Best Places to Live in Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Metro Area, Wisconsin

Milwaukee has a full complement of cultural, performing arts, and recreational amenities, including a world-class art museum. The city has good transportation services thanks to airlines choosing to avoid Chicago and good rail service arteries emanating from the Windy City. Suburbs have a true neighborhood feel, often with a strong ethnic character and substantial historic preservation.

Waukesha, a few miles to the west, is a large satellite with a small college presence and strong family-oriented residential areas. West Allis is a large and fairly non-descript older suburb west of Milwaukee between the downtown core and Waukesha. A bit surprising considering proximity to Chicago is the city’s full complement of major-league sports, including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the MLB’s Brewers. Cost of living and housing are a bit high on a Wisconsin scale but attractive nationally. The area has a strong community pride and residents have a reputation for having fun.

The city is located on a shore plain where the Menomonee River flows into Lake Michigan. Terrain is generally flat near the lake, giving way to rolling hills inland with mixed farmland and woodland. The climate is continental with a wide temperature range and frequent storm systems from the west. Occasional severe winter storms can drop an excess of 10 inches of snow and deliver frigid Canadian air. Lakes Superior and Michigan moderate these arctic blasts somewhat, although winds from Lake Michigan can generate significant wind chills. Summer temperatures reach into the 80’s and 90’s with occasional warmer and humid spells. Winter precipitation is usually of long duration and low intensity, while summer precipitation often comes as heavy showers and thunderstorms. First freeze is early October, last is early May.