MILWAUKEE — According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 20,000 people have left the county since the start of the pandemic. While surrounding communities, like Waukesha County, saw an increase of more than 3,000 people.
Sarah and Christopher Kent lived in Wauwatosa for six years until they decided to move to Pewaukee in 2019. Their reasoning? They just didn't have enough space for their growing family.
"We had twins in a two-bedroom house with one bathroom," said Sarah. "We loved it there, but we needed more space and we literally could not find more space."
That's one of the main reasons Shorwest Realtor Pat Tasker believes people are packing up and moving out. However, she says Milwaukee County is still one of the most affordable areas for first-time homebuyers.
"When a buyer makes their first purchase on a house, they start at what's most affordable to them," said Tasker. "As their family grows, as their life and needs and quality of life reasons change, they may want to move from one county to the next."
Tasker says she's also had a lot of clients who wanted to move because of high property taxes.
"What we pay for taxes now is actually the same and our house is three times bigger," said Sarah.
"In Pewaukee, as part of their public schools, they do offer a 4K program too. For free, we don't have to pay for that. Our lesser taxes pay for that additional schooling," said Christopher.
But despite moving to Waukesha County for family reasons, the Kent's say Milwaukee County will always have a special place in their hearts.
"We're still connected to Wauwatosa, we still go there occasionally to walk," said Christopher. "We're still members of the same church. So in some ways, we are still really tied to the community."
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