Driving Down Your Driving Time

As we in the United States are waking up to the end of cheap oil, many are starting to reevaluate how we get around. Around Monroe, we saw many more bicycles out this summer, and we noticed that the Badger State Trail going through Monroe had a great deal of pedestrian and bicycle traffic this year.

As more people start using self-propelled transportation, home buyers are starting to pay attention to nearby amenities. What is nearby, what can they walk to? Monroe itself is a highly walkable community. I recently visited Walk Score to check how walkable some of our homes for sale are considered by this index. Now, Walk Score is not perfect; they are missing some of our downtown coffee shops, retail establishments, grocery options. However, it is an interesting glimpse into what is around the area.

This brick house on 15th Ave is very close to downtown and gets a Walk Score of 86/100. Over on 14th Ave near the Middle School, this gorgeous brick bungalow gets a Walk Score of 72.

For someone looking for a lot of space, this huge brick home on 22nd Ave scored at 68 at Walk Score. The cute white Cape Cod on 14th Ave scored 62, and this two bedroom starter on 11th Ave earned a 72.

Both of the commercial properties we have listed at the moment (over 4000 square feet on 15th Ave and the lease right on the Square) score very high as well, 86 each. The property on 15th has room for living quarters on the second story, so you can reduce your footprint even more.

If you are looking a community that will allow you to leave your car behind for much of the year, Monroe has great potential. If you are flexible and willing to put in some time pedaling too, the options increase even more. It takes me five minutes in the car to drive to the grocery store or I can bike there in 12 minutes. Most parts of town have a school within easy biking range, and the YMCA is within 15 minutes of most of town via bike.

Whether you have lived here all of your life or are thinking of coming to the Monroe area, I encourage you to take a look at the Walk Score website. Even for those of us who have been here a long time, it is a good reminder of what is close by.