I'm Tim, your ApartmentHomeLiving.com Local Expert for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up in the city and then just blocks outside the border, many Milwaukee neighborhoods have been home to friends and family for many years.
Like many Midwestern cities, Milwaukee has experienced a renaissance, with former industrial, commercial, and residential properties being renovated, while a range of new residential construction can be found throughout the city. Milwaukee's stunning lakefront and county park system, the Summerfest grounds, and focus on neighborhood culture give the town its famous sense of gemütlichkeit that make summer evenings special.
Milwaukee is large enough to attract big-city amenities such as top sports teams, museums, major educational institutions, and a great art scene, yet it remains easy to navigate and quickly get from one end of town to the other.
The city remains remarkably affordable for a major city, and its affordable neighborhoods run the gamut for atmosphere and location. Since readers may work or want to live in various parts of the city, I've chosen ten affordable neighborhoods spread around the city. Two are in the Downtown Milwaukee area, three on the North Side, one on the South Side, two on the Upper East Side, and two on the West Side.
Downtown
Kilbourn Town
Kilbourn Town, also known as West Town, is an exciting downtown neighborhood that is active at all hours. Bordered by the Milwaukee River to the east, I-794 / St. Paul Avenue to the south, I-43 to the west, and McKinley Avenue to the north, it is home to numerous Milwaukee landmarks, including Fiserv Forum, the home of the Milwaukee Bucks, UW-Milwaukee Arena, the Bradley Symphony Center, and the Milwaukee Public Museum. The County Courthouse and other government offices, as is the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), are also prominent.
Kilbourn Town has some freestanding 19th-century and other freestanding buildings with apartments. However, most apartments are found in multi-unit developments, including the old Pabst Brewery buildings that were converted into housing. Kilbourn Town has many employment opportunities, and there are more in nearby neighborhoods, so residents often walk to work or for entertainment or use the buses that run through the neighborhood.
MATC and nearby schools contribute to Kilbourn Town's young and ethnically diverse residents, plus many young professionals live in and visit the area for its many entertainment and dining options.
Marquette
The Marquette neighborhood includes the core Marquette University campus and is immediately northeast of the I-94 and I-43 intersection. The Marquette community dominates the area, with students making up most residents. Besides the campus dormitories, there are two-story homes and multi-unit apartments in the neighborhoods that surround the campus, and all residences are renter-occupied.
The surrounding area includes retailers, dining establishments, and night spots catering to a college community.
North Side
Brewer's Hill
Brewers' Hill gets its name from the many brewery workers who once lived in the neighborhood. It abuts Harambee to the north, Halyard Park to the west, and Schlitz Park to the south, with part of its southeastern corner sitting along the Milwaukee River.
Primarily a residential neighborhood, it includes a mix of rehabbed 19th-century homes in many sizes and architectural styles and some multi-unit apartments, including lofts.
Highly popular with young urban professionals, the main streets have a range of coffee shops, bars, and other attractions while providing easy access to downtown, the Upper East Side, or the highways.
Borchert Field
Borchert Field is a smaller North Side neighborhood bordering I-43 to the east, 20th Street to the west, Burleigh to the south, and Keefe to the north. Named after a nearby minor league baseball stadium from the 1880s, the neighborhood is primarily residential, though Union Cemetery accounts for the westernmost quarter of the neighborhood. Borchert Field is among the most affordable neighborhoods in Milwaukee, filled with bungalows and duplexes, most of which are rented. Commercial properties, including food stores, serve the neighborhood on Burleigh Street, while many neighborhood children attend LaFollette Elementary School.
Harambee
Harambee is a Swahili word meaning "pulling together," and the name reflects the neighborhood's predominantly African American makeup and desire to improve the area's fortunes. The Harambee neighborhood is three times the size and immediately east of Borchert Park, though it extends much further south toward downtown. The Riverwest neighborhood lies to the East.
Harambee has some grand old stone homes, but most are rented single-family bungalows and duplexes. The neighborhood has several middle and elementary schools, and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and North Avenue offer commercial services. Harambee's central location and access to bus routes along the major roads offer easy access to work and educational opportunities.
Upper East Side
Cambridge Heights
Cambridge Heights sits along the east side of the Milwaukee River, so its western border is a narrow parkway with bike and running paths paralleling the river. Kayaking, bird watching, maple syrup harvesting, and other activities are available at different times of the year.
UW-Milwaukee is several blocks east of Cambridge Heights, so neighborhood residents include many students who rent the single-family homes and duplexes that dominate the area. Students walk the neighborhood at all hours, while those who enjoy active lifestyles can be found running and biking the river trails as the weather permits.
Oakland Avenue, the neighborhood's eastern border, offers a range of fast-food restaurants.
Riverside Park
Riverside Park sits immediately south of Cambridge Heights, so it also benefits from having the Milwaukee River and its pathways at the western border. Unlike Cambridge Heights, however, the 25-acre Riverside Park and 40-acre Rotary Arboretum provide a sizable urban forest with many pathways, though there are multiple industrial properties near the neighborhood's south end. Riverside High School and its athletic facilities are at the neighborhood's north end, so those who prefer running track to wooded paths have that option. The area is also close to Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan, so lake swimming is readily available in warmer months.
Housing in the area is dominated by duplexes, with some single-family homes and multi-unit apartment buildings available as well. Like Cambridge Heights, Riverside Park's proximity to UW-Milwaukee results in the residents and commercial properties being student-dominated.
South Side
Mitchell Park
Mitchell Park sits across the Menomonee Valley, east of Merrill Park, and between 15th and 25 Streets. About half the neighborhood is taken up by Milwaukee County's Mitchell Park, which features The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, widely known as The Domes. One dome features flowers, another a desert environment, and the third simulates a rainforest. The Domes are among Milwaukee's top tourist destinations, so they bring people from all locations and walks of life into the neighborhood.
The northeastern corner of the neighborhood is industrial, with recycling and railroad activities, so there are limited residences in the neighborhood itself, but Clark Square to the south is primarily residential. Ethnically diverse, housing in Mitchell Street is relatively inexpensive.
West Side
Cold Spring Park
Cold Spring Park sits on the bluff above the Menomonee Valley, just east of Harley-Davidson's headquarters. It extends from 27th to 35th Street, and from Highland Boulevard to Vliet Street. Other than the commercial strips along Vliet and Highland, it is almost all residential properties of duplexes and single-family homes. Several residential towers sit along Highland Boulevard.
Named after a natural spring that led to the establishment of a park in the 1800s, Cold Spring Park no longer includes a park or any schools. However, the neighborhood's northwest corner sits across from the Frederic Law Olmstead-designed Washington Park, one of Milwaukee's largest, so there is plenty of space to walk, bike, or fish in the park's ponds. The neighborhood is ethnically diverse and includes a grocery store and other organizations targeting Hmong residents.
Merrill Park
Merrill Park lies south of Cold Spring Park and east of American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Predominantly residential, the neighborhood has lots of commercial activity along its northern border, Wisconsin Avenue, including coffee shops and bars. The neighborhood also includes Marquette University High School's football stadium and Merrill Park, which includes softball diamonds and tennis courts.
Most residences are duplexes and single-family homes, with many situated on smaller-than-usual city blocks with one-way streets that give the area its distinctive feel.
I-94 borders Merrill Park to the south, so residents have easy access to downtown or points west, while the highway on-ramp and off-ramp at 35th Street lead to significant road traffic.
