Is Brown Deer still safe? (Milwaukee, Mequon: appointed, condo, low crime)

[Jay F]

I was born in Milwaukee and spent my first ten years there before moving to Las Vegas in the 1970s. I have fond memories of the first house I lived in which was in Brown Deer. Maybe I was too young to know any better, but Brown Deer at that time seemed like utopia to me. Everyone was so nice and kind. It was really safe and civilized. We actually kept our door unlocked.

I would like to know about my particular neighborhood. I lived on Goodrich Lane a few blocks from Bradley Road. I remember taking walks with my grandma,circa 1970, to an intersection that had a Red Owl and a National supermarket. There was an ice cream shop named Blue Boy that I remember too. Does anybody know this area? What's there now? Is it still safe?

I haven't been to Milwaukee in years. I would like to go back and walk those same streets in Brown Deer I did in 1970. It would be like a metaphysical experience for me because it seems like several lifetimes ago since I was there last. But I would be so disappointed (not to mention scared) if I saw gang members or any intimidating tough looking violent criminal types.

The area I lived in wasn't too far from where the Northridge mall used to be and I heard how crime infested that area became (which I can't even imagine because it was safe and civilized when I lived there, not to mention booming economically). My hope is that since Brown Deer is a suburb it never got nearly as bad as the Northwest side of Milwaukee got. Any info is appreciated.

[south-to-west]

Brown Deer is still very safe and is probably one of Milwaukee's most underrated suburbs. The homes are nice and affordable, it's a relatively painless commute to downtown, and it's adjacent to the North Shore suburbs where there is a lot of good shopping, good restaurants, and of course, the lakefront.

[EnjoyEP]

Here is a current thread discussing the pros/cons to Brown Deer, with differing opinions on to the safety/quality of living there - you may find it interesting on this topic:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/wisco...rown-deer.html

In my opinion, in terms of living in Brown Deer, Brown Deer seems a) a quite large suburb (land mass wise) and b) quite diverse in terms of some areas (generally the ones closer to the Milwaukee border) being a bit more sketchy in terms of crime, etc., but some areas (the ones closer to Glendale, River Hills, Mequon, etc.) are quite nice.

I was up in the Mequon/Germantown area a few weekends ago, and we were driving towards finding I-43, and I was in this really wooded, quiet, nice area, and I was sure it was Mequon. I looked at the signs, and to my surprise, it was Brown Deer! Then I explored more of BD, and I found some really nice areas around Glendale's border, etc., too.

But then again, I would never want to live in the BD area around 76th and Brown Deer Rd. because of heightened violence, crime, etc., in the area.

Overall I agree with south-to-west, Brown Deer is pretty darn nice (is still affordable unlike many MKE suburbs) and gets an unwarranted bad rap.

[Jay F]

Thanks EnjoyEP, that thread gave me a pretty good overview. There was a mix of opinions. Some say it's still nice, others say it's in decline and becoming dangerous. I'll have to visit sometime and see for myself.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Jay F

Thanks EnjoyEP, that thread gave me a pretty good overview. There was a mix of opinions. Some say it's still nice, others say it's in decline and becoming dangerous. I'll have to visit sometime and see for myself.

I think the truth is likely still somewhere in the middle of those absolutes...probably closer to still nice. Definitely come visit and see for yourself though! Overall, I would say Brown Deer is still a very nice suburb in terms of being semi-affordable, close-in access, and still semi-urban.

[arimor]

yep its still safe this isnt chicago where theres lots of gang activity in their suburbs but you may find avery small % of crime when you go west of brown deer in city(milwaukee) limits that part of milwaukee in the meadows but its not bad, bad!

[mixnil]

took place was some kids broke into a Dunhams sporting goods store and made off with some bb guns.

True, West of Brown Deer has a small problem but nothing major the biggest change is the diversity but other than that it is just as safe as when you left if not safer because of the expanded police force.

Like I said I have lived around the 76th BD area for about 3 1/2 years now and I leave my car doors open with the windows down with a nice stereo in my car all the time over the summer and nothing has happened. I think the worst thing that has happened is I dropped my wallet and someone used my credit card but that's it.

[sunderlund]

The one thing about Brown Deer that gets my goat is the never ending parade
of cars blasting out stereo which perpetually roam the streets at night. Even between the hours of ten at night at two a.m. I am still woken up by this racket regularly. I will not miss this when I move.
I will not miss having my windows shake , my walls rumble and my head ache from all of the car stereo noise.
I wish I could find a community which was quiet.
On the other hand my ten years in B deer has been cheap .
On the other hand I witnessed my first attempted homicide here and all the fun entailed therein.
And then again it is cheap..did I say that already?
Would I walk at night , are you kidding me ?

[flore12]

Hi Jay, I am happy to report that Brown Deer is still safe. I live in Brown Deer about 6 blocks from your Grandma's old address. I grew up in the 70's as well, in the Glendale area. Of course we live in different times, so we can't quite harken back to how it was in the 70's, unfortunately things have changed everywhere. However, even with the troubled areas ajacent to Brown Deer, we have continued to strive to be a family oriented community with a very low crime rate. It is still rare to hear police sirens at night. If you walk down your Grandmothers block, it probably looks pretty much the same, some of her neighbors, or their children are probably still there. People still take walks at night, I walk every afternoon and I always get a waive, even from the neighbors I don't know. Even though many neighborhoods have not changed, Brown Deer is changing. Brown Deer is one of the few successfull racially diverse suburbs in the Milwaukee area. It is also growing, we have two new condo communities, a couple of single home subdivisions, our own state of the art Fire & Police departments, three shopping centers, 3 major hotels, nice restaurants, a business park, and several new office buildings. Much of the economic growth was focused on Brown Deer Rd, but now many of the recent projects are focused on Bradley Rd. We have a great new Village President who is very progressive, and his focus is bringing Brown Deer into the future.

Hope that gives you a fair update, and puts your mind at ease. Your childhood memories can remain intact.

[Not quite 60]

Yes, Brown Deer is a safe place to live and work. It has an excellent police Department and an excellent fire Department. People who have lived here are friendly and try to welcome new families.