Must live in City of Milwaukee: where are the best neighborhoods? (West Allis: new home, to buy)

[MidwestAir]

I have to live in the City of Milwaukee and am looking to buy a home. I know the south side has some nice neighborhoods near Jackson Park and on the far south side between Grange and College Ave. These places have a high per captia population of city employees and that's what I'm looking for. I also know the UWM area, Walker's Point (by Milwaukee Ale House), and some downtown areas are nice to live and have residents that care about how their homes look. I do not know much about any other areas in the city, and I rarely travel north of downtown.

Where are the other main places where City of Milwaukee workers live (MPS, MPD, MFD, DPW, etc.)?

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Pretty much anything right on the fringe of the city limits, right on the line with a suburb is going to be a "cop and firefighter neighborhood."

Jackson Park, far South Side near the airport, Washington Heights (west side just west of Washington Park), Enderis Park (Center Street in the 70s) far Northwest Side. These are areas with high percentages of City employees.

[EnjoyEP]

Agree with Milwaukee Ronnie's report.

One area I am allllll about as a nice Milwaukee area but underrated is the upper breeches of the 53224 zip code - far Northwest side.

My wife and I owned our first home in Milwaukee in the 01-03 timeframe right around 95th and Bradley in the 53224 zip and it was a really nice location. Good access to I-45, not horrible access via Good Hope to I-43 even, and pretty close to Menomonee Falls, etc.

I really like this area. It is diverse with lots of white, black, and Hispanic residents, fairly safe and still a decent amount of open spaces / green spaces / forest areas, and one of the only locals in the city of Milwaukee still developing both commercially and residentially; you'll find some nice new home commuities in this area.

I will add that while most of Bradley Rd. west of, say, 84th Street is very nice, if you go a mile north to Brown Deer Rd, you'd want to be west of 107th Street.

But the 53224 zip code - especially the areas around the Park Place office buildings, north Green Tree Rd. and 107th Street, the Ruby Tuesday's location, etc., - very nice and very underrated (and still quite middle class and affordable).

Otherwise, Milwaukee Ronnie speaks the truth. I would strongly consider the Washington Heights - very nice area.

Also, check out the 53213 zip code (roughly around 75th and Bluemound) in the portions bordering Wauwatosa but not in Wauwatosa...even the portions east here are just as nice as Wauwatosa and very family friendly and quite nice. Near good private high schools such as Wisconsin Lutheran and Pius.

The areas around 100th Street and Oklahoma are essentially like the Greenfield neighborhoods surrounding.

The areas around Mt. Mary (92nd and Burleigh) are very nice and very, very affordable.

The areas around 76th and Morgan (just between Greenfield and West Allis) are decent.

Some neighborhoods near Vilet St. and Miller Park and quite nice...just outside of the Washington Heights. Same for the Lenox Heights neighborhoods.

OF course anywhere on the East Side / Downtown are very nice...just quite expensive.

I really like some of the very underrated areas near 27th and Layton just outside of Greenfield. Very nice areas.

I grew up for all of my youthful life in the 68th and Silver Spring area of Milwaukee and worked in the 70th and Capitol area through high school - I would not recommend these areas anymore, but I am all about the City of Milwaukee and its underrated and numerous pockets of nice communities. People act like here the only places are to live are the suburbs, and while I am also all about some suburbs here (Greendale and Muskego high on that list), you can still find a ton of nice areas in the city of Milwaukee.

[Hntr]

We lived on 94th, between Morgan and Howard. When we moved in it was a fairly new neighborhood. That was in the mid-seventies. Anyway my point was that on our block, we had two firefighters, 5 police officers, one detective, a sanitation worker and a city worker that drove a snowplow in the winter. All these city workers were there when we left in '92.

[mizzou65201]

There are all sorts of quirky pockets of Milwaukee interspersed amongst Wauwatosa...especially along Blue Mound Road (near Wisconsin Lutheran College and the hospital complex) and north of Mayfair (Burleigh/Center/Mount Mary College) area. All great areas. Also the 53207 zip code...Bay View south to the airport. Very convenient location (close to downtown, summerfest, airport) but without the East Side/downtown price tag, noise, etc.

Oh! Also the strip straddling I-94 from Miller Park west towards the zoo...between Wauwatosa and West Allis. Some freeway noise but otherwise great neighborhoods.

The 53224 zip is nice but definitely feels like it's "out there"...i.e....like you're closer to Menomonee Falls than Downtown, which you would be If that's what you want, great! But it's not for everybody.

[MidwestAir]

Thanks for the great information. The best neighborhood I found is near-downtown, N. Astor and E. Ogden seems like it'd be the perfect spot. Anyone live nearby here? Riverwest also seems sort of nice, but a little too much like dirty hipp for my taste.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by MidwestAir

Thanks for the great information. The best neighborhood I found is near-downtown, N. Astor and E. Ogden seems like it'd be the perfect spot. Anyone live nearby here?

I don't, but it is a great area. Would be a phenomenal area to live in.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by MidwestAir

Thanks for the great information. The best neighborhood I found is near-downtown, N. Astor and E. Ogden seems like it'd be the perfect spot. Anyone live nearby here? Riverwest also seems sort of nice, but a little too much like dirty hipp for my taste.

I lived there for some time back in the 90s (Prospect/Ogden).

It was a great area to live in and at the time most of the places in that area were very new. I don't think that the neighborhood has changed much, if any, since that time. In other words it's still probably a great area to live in.

[MidwestAir]

I think this post sort of covers that topic jeaje8. But in terms of what to wear, wear layers. And to start off, buy winter boots, a thick jacket, and a hat because your in for 5 months of misery. In terms of shopping, check out the local hardware store, and buy a shovel and 100lbs of rock salt. The winters here aren't as bad as they are in northern Wisconsin, but it's uncomfortably cold if you don't have adequate clothes.

[dancywalden]

I've lived in several areas around Milwaukee, most recently on the southside. Never thought I would like it, but it grows on you. Specifically, south of Howard and east of 94/43. Quiet, safe, friendly and not snobbish. More room in this area - the houses are not on top of each other like some areas where you can reach out and shake your neighbor's hand through your bedroom windows! Anyway - it's close to everything - airport, amtrack, freeway, buslines, and plently of great eateries.

So, if you are looking for an area that you've never thought about, take a drive through this part of town. We've lived here - on and off - for several years. But it's soon to be "off" because we're selling my mother-in-law's duplex and moving to warmer climes...

Anyway - just wanted to mention this under valued neighborhood.