Granville Station - Milwaukee, WI

The town of Granville was established by a group of Pennsylvania Dutch who migrated to the area in the late 1830s. This small, independent township was eventually divided, with parts of the town incorporated into bordering Brown Deer and the city of Milwaukee. The neighborhood has seen an increase in housing options, with larger apartments being converted out of existing structures and the construction of new housing stock. Residents are close to all of Milwaukee’s cultural institutions for art and theater, such as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Milwaukee Art Museum. The city is also home to the annual Wisconsin State Fair.

Every neighborhood needs a great breakfast spot. For residents of Granville Station, Ally’s Bistro fits the bill. Start the day off in a spicy way with the Southwest Breakfast wrap, which comes stuffed with sour cream, salsa, eggs, cheese and black beans wrapped up in a jalapeño cheddar tortilla. Ally’s also has great coffee, which you can enjoy there or on the go.

Don’t let the no-frills strip mall appearance of Thai Bangkok fool you. A popular spot for take-out, Thai Bangkok serves an assortment of spicy Southeast Asian staples, such as pad Thai and pad kee mao, also known as drunken noodle. Keeping with the theme of Asian cuisine, Yen Ching serves the best Mandarin fare in the area. Traditional appetizers of crab rangoon and fried wontons tide hungry customers over until dishes of hot braised pork and Yen Ching chicken arrive.

Milwaukee residents love their beer and sports, so no shortage of sports bars exists in the Granville Station area. Bar 107 satisfies its hungry and thirsty clientele with wings, fries, burgers, and plenty of bottled beer and ridiculously oversized Bloody Marys. For locals who prefer dancing as their sport, Onyx provides top DJs, VIP areas, and state-of-the-art light displays and sound systems so patrons can fully enjoy themselves on the dance floor. For live music, The Rave/Eagles Club has multiple venues to accommodate large crowds. Nationally touring bands make this entertainment complex a stop when they play in Milwaukee.

For more choices in dining and entertainment, residents of Granville Station pay a visit to Milwaukee’s downtown and the high concentration of bars, clubs and restaurants located there.

There are many choices for taxi service in the neighborhood, and while you can occasionally flag one down on the street, phoning for a cab might be a safer bet. You can also use your smartphone to schedule a pickup with Uber at any time. The Milwaukee County Transit system has a network of bus routes that can be used for travel around Granville Station, downtown and throughout the city. Free parking can be found throughout the streets of the neighborhood, and Milwaukee offers plenty of paid public parking while visiting the downtown area. For travel beyond city limits, U.S. Route 41 can be accessed from Granville Station for trips north to Fond du Lac, and Route 45 can be used to access Interstate 94 for travel west to Wisconsin’s state capital in Madison or south to Chicago.

Granville Station is definitely an urban neighborhood, so driving, hailing a taxi or boarding a bus are all accomplished easily, but biking and walking require extra caution. Access to Milwaukee’s many miles of paved bike paths are close by, however.

The Oak Leaf Trail covers over 100 miles of bike trail in Milwaukee County and can be accessed from Granville Station via The Little Menomonee River Parkway. The trail allows for plenty of cardiovascular exercise options, such as running, hiking, walking and biking. For more stationary sports options, the parks also features an archery center. Parents can enjoy the park as their little ones use the playground. Milwaukee's public parks and bike trails are free and open to the public. Dog owners appreciate the Granville Dog Park, where they can work out their pets off-leash. The biggest park attraction in the city, and perhaps the world, is Milwaukee’s Summerfest. This 11-day outdoor music event, held at Henry Maier Festival Park, sees hundreds of bands perform every year for tens of thousands of fans who travel to Milwaukee from all over the world.

Gas prices in Granville Station are about 5 percent lower than the national average. Groceries and housing fall just below, but transportation and utilities remain slightly above, which puts the cost of living slightly lower than the national average. A bus ride downtown costs $2.25, and a beer at the local bar costs about $3 for a bottle of domestic and $4.50 for an import or domestic draft. The median rental price for a one bedroom is $625.

For an upscale shopping experience, residents of Granville Station don't have to travel far. House of Fashion Boutique sells stylish women's dresses, evening gowns, jumpsuits and swimwear. Residents find an affordable outlet for clothes shopping in the E-Collectique Runway Boutique. This resale shop features fabulous fashion finds in second-hand clothing and accessories. For something a little more arts and crafts oriented, Forget Me Knot Embroidery can put your design ideas on everything from shirts and sweaters to jackets and towels. Half Price Books provides a place for students from many of Milwaukee's fine learning institutions to purchase textbooks, and locals can stop for a magazine or books of fact or fiction. Target has a location here to meet household needs from home decorating products to dishware and small kitchen appliances. The nearby Sam's Club outlet allows residents to stock up and save even more. Pick n Save features great neighborhood deals on groceries from canned goods to produce, and for really fresh produce, the Brown Deer Farmers' Market remains the best option in the area. It features locally grown, in season fruit, vegetables, garden flowers and more.