Marquette Housing Forum

[shay2171]

Hi, I am hoping anyone from the Milwaukee area and hopefully past or current law student at Marquette can help me out. I am looking for advice on where to look for an apartment or house to rent. My hopes are that it meets this criteria:

1: Close to the Law School, East side would be great, but I am only thinking this because it is closer to downtown. Please correct me if I am wrong.
2: Situated around other Law or Graduate Students, no way do I need to be around a bunch of undergrads getting tanked all day. I payed my dues already in the Frat Castle. BUT...........
3. I would like to be close to Pubs, Breweries, and food markets, the first of these only to drown my sorrows.
4. Any knowledge of furnishings would be great. I'll be moving from Idaho and I do not want to have to thrift shop for all my stuff when I get there.

If you think of anything else awesome let me know.

[Serett]

Hi, I am hoping anyone from the Milwaukee area and hopefully past or current law student at Marquette can help me out. I am looking for advice on where to look for an apartment or house to rent. My hopes are that it meets this criteria:

1: Close to the Law School, East side would be great, but I am only thinking this because it is closer to downtown. Please correct me if I am wrong.
2: Situated around other Law or Graduate Students, no way do I need to be around a bunch of undergrads getting tanked all day. I payed my dues already in the Frat Castle. BUT...........
3. I would like to be close to Pubs, Breweries, and food markets, the first of these only to drown my sorrows.
4. Any knowledge of furnishings would be great. I'll be moving from Idaho and I do not want to have to thrift shop for all my stuff when I get there.

If you think of anything else awesome let me know.

I have relatively little knowledge of Milwaukee, but since I'm not sure you'll get much other help here, I'll write what I can.

First, a good general resource is Padmapper.com. You're generally correct about where downtown is, and specifically, Water Street is the central pub/bar area there. That area in general is very nice, particularly around the Riverwalk and Pabst. I'm not sure what prices are or what your budget is, but I don't think you'd be disappointed living in that area. Basically the whole area East of the law school, up to and across the river, is nice and walkable. Museums, MATC, the Bradley Center, Pabst, most of the big firms in Milwaukee, etc., are all generally between Marquette Law and the lake. Brady Street is another main pub/bar area, but it's a bit further Northeast. When I was in town recently, I stayed at the Intercontinental and walked from there to Brady Street and from there to the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. Both walks are fine alone, but I wouldn't want to make them consecutively because of time/cold, to give you a sense of scale/walkability. But if Marquette subsidizes city buses or you're biking, I wouldn't hesitate to live anywhere between the law school, Brady Street, and the lake, depending on what works for you.

I'm not sure where Marquette students, grad or otherwise, tend to congregate (boom Catholic pun), but I'm sure a general Marquette forum, if such a thing exists, could give you an idea. Hopefully this helps at least a little, but take it all with a grain of salt, particularly if you find someone who actually goes to Marquette or has lived in Milwaukee. I also wouldn't exclude anything from your search on the basis of this post. While I know that the area I mentioned shouldn't disappoint you, it also looks like there's a substantial amount of housing Northwest of Marquette, and it could also be perfectly satisfactory, for all I know.

[PublicInterest2018]

I don't go to Marquette, but I am from Milwaukee so I might be able to offer some advice. To really answer your questions I need to know if you will have a car and how much per month you are willing to spend on rent.

[shay2171]

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

[PublicInterest2018]

Will you have a car?
What is your budget for rent?

[shay2171]

Probably going to look into sharing with a fellow law student. I am hoping to get by near the school for a price range between 350-600. Its a large margin, but keeping my options open. I will have a car too.

[PublicInterest2018]

That helps to narrow things down. For your own safety, I would be very hesitent to pick any place north or west of campus. It would be cheaper, but not worth the risk. East side is nice, but I think you would struggle to find a decent place at that price point, particularly because parking can be very difficult to find without paying upwards of $100/mo for a spot.

If you like being right in the center of the action, the Brady street area would be great... but if you want to sleep in piece around bar time, it might not be for you. For a more laid back, but still urban feel, you could live downtown near Cathedral Square. It would be toward the top of your budget, but completely doable and street parking is possible within a few blocks.

If you want a really hipster (rain-barrel, co-op, brew your own beer) live in Riverwest. It isn't the safest, but still much better than yhe area just north or west of campus.

Anything around North avenue is primarily going to be UWM undergrads.

Last but not least, I suggest living in Bay View. It is on the south side of the city, but a very quick highway drive to Marquette. There are lots of great bars, resturants, coffee shops, and grocery stores. It is very safe, primarily owner occupied, young families, but still walkable. You won't ever pay for parking and will be within blocks of the lake and farmer's market in the summer. Apartments here go quick, but it is great if you can find one. I pay under $500 w/ heat and parking included for a large shared 2 bedroom.

Hope that helps... let me know if you have specific questions that I didn't already address.

*sry for any typos... I am thumb typing on my phone.