One year ago, my husband Justin, and I, along with our four young children, moved to Layton Boulevard from a nearby suburb. We had fallen in love with the house as soon as we saw it, but did not think much of the neighborhood at first. As time has gone by, we are getting more acquainted with life on the South Side of Milwaukee, and we can honestly say that we love living in the Layton Boulevard West Neighborhood. We have seen and met hardworking, helpful and friendly people. For example, one of our neighbors helped my husband shovel the driveway last winter, and another helped mow the lawn several times this summer.

This gallery includes photos I took while walking on Layton Boulevard during late December 2015.

Layton Boulevard is such a fascinating thoroughfare. Besides the many beautiful homes along the boulevard, it has a rich history that I find to be unique to Milwaukee. When the houses were built, many before WWI and most of the rest before WWII, people of multiple economic statuses lived here. This is unlike many other neighborhoods in Milwaukee, and probably many other cities. Some of the houses are large and stately, while others are smaller and unassuming. Today there seems to be a similar mixture of socioeconomic statuses, as well as ethnicities represented. For my husband and me, who both grew up in rural towns, the diversity that we see is refreshing and exciting.

Our house is wonderful. It is a great place for our family, as well as for fun parties. Plus it is beautiful inside and out. We also love Layton Boulevard and the Layton Boulevard West Neighborhood. I am looking forward to meeting more people and getting more involved in the community, and I am excited to watch my children grow up in such a wonderfully diverse neighborhood. We are truly blessed and grateful to be able to call this our forever home in our forever neighborhood.