Here I come! Any rural or slower areas outside Milwaukee?

[AppleJack522]

West Allis has it's fair share of problems. Anywhere in Ozaukee County would be great, lots of rural farm land ares but still close to grocery stores and everything. Grafton is a GREAT town and cost of living is a little cheaper there than the neighboring Mequon and Cedarburg. It is also a slower moving area than West Allis or Waukesha which are still city like. Ozaukee is on I-94/43 which is much less busy than 41/45 and better maintained as well. There are also roads like HWY-181/ 76th street and HWY-57 and Port Washington road that will bring you into the city with ease. Ozaukee is north of MKE so depending on which area of the city you will be working should guide you towards where you want to go.

[marko13]

Anywhere southwest of the city (Mukwonago, Muskego, New Berlin, Waterford) is the best bet for your money if you want more rural with easy freeway access. If you want to stay closer to work in an affordable area, West Allis and Greenfield are good bets.

[northjason]

A huge thanks to all you posters! Wife and I are driving up next weekend to look around and start seeing what's available. Would you say it's better just to drive around, or is Craigslist or another listing site a better bet?

[northbound74]

I'd start with Craigslist. If you're looking for rural stuff, you might drive around all day and not see anything for rent.
There are a lot of lake communities, inland lakes-not Lake Michigan, that have a rural/small town feel to them. I've seen stuff for rent in those places on Craigslist quite often.
Wind Lake, Mukwonago, Muskego...
Hales Corners is a bit closer in, but it has a bit of a natural feel to it. Lots of trees and larger yards in many parts of it.

[AppleJack522]

Ozaukee County also has some great lakes and rivers and ponds all over. It also has great schools and low crime rates. There are many stores (grocery, clothing, wal-mart, local businesses, etc.) and there are MANY festivals and stuff all year round. Cedarburg has been kept with a historical feel and port washington has a bit too. Grafton has a lot of historic buildings but they also have a section but the freeway with a Costo, Target, Home Depot, Noodles & Company, Kohl's, Best Buy, Pet Smart etc. Away from the freeway there are many suburbs and rural country areas. It is a great combination and give you the best of both worlds. Rural setting, slow/at your own pace, but all the benefits of a city tucked away so you don't have to look at all those ugly stores from your home (Actually the stores are brand new and are not ugly at all, but they are still big buildings instead of gorgeous country scenery)

You can find a lot of stuff on places like rent.com, etc. and they give you some good deals like $100 off rent and deals for moving companies etc.
What area will you be working in?
I would definitely look online first to get an idea of where you want to go. Then you can do some driving around in areas where you know there are places for rent.

[CrusherCountry'sWife]

If you are looking to purchase a home, though, I would caution you on choosing West Allis over Waukesha county. Our property taxes are HUGE compared to what you would pay in Waukesha county. Just something to keep in mind. My parents live in Waukesha with a bigger house and yard and they pay about $1,000 less a year in taxes than we pay.

We live on the west side of West Allis and everything else is great, but I'll tell ya, it's hard to pay that bill every year. LOL

[slamont61]

Here is a link to look at Waukesha County and surrounding area rentals:

GMTodayClassifieds.com