Moving to Milwaukee with your family? There are plenty of fantastic opportunities throughout Cream City for outdoor recreation, tasty food, and education. Here are the five best places to live with kids in Milwaukee!

• Bay View
• Cooper Park
• Enderis Park
• Northpoint
• Walker’s Point

Bay View

• Home Price: $151,109 median purchase price; $846 median monthly rent
• Crime Rate: Safer than 66% of Milwaukee neighborhoods

Nestled on the western shores of Lake Michigan, Bay View is a charming, family-friendly Milwaukee neighborhood with the modern amenities and exciting events of a city center. Community events like Bay View Bash, Chill on the Hill, and the South Shore Farmers’ Market offer live music, great food, and fun for the whole family—or have date night without the kids at First Friday Salsa Socials. This MKE neighborhood’s high walkability and bikeability also contributes to its dreamy setting, with Victorian and Craftsman bungalows mixed with family-friendly green spaces, like South Shore Park.

Things to Do in Bay View

See a new movie or an old classic inside ornate, historic Milwaukee movie theater, Avalon Atmospheric Theater. Peruse a wide selection of records, CDs, and cassettes, or sell your old vinyl to fellow music lovers at Acme Records. Find your next read or buy a rare, first, or signed edition of your favorite book at used book store Voyageur Book Shop. Hike trails around the lagoon in the summer, ice skate in the winter, or participate in events like Tree Day or the Corn Roast with the kids in Humboldt Park. Start the day with a breakfast of Campesino Hash & Eggs, Avocado Smash Up 2.0, or Chilaquiles—or grab a pound of meat to go at the Sunday Hot Meat Market at Sabrosa Cafe & Gallery. Try the Calabrese Pizza, Agnello, or Tonno made with local ingredients by Chef Eli at Tenuta’s Italian Restaurant. Get classic Indian dishes like Malai Tikka, Dal Tadka, and Kadahi Masala at Cafe India. Or taste the famous Burek and other Serbian dishes like Sarma, Goulash, and Raznjici at family-owned Three Brothers Restaurant, open since 1956.

Cooper Park

• Home Price: $144,433 median purchase price; $845 median monthly rent
• Crime Rate: Safer than 72% of Milwaukee neighborhoods

Located in northwest MKE near Wauwatosa, Cooper Park is one of the best neighborhoods for families living in Milwaukee. Though it has budget-friendly rent options, Cooper Park’s affordable real estate is hard to beat, with plenty of Ranch and Cape Cod homes disbursed among area schools like Eighty-First Street School or Christ King School. But what really attracts families to this Cream City neighborhood is the community fun—the Cooper Park Neighborhood Association sponsors larger events like Chalk Your Walk and Halloween House Decorating Contest, and Friends of Cooper Park holds routine Park Clean-Ups and Community Picnics. Plus, families in Cooper Park can find even more fun just 15 minutes away at the Milwaukee County Zoo or Oceans of Fun Aquarium!

Things to Do in Cooper Park

Find amazing books, music, and films by Darick Spears to enjoy, or develop your original work with services at Darick Books. Play on the softball diamonds, playground, or SplashPad in neighborhood namesake green space, Cooper Park. Take a short drive to blow off steam in the Smash Room or Break Room—or check out the kid-friendly Splatter Room for paint-throwing at Smash Zone. Book a tee time for 18 holes, or sign your kids up for Golf Lessons or Junior Golf at Hansen Park Golf Course. Check out cozy neighborhood bakery Miss Molly’s Cafe & Pastry Shop for a Raspberry & Almond Bakewell Tart with a Cortado, or sandwiches like the Bacon & Avo Club or the Greek Chicken Wrap. Get your grill on at Fireside BBQ & Grill, serving up the Tri Tip Roast, Baby Back Ribs, and Pulled Pork. Find Mexican and Guatemalan entrees like Enchiladas Rojas, Fajita Mexicana, and Flautas de Guatemala at Mara’s Grill. Or devour desserts like the Classic Caramel Cake, Sweet Potato Pie, or Peach Cobbler at Treats by Bernadette.

Enderis Park

• Home Price: $129,117 median purchase price; $824 median monthly rent
• Crime Rate: Safer than 67% of Milwaukee neighborhoods

Family-friendly Enderis Park is an oasis from busy-city living in Milwaukee. Though Enderis Park is a 15-minute drive from Downtown Milwaukee and the Bay, residents can find plenty to do thanks to the Enderis Park Neighborhood Association—which holds fun events like Concerts on the Green, a farmers market, and community improvement projects. Families can find a wide range of single-family homes, with well-kept Tudors and Cape Cods from the 1930s and ’40s a common Enderis Park home style. And though many of these homes have yards large enough for a kid or pet to play, families can find more fun green spaces at Center Street Park and Enderis Playfield.

Things to Do in Enderis Park

Explore four acres of outdoor recreation options with athletic fields, picnic spots, and winter ice skating at Center Street Park. Attend Adventure Days for Kids, Summer Day Camps, or the Outdoor Leaders program at Urban Ecology Center just a short drive away. Cozy up with a good book or attend events like Afternoon Family Story Time, Chair Yoga, or Wellness Wednesdays at the Washington Park Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library. Channel your Marvel or DC obsession with fellow fans and get comics, superhero figurines, and trade paperbacks at Collector’s Edge Comics North. Start your day with the Southern Breakfast or try a Boss Burger or Pork Chop Sandwich at Grandma’s Hands Soul Food Kitchen. Sample Bougie’s Signature Berries, Bougie’s Signature Cupcakes, or Cheesecake Dessert Cups at Bougie Berries. Order the Fish & Shrimp, Catfish Po’Boy, or Red’s Stacked Fish Sandwich at Red Snapper Fish Company. Or chow down on a Pulled Pork Dinner, Corned Beef Sandwich, or Catfish Steaks at Garden House Subs & Sandwiches Shop.

Northpoint

• Home Price: $257,962 median purchase price; $960 median monthly rent
• Crime Rate: Safer than 71% of Milwaukee neighborhoods

Looking for one of the best places to live with kids in Milwaukee? Try moving to Northpoint! This safe, affordable Milwaukee neighborhood is marked by gorgeous red and Cream City brick Colonial and Tudor-style homes. Not to mention, Northpoint is home to beautiful historical landmarks—like the Victorian Gothic-style North Point Water Tower and North Point Lighthouse. Though parents appreciate proximity to nearby schools like Maryland Avenue Montessori and Catholic East Elementary School, families love Northpoint’s outdoor recreation opportunities! With fantastic walkability, bikeability, and access to parks and beaches like Bradford Beach along the Lake Michigan waterfront, Northpoint is an excellent MKE neighborhood to call home!

Things to Do in Northpoint

Head inside the North Point Lighthouse to learn the maritime history of the Great Lakes with exhibits like The Tug Roger and Lost and Found: Original Lighthouse Ledgers. Walk through the Mercury Courtyard, Colnik Collection, or The Smith Home at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. Grab a first-come, first-serve tee time for 18 holes at Lake Park Golf Course, where each hole is less than 85 yards, making it the perfect learning spot for you or your kids! Play tennis, walk along the beach of Lake Michigan, or hang out on the playground at area parks like Back Bay Park and McKinley Park. Pet cute cats while sipping a Cafe au Lait or Red Eye coffee, and snack on the Housemade Pastries at Sip & Purr Cat Cafe. Order Mexican favorites like the Tostada Dinner, Enchiladas Suizas, or Chimichangas Dinner at Judy’s on North. Sit down in a rustic restaurant interior for the Sunday Ragu, Pizza Man Special, or the Milwaukee Pizza at Pizza Man. Or have an elegant date night with a three-course meal at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, starting with Tarte Au Chevre as an hors d’oeuvre, the Foie Gras Poele Et Poires Pochees for a middle course, and Loup De Mer Poche as the main course.

Walker’s Point

• Home Price: $77,077 median purchase price; $759 median monthly rent
• Crime Rate: Safer than 15% of Milwaukee neighborhoods

The oldest neighborhood in the city, Walker’s Point offers incredible affordability to young families living in Milwaukee. This exciting area is architecturally marked by Italianate, Federal, and Greek Revival homes—many built with signature Cream City brick—as well as the striking Allen-Bradley Clock Tower on 2nd Street. Even more educational opportunities await at Milwaukee Public Schools in Walker’s Point, like Bradley Technology and Trade School and South Division High School—not to mention the sustainability education options on the bikeable Milwaukee Eco Tour! Families looking for other things to do can conveniently access Downtown Milwaukee, the Lake Michigan lakefront, and other local amenities via I-43, I-94, and the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Hwy.

Things to Do in Walker’s Point

Climb on high ropes and bouldering walls or take a Belay, Movement, or Bouldering Class at Adventure Rock. Tour the largest collection of bobbleheads in the world, including models of the Big Bang Theory cast, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Flo from Progressive at the one-of-a-kind National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum. Walk through the Tropical Dome, Show Dome, and Desert Dome—each seven stories tall and spanning an acre—at Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Domes, just a five-minute drive away. Compete for laughs and applause in a family-friendly comedy match, sign up for an Adult Improv Workshop, or attend a show at ComedySportz Milwaukee. Order Empanadas, Bistec a la Mexicana, or Tostadas Supreme at Milwaukee’s original Botanas Mexican Restaurant on 5th Street. Sample a wide variety of different food trucks like Meat & Co, Ruby’s Bagels, Modern Maki, and more in Zocalo Food Truck Park. Taste dumpling and noodle entrees like Momo Mee Famous Xiao Long Bao, Korean Kimchi Beef Mandu, and Miso Ramen at Momo Mee Asian Cuisine. And stop by Johanna’s Cafe for sweet treats like Besitos de Coco, Bizcocho Sabor Almendra, and Brazo Gitano de Guayaba.

***

Moving to Milwaukee soon? Extra Space Storage has plenty of convenient storage facilities to help with your transition. Find cheap storage units in Milwaukee!

Neighborhood statistics from AreaVibes