Pewaukee, Cedarburg, Monomonee Falls feedback (Milwaukee, Waukesha: apartments, low crime, house)

[adeew]

Hello! I moved this post over from the Wisconsin forum, thanks for all your help!

"First time posting here. My husband is interviewing for a position in Menomonee Falls. We are moving from Georgia so it's a big jump but we have friends in the area and have visited and were really impressed. We spent most of our time in Milwaukee and Brown Deer, loved the parks in Brown Deer but the apartments don't have great ratings. Milwaukee is just too much considering we don't want to have to tackle a daily commute and would love to find a smaller community for our family.

We are looking for a city with an active downtown/mainstreet- would like to see an emphasis on supporting local businesses. Good schools are a must, but so are well-maintained parks and outdoor spaces. The towns we are considering after pouring over threads and online searches are Cedarburg, Pewaukee, and Monomonee Falls. Would like to keep the commute under 30 minutes.
I am looking for feedback on these areas, thank you!"

[Empidonax]

My choice would be Cedarburg--it's historic, cute, commercially vibrant, and artsy. It isn't too far from the Brown Deer area, and it's also pretty close to Lake Michigan and a bunch of other parks such as Lion's Den. It's also a ~20-minute ride to nature preserves such as Mequon Nature Preserve, Riveredge Nature Center, and Schlitz Audubon. For standard retail, Grafton, Meno Falls, and Milwaukee are very accessible.

Meno Falls has a nice Main Street area with some local shops, etc., but is (imo) very limited and would lose its charm pretty quickly. The Village of Pewaukee is nice and by Pewaukee Lake, but compared to Cedarburg, the area just isn't quite so vibrant.

[InnovativeAmerican]

I personally don't care for any of these communities, as I've had really poor experiences in Waukesha and Ozaukee County suburbs with both residents and law enforcement. However, I'll give you my best feedback:

Pewaukee has a lot of good shops in the downtown area. There is an excellent lakefront that you can enjoy lounging on the beach or walking along. There is interesting history about the city that you can learn about when you visit the Clark House. Pewaukee schools are located together in one area of town. Families can enjoy many different programs at the library. One can go to the "Cakes while you Wait" shop and have them make you a cake for any occasion, while you enjoy having a cup of coffee. In addition, there are lots of small shops to browse through to find that special item you are looking for. In the summer, enjoy weekly water shows, 4th of July fireworks and summer beach parties which bring the community together. For an upscale dinner one can eat at the 5 O'Clock Club, Michael's House of Prime, or Thunder Bay.

Cedarburg is nice. Great schools, summer festivals, music in the park & Interurban bike trail. Not much to do on weekends but within 30 minutes of Milwaukee, so you have access to everything. Low crime. Safe place to live. It has a nice older small town feel with a lot of cultural and seasonal festivals happening almost every few weeks. There are a lot of dining options within Cedarbug and the surrounding areas. It is only 15 minutes away from downtown Milwaukee.

I don't have much experience with Menomonee Falls. I wish you the best in your search!

[timberline742]

Cedarburg is pretty sweet, for the area.

[brrabbit]

I work near Pewaukee, and am really amazed by the number of restaurants around. They aren't located in a single spot (although Pewaukee has some downtown, I am far from it though to go there), but the city (and surrounding area in general) is very rich with everything you might need.