Bayside

Set along Lake Michigan just north of Milwaukee, aptly named Bayside is a quiet village with more to offer than one might think. The suburban corner of Wisconsin is home to a bustling community with a positive outlook. “There’s more to Bayside than the sleepy town people perceive it as,” says local Realtor Kyle Davis of The Wright Group. “We have an impactful, family-centric community that everyone wants to be a part of, with a proactive village government focused on planning for the future.”

Davis says the tight-knit community combined with an involved municipality creates a welcoming and open feel. “It’s a very diverse group of people aiming to expand the flexibility of the community.” Expansion plans include a near-completed 2023 Road Project that revamps and improves traffic patterns on Interstate 43 and resurfaces residential streets, including North Sequoia Drive and West Jonathan Lane. Davis notes that Bayside’s government is also trying to bring more people to the town through public expansions with the farmer’s market and library and adding entertainment. Events such as recycling days and leaf collection days focus on neighborhood beautification, while the annual Fall Fest and Fourth of July Parade brings the community together with activities for all ages.

Students in Bayside may attend top-rated schools within the Fox Point-Bayside School District, a shared district that “Significantly Exceeds Expectations,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Kids start their academic journey at Stormonth Elementary for pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, then continue to Bayside Middle School for fifth through eighth grade. Nicolet High School is ranked the tenth-best public high school in Wisconsin by Niche and boasts a 13 to 1 student-teacher ratio. “Both the high school and middle school are expanding and growing,” Davis says, adding that Nicolet High has plans for renovated classrooms and a new athletic complex. All three schools have an A overall rating on Niche.

You won’t find sidewalks here, but modest lots ranging in size from a quarter of an acre to two acres create ample room for the rambling houses that hug the neighborhood's terrain between mature trees and lush lawns. Davis says most builds are traditional to modern contemporary, with plenty of space between them. Find quaint cottages, spread-out ranch and prairie-style homes and colonial-revival estates. Though the median price here hovers around $540,000, real estate values can run the gamut from a $250,000 fixer-upper to multi-million-dollar lakeside villas that overlook the bluff.

Opportunities for outdoor activity abound no matter the season in Bayside. Ellsworth Park is the village’s primary recreational hotspot, with a baseball diamond, soccer fields and four tennis courts. Kids of all ages play along the inclusive structures of the park’s ADA-accessible playground and head to nearby Mount Bayside for sledding in the winter. Folks turn to Doctor’s Park for a game of disc golf or to walk the hiking trails along the lakeside, rain or shine. Schlitz Audobon Nature Center is Bayside’s shining gem, boasting 6 miles of walking trails and a 60-foot observation tower on its 185 acres of lush nature preserve.

Proximity to thoroughfares State Highway 32, Highway 100 and I-43 easily connect Bayside residents to shopping and dining experiences nearby. Only about 5 minutes away, Audobon Court Shopping Center and Riverpoint Village Shopping Mall provide several restaurants and stores, including Walgreens, Best Buy and local favorite Friendship Café and Bakery. For groceries, ALDI and Metro Market are less than 10 minutes by car and get to Target or Trader Joe’s in under 15.

Written By

Christina von Claparede-Crola

Photography Contributed By

Hayley McCormick

Video By

Jacob McAllister