Misty Ridge - A great place to raise a family

There is hope that someday Presley Struckman will be a Brewers fan. But right now she’s young — only a year old — and her mom, Malayna, and dad, Larry, and two brothers are St. Louis Cardinal fans. They, unlike Presley, were born in Missouri.

The Struckmans moved from Kansas City to Wisconsin in 2010 because of a job transfer for Larry. They wanted to build. The real estate agent showed them Misty Ridge in Port Washington. “We love the area,” Malayna said. “It’s close to Lake Michigan, Grafton and Port Washington.”

The development was to their liking with sidewalks and lots of families. “It’s one way in and one way out and it’s well lit,” she said. “There’s a new park nearby where the kids can ride their bikes.”

Although Misty Ridge is a multiple-builder development, the Struckmans chose William Ryan Homes as their builder. With a variety of floor plans to choose from, the Struckmans selected a two-story, four-bedroom, three-bath design. “It was our first time building a home. It was a wonderful experience,” she said. The couple was particularly impressed with the good communications between customer and builder. “Stacy Wozniak was always so responsive to us,” she said of William Ryan’s new home sales consultant.

The Struckmans moved into their new home December 2010 just in time to watch the Green Bay Packers become Super Bowl champs — but that’s another subject all together.

Craig Vermeulen, vice president of operations for William Ryan Homes, said the builder has done a lot of research to make sure its customers love their home and the experience of building it. “We’ve surveyed our customers and the those who have decided not to build with us,” he said. “We wanted to know what’s important to them.”

The hallmark of a William Ryan Home is livability. “We have re-vamped floor plans for efficient flow and livable design,” he said. The builder has always taken pride in craftsman’s detail and quality installation and products, but also each home is certified energy efficient. “It’s a turnkey process. William Ryan shows the home sites to its customers, we are the in-house lender for the construction phase and have an in-house selection center for all design needs.”

There are 100 home sites in Misty Ridge. William Ryan has built about 80% of the homes in the development. There are a number of things a builder looks for when choosing a development, he said. Vermeulen called it a “marketing window.” The property is a quality piece of land, has drive-up appeal and access to highways 43 and 32. “The rolling topography gives it a gorgeous green space and the ability to design exposed basements,” he said. “The building restrictions keep the quality high.”

Located in Ozaukee County, Port Washington is nearly four square miles nestled up against Lake Michigan. Ozaukee County has been named the second best place in America to raise a family. Only 24 miles from Milwaukee, Port’s more than 11,000 residents enjoy a high quality living with an extremely low crime rate, lower than average unemployment and higher than average median household income.

Port Washington’s public schools include two elementary, a middle school and one high school. The city has a library, the Port Summer Theatre, an Interurban Trail for biking and hiking and two sandy beaches. Lake Park, annual festivals and a seasonal farmers market enhance the community experience. Residents and tourists alike love the walking tours of the harbor and the downtown historic district with its specialty shops and restaurants.