The Top Neighborhoods for Off-Campus Housing for Milwaukee-Area College Students

I'm Tim, your ApartmentHomeLiving.com Local Expert for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up in the city and then blocks outside the border, many of the Milwaukee neighborhoods profiled here have been home to friends and family.

Three schools mentioned in the article are in or near downtown and are close to Lake Michigan, so they are near the beaches, pathways, and view of the Lake Michigan waterfront, with sizable portions made up of county parks and the Summerfest grounds. Besides the lakefront, Milwaukee has neighborhood cultures that give the town its famous gemütlichkeit, which makes summer evenings particularly special. Although Milwaukee is a big city by many measures, attracting top sports teams, museums, and a great art scene, it feels smaller and is easy to navigate, especially for those living in the city or inner-ring suburbs.

This review profiles neighborhoods and housing options for students attending four colleges and universities in Milwaukee: the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), and Wisconsin Lutheran College.

The Milwaukee River is a key boundary for many Milwaukee neighborhoods, particularly the first three profiled here. The river enters Milwaukee from the north, running parallel to Lake Michigan until it enters the lake just south of downtown. UWM, the largest school in the area with almost 23,000 students, sits in Milwaukee's Upper East Side, which is north of downtown and east of the river.

Marquette, the next largest school with 11,200 students, is ten blocks west of downtown Milwaukee, west of the Milwaukee River.

MSOE is sometimes described as being in the East Town section of Milwaukee's downtown, though others consider it part of the larger Juneau Town neighborhood. Either way, MSOE is part of downtown Milwaukee, sitting on the north side of downtown and east of the Milwaukee River. Its location is just south of the Lower East Side neighborhood.

Wisconsin Lutheran is in a suburban setting. It is in a portion of the city that juts several miles out from much of it and is surrounded by several suburban communities.

Off-Campus Housing Near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)

UWM dominates Milwaukee's Upper East Side and the area's housing market. While the school has on-campus dormitories, many students live in area homes and duplexes or commute from other Milwaukee neighborhoods. Cambridge Heights and Riverside Park are two primary neighborhoods for UWM off-campus student housing. Both neighborhoods have a residential feel.

Cambridge Heights

Cambridge Heights is on the east side of the Milwaukee River. The westernmost part of the neighborhood is a narrow parkway that follows the river and includes bike and running paths.

UWM is several blocks east of Cambridge Heights. The neighborhood is home to many Milwaukee students who, together with friends, rent many of the single-family homes and duplexes. Students walk the neighborhood at all hours.

Oakland Avenue, on the neighborhood's eastern border, offers a range of fast-food restaurants and other shopping opportunities.

Riverside Park

Immediately south of Cambridge Heights is Riverside Park, which also has the Milwaukee River and its parkway as its western border. Riverside Park's proximity to UW-Milwaukee means many of the residents are students, so the commercial properties are also student-oriented. Student housing in the area is primarily duplexes, with some single-family homes and multi-unit apartment buildings also available.

The northern end of the neighborhood includes 25-acre Riverside Park and the 40-acre Rotary Arboretum, while industrial properties are on the south end along the river. Riverside High School offers a running track, and the neighborhood is close to Bradford Beach, so there is easy access to Lake Michigan swimming in the summer.

Off-Campus Housing Near Marquette University

While residential neighborhoods surround UWM, Marquette is bounded by expressways and major urban streets, including Wisconsin Avenue. It has an urban, downtown feel and the student housing tends to be in multi-story or mixed commercial and residential structures.

Kilbourn Town

Kilbourn Town, or West Town, is an exciting downtown neighborhood that is active at all hours. The neighborhood sits east of Marquette on the other side of I-43. Its eastern border is the Milwaukee River to the east, with I-794 / St. Paul Avenue to the south and McKinley Avenue to the north.

The neighborhood is home to Fiserv Forum, the home of the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette basketball teams. Other features include the Milwaukee Public Museum, the County Courthouse, and other government buildings.

Kilbourn Town has some student housing in freestanding 19th-century and other freestanding buildings with apartments, though most apartments are in multi-unit developments, such as the former Pabst Brewery buildings that were converted into housing. Marquette and other nearby schools contribute to Kilbourn Town's young, ethnically diverse residents. In addition, young professionals live in and visit the area for its entertainment and dining options.

Marquette

The Marquette neighborhood includes the core Marquette University campus immediately northeast of the I-94 and I-43 intersection. The university dominates the area. Students are the residents, and while most are in campus dormitories, numerous multi-unit apartments and two-story homes are available for student housing in surrounding neighborhoods. Much of the area is renter-occupied, and numerous dining establishments, night spots, and assorted retailers cater to the Marquette community.

Off-Campus Housing Near the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)

MSOE is in Milwaukee's Juneau Town neighborhood, which sits across the Milwaukee River from Kilbourn Town. Thus, Kilbourn Town is also an MSOE student housing option.

Juneau Town

The core of downtown Milwaukee lies in Juneau Town, while the northern portion of the neighborhood is more residential. Three-quarters of Juneau Town residents are under the age of 35, indicating that students and young professionals are common in the highly walkable neighborhood. The student housing is a mix of older single-family homes, duplexes, and older multi-floor apartment buildings, along with newer construction. Lake Michigan is immediately to the east and has numerous walking, running, and biking paths following the shoreline. Juneau Town includes many Milwaukee arts and cultural institutions, including the Milwaukee Art Center and the Marcus Theater for the Performing Arts Center.

Off-Campus Housing Near Wisconsin Lutheran College

Wisconsin Lutheran College is in the Cannon Park neighborhood in far western Milwaukee, part of a spur that follows I-94 west from downtown. The school sits on the border of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, an inner-ring suburb, so the area has a decidedly suburban feel.

Cannon Park

Cannon Park is a residential neighborhood intersected by major roadways, including I-94 and I-41, plus Wisconsin Avenue. It includes Milwaukee's Regional Medical Center, which includes multiple hospitals, research institutes, and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Lutheran has on-campus housing, but student housing is available in the Cape Cod-style homes that dot the area. Multi-unit apartment buildings are typical along major streets. The county bus system serves the area, but having a car for students looking to leave the immediate area is helpful.

Student Housing Near Milwaukee-Area Colleges and Universities

To sum it up, each school profiled here has plenty of housing options close to campus, though you can easily live further away from school and commute if you need or prefer a different style. The choice is yours and ApartmentHomeLiving.com can help you find the living situation that fits your needs and budget. Good luck!