Magazine Says Whitefish Bay is One of the Best Places to Live in the U.S.

Money Magazine reaffirmed what many people in Whitefish Bay already know – that the village is one of the best places in the country to live.

Whitefish Bay was rated number 65 in the magazine's list of "the 100 best places to live." Milwaukee suburban communities Germantown (71) and Franklin (94) made the list, as did Madison suburbs Oregon (99) and Middleton (8), which routinely ranks high on the list.

"We looked at small towns, populations under 50,000, trying to find hidden gems people might now know about," Beth Fenner of Money Magazine told Today's TMJ4.

Indeed, Whitefish Bay does have many of the qualities that makes it a perfect place to raise a family: a high-performing educational system, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, historic architecture, a quaint business district — all in close proximity to Lake Michigan.

On Whitefish Bay Patch's Facebook page, Janet Hinz described her typical, idyllic day in Whitefish Bay during the summer months.

"My three children and I just took a walk to the library, ran a couple laps at the Whitefish Bay High School track and stopped at for refreshments on the way home. Tomorrow we'll do it again and stop at for some play and a run by the lake," she wrote. "Those are just some of the perks of living in Whitefish Bay."

Whitefish Bay is also a very close-knit place, where it's not uncommon to run into multiple friends on a trip to the store.

"Everyone knows who their neighbors are for blocks away," said Dawn Tesch, as she walked out of .

Terri Hart-Ellis agreed, adding the community is also very inclusive.

"I love that we can stroll through the village and have various and frequent shouts of hello from cars, bikes, on foot, on wheels, calling my daughters by name, one of whom has a disability and is non-verbal. They both enjoy full inclusion in school and in the community," she said on Facebook.

Mary Jo Gindlin, who also was interviewed at Sendik's, said she likes the walkability of the neighborhood, which, with sidewalks and streetlights, is especially perfect for runners and dog-walkers.

"There are days I don't even take the car out of the driveway," Gindlin said.

Karen Thein said she enjoys all of the community events organized by the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation, such as the Fourth of July festivities, the Great Pumpkin Festival and the upcoming Sounds of Summer.

"(We) always look forward to Fourth of July at Klode, the ice cream socials and the Sounds of Summer," she said on Facebook.

Several people said they moved to Whitefish Bay for the public education system.

With three kids who went through the schools, Lana Liss Harrington said the educational excellence in Bay is "worth every tax dollar and more."

"We are forever grateful to the dedicated, awesome Whitefish Bay teachers," she said on Facebook.