Maybe I've lived a sheltered life? (Milwaukee, Waukesha: high crime, neighborhood, buying)

[Solas]

Originally Posted by xavier xerxes

I lived in milwaukee for two years
In the burbs of milwaukee they
are much more anticity then
the burbians of chicago.

Almost similar to the attitudes
I saw in detroit, ofcourse
not as bad but dysfunctional to be sure.

I'm glad you mentioned this. Detroit is the only place I've ever lived (or even visited) where the suburbs had even more ridiculous biases and prejudices against the city than Milwaukee. It wasn't even until I moved out of Wisconsin as an adult that I even knew it was possible for suburbanites to get along with city dwellers.

Originally Posted by xavier xerxes

I worked in waukesha and lived in riverwest.
Straight up heresy for most at my workplace.
They thought I was nuts.
But I enjoyed taking the money
I was earning from the burbs
and siphoning it into the city.

Wish more people did it.

That's one of the main reason why the suburbs have done absolutely everything they can to prevent a commuter rail going up. They don't want Milwaukee to be able to do to the suburbs what the suburbs have been doing to Milwaukee for the past five decades.

[BrewCity'Burbs]

Originally Posted by Solas

I'm glad you mentioned this. Detroit is the only place I've ever lived (or even visited) where the suburbs had even more ridiculous biases and prejudices against the city than Milwaukee. It wasn't even until I moved out of Wisconsin as an adult that I even knew it was possible for suburbanites to get along with city dwellers.



That's one of the main reason why the suburbs have done absolutely everything they can to prevent a commuter rail going up. They don't want Milwaukee to be able to do to the suburbs what the suburbs have been doing to Milwaukee for the past five decades.

Thats the pot calling the kettle black. You make these silly claims about biases and prejudices that burbians have with city dwellers and a ridiculous claim of why they are trying to prevent a commuter rail. It sounds like you have the same biases and prejudices against suburbanites, or you are just insecure about where you are living you feel the need to draw attention to "the other guy". Im sure there are suburbians that have some of those feelings you mentioned, but its not as many as you think. It is not fair that you label everyone who doesnt live in an urban part of town. And if you truly do believe what you said is true, do you think that saying this stuff makes their opinions better or worse of city dwellers? Try to make a bridge, not tear it down.

[musicguy790]

Originally Posted by A-Shultz

We found all of these in Tosa. We looked in different parts...the old, small bungalows of the 60th-70th street blocks, the lannon-stone colonials nearer Christ King Church. We felt the Christ King area fit us best (in part because of the home's size...my 6'1" husband was a bit annoyed by some of the stairwells in the bungalows on 68th and thereabouts! ) And so, here we are, moving in on 90th soon!

I loved that neighborhood. Sadly I've since moved away. The address was 2642 N 90th one block from Christ King. I have heard that it is again for sale and it would be quite funny if that was the house you were buying.

So I would have to agree that Wauwatosa is definitely a great place to raise a family and just live in general.

For those who may consider it trashy, some areas have houses that sell for millions (along the Menominee River)

[A-Shultz]

Originally Posted by musicguy790

I loved that neighborhood. Sadly I've since moved away. The address was 2642 N 90th one block from Christ King. I have heard that it is again for sale and it would be quite funny if that was the house you were buying.

So I would have to agree that Wauwatosa is definitely a great place to raise a family and just live in general.

For those who may consider it trashy, some areas have houses that sell for millions (along the Menominee River)

WOW! Not the same house, but we are 2623...and I think we walked thru 2642!! The house with the back porch, and pink bathroom upstairs?

[musicguy790]

2642- Haha yes it is the house with the pink bathroom. You should have seen it when we bought it 8 years ago. The kitchen was bright orange. (PS that back porch railing is super dangerous we never went up there)

2623 - Yes i know that house too. The family is moving to Texas because of a job offer. You will have great neighbors for sure. On 90th street and 89th (the kids cut through a whole in the fence behind 2642) there are around 65 kids. Definitely a good environment.

[Solas]

Originally Posted by BrewCity'Burbs

Thats the pot calling the kettle black. You make these silly claims about biases and prejudices that burbians have with city dwellers and a ridiculous claim of why they are trying to prevent a commuter rail. It sounds like you have the same biases and prejudices against suburbanites, or you are just insecure about where you are living you feel the need to draw attention to "the other guy". Im sure there are suburbians that have some of those feelings you mentioned, but its not as many as you think. It is not fair that you label everyone who doesnt live in an urban part of town. And if you truly do believe what you said is true, do you think that saying this stuff makes their opinions better or worse of city dwellers? Try to make a bridge, not tear it down.

I'm sorry, but have you read some of the crap that gets posted at this board? In fact, try seeing if you can find another city-data forum with so many "is this area safe?" threads. Obviously those views of the city aren't held by literally everyone in the suburbs, but the fact that they come up so frequently and without regard for how presumptuous (and offensive, in some cases) such questions are is clear evidence that this is something that's ingrained into the culture of Suburban Milwaukee.

Perhaps the new census will show some improvement, but as of 2000, Milwaukee didn't even crack the top 10 segregation indexes for urban cities, yet we were the most segregated metro area. And only St. Louis had a higher disparity between income between the city and its suburbs.

I'm all for building bridges, but that can not be done until we admit what the problems have been up to this point.

[Allan Trafton]

I'm with Solas on this one 100%. Much of the bashing from the suburbs(Waukesha Country in particular) is over the top, offensive and ignorant. They think nothing of bashing the city in the presences of city residents and have no idea who they are offending. It happens all the time. The classic of all time is a column by Waukesha Freeman columnist Pete Kennedy a few years back titled, I kid you not,"Milwaukee Sucks." It was pathetic journalism to say the least. And people wonder why Milwaukee residents are fed up.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by Allan Trafton

I'm with Solas on this one 100%. Much of the bashing from the suburbs(Waukesha Country in particular) is over the top, offensive and ignorant. They think nothing of bashing the city in the presences of city residents and have no idea who they are offending. It happens all the time. The classic of all time is a column by Waukesha Freeman columnist Pete Kennedy a few years back titled, I kid you not,"Milwaukee Sucks." It was pathetic journalism to say the least. And people wonder why Milwaukee residents are fed up.

I will also agree based on my dealings with people when I tell them I live downtown and plan on raising a family in the city, I get the typical city bashing by suburbanites. I love the suburbs but I love the city a lot more.

Then usually you will get this line from suburbanites: "Well once you are older and have kids you'll want to move out to the suburbs"

Not really, I could see myself living in an urban suburb where you don't feel like you are in the suburbs IE: Tosa, Shorewood, WFB, South Milwaukee.

Here is another reason baby boomers dislike Milwaukee so much and I honestly this is the main reason. Back in their day Milwaukee was like leave it to beaver. Milwaukee quickly went from 20-40 homicides to 80 then over the hundreds in a very quick time frame(Crack epidemic). This made people who had never really dealt with crime issues having to deal with them more and more and soon they all picked up and relocated to the suburbs. Keep in mind I am 27 my parents day 16th and North wasn't a bad area to me it has always been a bad area. So I have grown up with the expectation of dealing with crime either in the burbs or in the city while my parents generation saw Milwaukee and most of it was very very safe. They saw the farms in New Berlin and the northwest side turned into an area where drug dealing was the norm, not so much anymore but they saw majority of Milwaukee as being very safe to what it was in the early 90's and it has formed a dis-taste for the city.

While my generation saw very bad crime in the early 90's and now can't believe that their million dollar condos and safe neighborhoods again in the city. Meanwhile the Milwaukee revitalization has been going on our parents just watch the news and don't venture into the city to see how it has been turning around so it is hard for them to believe that Walker's Point is safe and Bay View is nice and people do want to live in Brewers Hill and how nice the MU campus is looking. To many of them Milwaukee won't be safe again until their 20 homicides a year which in today's age just isn't realistic as we have become more violent in our society today than back in the 50's.

I hope I explained this well enough?

[Allan Trafton]

I agree with our post and I'll add something to raising kids in the city. I have a teenage daughter and a middle school son and it never worried or bothered me raising them in the city. Granted it's the east side, but it's not Waukesha Country. Now that my daughter is a teenage I think being on the east side is great. She goes to Starbucks, Lake Park, Riverside Park, Whole foods, Farwell and North area, Downer, Oakland, Brady, Riverwest, Lakefront etc and she loves it. I think it's a great area to be a teenager. Her cousins, who all live in Waukesha County, drive everywhere and don't have the access she does. Now I think she was a great advantage in the living in the city and I see it when I compare where to her cousins. The exposure to the city and what it offers and the experiences they have had has helped them greatly. I never had a problem with their schools either. There are plenty to pick from and many are very good. Between private schools, open enrollment and magnet city schools there should be no problem finding a decent school. My kids have a great time growing up on the east side and haven't had any problems with crime or thugs.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by Allan Trafton

I agree with our post and I'll add something to raising kids in the city. I have a teenage daughter and a middle school son and it never worried or bothered me raising them in the city.

I'll say this about raising your kids in the city, maybe it is better to raise a 4-12 yr old in the suburbs but as a teenager living in the city!!! You would be the envy of all your friends. They would all want to come over and spend the night at your house. A teenager on the east side is a well..."a teenagers dream! "

Plus what's a better backyard, your yard or the lakefront? no even a question. This question alone is why I poster the thread about raising your kid in the city.