RE/MAX
Realty 100

Office Direct:
(262) 784-6000

Tim Cell:
(262) 784-6010

Send E-mail

Home Page

ELM Stats Menu

Elm Grove  is located 8 miles west of downtown Milwaukee, and just outside of Milwaukee County in Waukesha County. It is bordered on the north, south & west by Brookfield and on the east by Wauwatosa. An average commute to downtown Milwaukee during normal commute times is around 20 minutes or so.

Elm Grove's village center and earliest settlement developed along Watertown Plank Road. This road was once a true wood "planked" road running 50+ miles between Milwaukee and Watertown. The name "Elm Grove" is reported to have been coined by the railroad, which arrived in the 1850's, to define it's stop here among elm trees.

Although there are some older homes, the 1920's saw the true start of development in Elm Grove. The approximate 1/2 acre lot size of these early Elm Grove neighborhoods differed greatly from the more typical "city sized" 50x120 foot lots developed in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and Waukesha at that time. These Elm Grove "old world character" pre WWII homes range in size from 1,800 sq.ft. 3 bedroom 1.5 bath homes up to elaborate 7,000+ sq.ft. estates built on multiple lots in the exclusive Indian Hills neighborhood. 

As much as 70% of Elm Grove remained undeveloped until the post WWII building boom of the 1950's and 60's. The homes built in Elm Grove at that time were larger and more "upscale" versions of the development occurring all around metro Milwaukee. These ranches, cape cods, colonials and multilevels were built for an "executive" class and typically had larger rooms, more bedrooms, baths, fireplaces, etc. Only a few small remaining parcels were developed after the late 1960's.

Elm Grove is serviced by municipal sewer but the water source is by private well. Many Elm Grove homeowners have added iron filters to their water systems due to higher than average iron in the water. The west side of the community is more rolling, a bit more wooded and has much of the pre WWII development. The eastern half is somewhat more level with many of the houses constructed in the 1950's and 60's.

Home prices in Elm Grove start about $250,000 for the smallest homes, and range to well over $1,500,000 for the largest homes in the community.  For one example, a 2,000 sq.ft. home might sell from $300,000 to over $500,000 depending on condition and location. The "old world character" pre WWII homes often sell very quickly, this age home was usually built in the other metro area municipalities on a much smaller "city sized" lot, and the mix of "old" house and 1/2+/- acre lot is rare. Basically any street in Elm Grove, newer or older, may have properties worth $300,000 or more.

Elm Grove is completely developed and Buyers wishing a new home in this community have 2 options; buy an existing home and tear it down, or do a complete gutting and re-construction of an older home. There are up to 5 homes a year torn down to make way for newer MUCH larger homes. This is common in the Indian Hills neighborhood, with the 1950's and 60's ranches built on remaining lots of this upscale 1930's development selling as "tear downs" in the approx. $500,000 and up range. The new homes built on these sites often have construction budgets over $1,000,000. In the rest of the community tear down properties sell from the mid $300,000's and up.  At any time you'll find numerous others that have large remodeling projects underway, it sometimes seems you can't drive down any street in Elm Grove without seeing a contractor's vehicle in at least one driveway.

For a while in the 1970's and earlier 1980's, Elm Grove had a reputation as an community of "older" residents without many younger children. This may have been due to the many families who built in the 1950's and 60's remaining in the family home, perhaps since there aren't many areas of Milwaukee one can move "up" to. The 1990's & 2000's have seen an influx of younger families with children, many were raised in Elm Grove and have "returned home" to raise their own families in this shaded and quiet community.

The "Village Park" located in the center of Elm Grove is home to a swimming pool, playgrounds, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields and picnic areas with shelters. The village offers summer lessons for area children in numerous sports and activities for a very reasonable fee. Elm Grove parent's arrive before 4:00 am the Saturday of Summer Rec Program "sign up" to make sure they get a good position in line so their children get the activities and times that they want. The Village Hall, Police Station, Fire Department and Library are also located on the grounds of the Village Park.

Some of the other community activities include a large Memorial Day Parade, Fourth of July fireworks and summer concerts in the park. The community also has a very active Woman's Club, Junior Women's Guild, American Legion Hall, Business Association and many other opportunities for community service and socialization. Some residents are members of the Western Racquet Club in the village, Westmoor Country Club nearby in Brookfield or Bluemound Country Club in Wauwatosa.

Elm Grove has a quaint village shopping area with numerous shops and offices where you might get to know the proprietor personally, yet the shopping mecca of Bluemound Road and Brookfield Square Mall starts at it's southwest corner. And just a mile east into Wauwatosa, Mayfair Road and Mayfair Mall offer more upscale shopping.

Elm Grove and it's good neighbor Brookfield, share a school system. "ElmBrook" is a highly regarded district with well funded schools and high matriculation rates. There are 2 high schools, 2 middle schools and 7 elementary schools in the ElmBrook school district.

To summarize Elm Grove, it is known as a wooded, very quiet "bedroom" community with a quaint village center, a great school district, moderate property taxes and a short commute. Keep in mind that the limited supply of homes and these other popular characteristics make Elm Grove about 10% to 20% more expensive than Brookfield, and quite a bit more expensive than the other west side suburbs.

Back to Elm Grove Stats

As an Elm Grove resident, having grown up in Brookfield and owning my first home in Wauwatosa for 10 years, I have a lot of personal and professional experience in these three communities. Please give me a call or email me if I can help you with your next purchase or sale of a home. Tim