talking about. I just moved to Bayview & I am gladly looking forward to moving back to Brady St. The OP sounds like she's looking for an area just like Brady St. & probably even Riverwest, hence why we're giving her this info.

I don't know of anything around Brady Street to hold an artsy person's interest for 10 years. I mean, after 6 months you've probably been to every bar, boutique, etc.
I'm not saying that Riverwest has more to offer in terms of number of shops/bars, but due to the sense of community (and the different events/house shows organized by young liberals/activists), I just think it is far more capable of maintaining a feeling of something new for a greater period of time.
I've never lived in Bay View, but slowly I've found a large number of friends make the move. They mostly seem to like it. It's far more hip than it was just a couple of years ago.
Another advantage to Bay View is its proximity to the South Side, which, as a whole, I love. I suppose not everyone will end up falling in love with the South Side, but when it comes to just walking around with no particular purpose, National Ave serves as well as anywhere for me.

[karfar]

Originally Posted by robmart

I don't know of anything around Brady Street to hold an artsy person's interest for 10 years. I mean, after 6 months you've probably been to every bar, boutique, etc.
I'm not saying that Riverwest has more to offer in terms of number of shops/bars, but due to the sense of community (and the different events/house shows organized by young liberals/activists), I just think it is far more capable of maintaining a feeling of something new for a greater period of time.
I've never lived in Bay View, but slowly I've found a large number of friends make the move. They mostly seem to like it. It's far more hip than it was just a couple of years ago.
Another advantage to Bay View is its proximity to the South Side, which, as a whole, I love. I suppose not everyone will end up falling in love with the South Side, but when it comes to just walking around with no particular purpose, National Ave serves as well as anywhere for me.

I'm starting to warm up to Riverwest. When I lived there, my car was broken into so that left a bitter taste, plus my friend was mugged & just recently that one pizza delivery guy was killed a half block away from where my ex lived. However, lately when I drive around there, I'm noticing these bars & restaurants that I never saw before, so that's nice. Plus, the people in Riverwest seem more earthy which appeals to me. But, I am an east side girl, I have been since I graduated from high school so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I guess I'm not liking Bayview because I live almost on the very edge of it, KK & Oklahoma. There is almost NOTHING around here, driving is essential. So coming from Brady St. where I could walk everywhere, that's a big downer for me. I guess if I moved more north on KK, like more towards where my friend lives right behind Sven's, that'd be more in the thick of things. Lots of shops, convenience store, gas station, etc. that can easily be walked to. I'll admit, I am not a fan of the south side, but that's just me. A lot of people I work with live on the south side & they all seem to love it. I guess if you started out on the east side, it'd be a huge change to get used to the south side.

[MILWCITY]

I really enjoyed my time at 3700 south KK ave, very accessible to everything. I just wanted to be close to more things as well so I see your point thats when I made the move north to walkers point.

[Eshea]

I have lived in Riverwest for 20 years. Grew up in Shorewood before that. I have been mugged once, in 1993. I bartended in RW for 10 years and never had a problem. I bought a house on Holton St and one of the reasons was because it was an owner occupied block. The blocks West of me are changing and are starting to remind me of how RW was 20 years ago when I first moved there.
If you don't mind a gritty, artsy, friendly, diverse area, you may want to look at Riverwest. East Side and Brady are fun, too.

Good luck!

[EastSideMKE]

Since you're over 30, I would avoid living right near UWM or Brady St. Shorewood would probably fit you best demographically, but don't discount the downtown areas like University Hill, West Town, East Town, Walker's Point, or the Third Ward as they would be centrally located between work and school.

[Platinum Key]

I have lived in Milwaukee my whole life. Yes there is some very bad areas and there is some very good areas. Its like that in any major city and even in some smaller cities like Racine. Yes I think that the East Side is what your looking for. I live on 60th and Bradley but travel to the east side for the night life. There is many apartments that have great views and are close to everything that U want and UWM. Go on craigslist and look at East Side Apartments . Thats where I always go to find apartments. The only thing I can say is just go and see. If U stick near brady, farwell , and prospect U should be ok but remember crime happens everywhere so always be careful. I hope this helps. Milwaukee is a fun great city all year but most in the summer always fests and things to do. Dont forget to check out Water St you will have a ball if U like night life. JASON

[city414]

Originally Posted by MILWCITY

. You do have people from the "hood" or "core" what ever you want to call it, they come over to Riverwest to commit crime 99% of the crime in Riverwest isn't from people from Riverwest.

HOW in the hell do you know when crimes are committed the individuals are not from riverwest lmao.

you can get robbed anywhere in milwaukee jack... white people have their own imaginary river west boundaries from the city which is east of holton.

[MILWCITY]

I lived in Riverwest by Dinos bar thats how I know. I follow police reports often and it give there address.....Jack.

[city414]

Originally Posted by MILWCITY

I lived in Riverwest by Dinos bar thats how I know. I follow police reports often and it give there address.....Jack.

okay joe. police reports are not usually helpful