Hi y'all...I'll be moving up yonder in a few weeks, help me out

[linazelle]

I am moving from Chicago to the Milwaukee area in two weeks!!! (Whaaat the hell am I doing this for again..?) Oh, I was promoted. Anyhew, I've been to many parts of Wisconsin before, Eau Claire, Madison, LaCrosse, Wausau, and of course Milwaukee--it's a beautiful place.

Even though I'm only moving two hours away, it's still a huge move for me and stressful. I'm being housed in a temporary apartment in Milwaukee for up to two months while I hunt for a permanent place. I am not sure if I want to rent or buy (I own a home in Chicago which I'm not selling just yet). My boss mentioned several areas around Milwaukee that are fairly nice for renting or buying: Brown Deer, Waukesha. :shrug:

I know, I'm rambling, but anybody who can give me some tips on where I can look for nice housing, with open green spaces for excercise within a 30 minute drive of Milwaukee will earn my undying devotion.

Also, how much do car license tags cost? And what about voter registration? Will I be able to vote in Wisconsin in November?

Any other advice/tips you have would be appreciated. :)

[MadAsHell]

1. Sorry I don't know Milwaukee but ...

The license will be about $70 dollars. You can register to vote at the polls but you may want to do it ahead to save the hassle of waiting in line. You will need proof of residence, a phone or electric bill with your name and address is usually good enough. I think you have to be in residence for a month to vote.

By the way, you will get to vote for the best Senator in the union this fall, isn't that worth the move all by itself?

[eyesroll]

2. Hi, linazelle

And welcome to Wisconsin!

I live in Waukesha, and the parts of Waukesha that are affordable are not the parts of Waukesha with green spaces. (But then again, Chicago housing is a lot more expensive than Wisconsin, and I don't know your price range.) There are plenty of parks and bike paths, though.

The Bay View area of Milwaukee is nice and reasonable -- old housing, working- and middle-class, walking distance to the lakefront, which isn't exactly green but is walkable and bikeable.

I think tags are $50 or so -- oh, and there are no separate city tags, like there are in many places in Illinois, although if you live in Milwaukee and don't have a parking spot or garage, you'll need a night permit (same with the suburbs, but there's little housing in the suburbs with only street parking). Voter registration is same day -- so you'll not only be able to vote in November, you'll be able to vote in September in the Congressional primary. Just bring something with your new address on it to the polling place.

There are quite a few DUers in the Milwaukee area, so please let us know when you get here. And congratulations on that promotion!

[WFF]

3. Welcome to Wisconsin!

Milwaukee is a really nice city...very friendly and neighborly because of all the old Germans there. They call the feeling, "Gemutlicheit." (sp?)

I think I heard that Milwaukee has more square footage of city parks than any other city in the country. I don't know if that's accurate, but they do have a really nice park system. There are always people exercising near the lake, same as Chicago. Be sure to check out Lakeshore Park.

I used to live near Wauwatosa, so I am partial to the north side of the river. You'll find that there's a bit of a rivalry between the Northsiders and Southsiders. If you REALLY want to be out in the open, look at the lakes district west of Waukesha (Like Pewaukee or Oconomowoc), or north of Milwaukee near Mequon or Thiensville. These areas get more expensive, but they are very nice.

I think you are going to love Wisconsin. Beer, brats and cheese!!

[linazelle]

4. Thank you all so much for the tips....

I especially liked hearing about the park system and at least I won't miss the beautiful Chicago lakefront. See you guys around, hopefully.

[Bushfire]

6. Here's some links for you

http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/

http://www.rosebudcinemadrafthouse.com/info.htm

http://onmilwaukee.com/

http://onmilwaukee.com/visitors/articles/statepark.html

http://onmilwaukee.com/visitors/articles/oakleaftrail.html

http://www.mpl.org/ (Milw Public Library)

http://www.wispolitics.com/

and don't forget if you move into R - Sensenbrenner's district, you could help to vote him out of Congress. Click on Bryan Kennedy's link in my sig line for more info. The district runs from Waukesha, Tosa, to the east side by the lake. You should be able to vote just by bringing a current utility bill to your voting precint.

[TheMightyFavog]

5. Be sure to have a drink at the Safe House....

If it's still around, and if you can find it.

Hopefully one of our Milwaukee DUers can give you the password.

[eyesroll]

8. It's still here...I've never been, but I know the password

(or, at least what the password was a few years ago -- I don't think it changes, though).

PM me if you need it.

[RetroLounge]

7. Welcome to the Milwaukee Area

I am also an ex-Chicagoan, been here since '86.

I bought my house in Wauwatosa. Close to the city. Easy freeway access. Beautiful neighborhoods. Good Schools. Less Republicans than Waukesha :)

RL

[eyesroll]

9. Hey....

:P
The City of Waukesha is just as Republican as Wauwatosa. It's the rest of the county that's uninterrupted Freeperville (although I know we have DUers in Delafield and Oconomowoc, among other places).

I do like Tosa, though -- you've got some great parks, and good restaurants downtown. (We were just at Pizzeria Piccola yesterday.)

We looked at some housing in Tosa five years ago, and the ones we liked we couldn't afford, and the ones we could afford, we didn't like. (That's the trouble with buying a house at 23.) I'd consider it now, though. Lots of great old bungalows, capes, etc.

[RetroLounge]

10. Come on! Move East. Lets Make Tosa a Dem Haven!

Every Dem and DU'er that moves to Tosa helps drive another Republican Family out west. :)

Two of my Neighbors put their houses up for sale, and I live on the corner in between them. SO out came the Kerry Sign, front and center. Wanted to make the new neighbors feel welcome!

RL

[ClassWarrior]

11. You're a Tosan, Retro??

Very cool. I'm near you, but just east of 60th Street - which makes me a Near-Northwest-Sider.

Hey, I belong to a Tosa based peace group called the Candlelight Coalition. We came together during the worldwide MoveOn vigil in March 2003, and decided to stick together because we think the western suburbs need a peace group. Interested in participating?

We'd love to have you - or any other interested Milwaukee-area DUers. Just email me for details. Or visit www.candlelightcoalition.org.

[RetroLounge]

21. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out...

Have limited time to spread myself around these days...

RL

[Bushfire]

20. Just met a Kerry supporter who lives in Waukesha

and he hasn't even seen FH911 yet, but plans on it. He also has friends in Waukesha who are becoming quite dillusioned of GWB*. He told me he also wants to volunteer, and I suggested delivering yard signs as a way to help. White males are not all republicans out by you Eyesroll just so you know.

[eyesroll]

23. Hey, I live with a white male non-republican

:-)

Actually, my neighborhood's pretty good. The rest of the county...eh..

[linazelle]

12. Well I' m here....

Househunting all week, staying in an apartment complex in Brown
Deer temporarily. I love the complex but it's too small as I'm moving from a house--can't hold all my stuff.

I've been looking in Wauwatosa, Brown Deer, tonight I was in the Whitefish Bay area---I LOVE that area.

One thing I see is there are LOTs of houses for sale in all of the areas I've looked in. Makes me wonder why so many are selling--looks like a buyer's market to me, and it looks like the economy is taking its toll. I definitely want to negotiate a price that will withstand the impending deflation in the next few years.

All in all, I like Wisconsin so far. The traffic is lighter, it's quieter and less frantic than Chicago. Looking forward to finding a nice house and settling in for the winter.

[sybylla]

13. Welcome to Wisconsin, Linazelle

Where (since bush lost by only 6000 votes here in 2000) every Dem is sacred.

Good luck on your house hunting :toast:

[ewagner]

14. Welcome to Wisconsin

Good luck on house hunting................ :hi:

[eyesroll]

15. Welcome, linazelle

Keep in mind that Wisconsin's usually pretty insulated from massive housing swings -- prices don't go up here as fast as they do in other areas, and they don't crash as hard. (There are exceptions, of course, but it's not crazy like Chicago or San Francisco or DC, either.)

[Bushfire]

16. Let us know of your DU House Warming Party

I'll bring some Wisconsin wine, and organic beer!

http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/meetbeer.asp

[ClassWarrior]

17. Welcome to the Town of Brew, Linazelle!

I'm partial to Tosa myself, but that's cuz it's near my neighborhood. Of course, there are plenty of wonderful neighborhoods in Milwaukee proper too. Try Washington Heights, just east of Tosa. Very charming.

[LTR]

18. Few places to live

The south side is almost can't-miss. Just be careful of the area east of 35th St. and north of Lincoln Av. It's pretty rough, except for the Bayview area, which is a prospering neighborhood. The rest of the south side is great.

Wauwatosa on the north side is also pretty nice, as is most of the area immediately surrounding it. Much of the north side of Milwaukee is run-down and has high crime, so be wary, but there are some great neighborhoods there. Prices are jumping a bit in 'Tosa, but if you're used to Chicago, it will still be inexpensive. Nice old homes in parts of it. And lots of parks nearby. Same goes for West Allis. A bit more working class, but it is a highly desireable place to live. The East Side just north of Downtown and the Riverside area both have a thriving young community. Very artsy. I've found no problems with any of the Milwaukee County suburbs, though some of the North Shore suburbs are a bit affluent, so look for a jump in home prices.

Waukesha County is pretty good. New Berlin and Waukesha are the most reasonably priced suburbs there. Elm Grove is cheap if you're a banker or corporate executive. Brookfield is shooting up in value, as is Menomonee Falls.

As for voting, no problem. You can do it at the DOT, or just register at the polling place on Election Day with a Wisconsin driver's license (you can bring a utility bill as well, but I didn't need one).

Hope this helps.

[ClassWarrior]

19. I'd have to add that...

...if Linazelle is used to Chicago, then Milwaukee's "run-down" "high crime" areas will look pretty darn mild.

And I must re-state what you also said about Milwaukee's north side, that "there are some great neighborhoods there."

[RetroLounge]

22. How is the house hunting progressing?

???

RL