Living in Whitewater, WI: Real Estate and Relocation Guide

by Kim & Joel Reyenga

By Kim and Joel Reyenga, eXp Realty | YourWiscoHome.com

Quick answer: Whitewater is a city in Walworth and Jefferson counties, Wisconsin, at the southern edge of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. About 15,000 people live there, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater enrolls more than 12,000 students. This guide covers the City and Town of Whitewater, the Town of Richmond and the Town of La Grange north of Highway 12. Three lakes sit inside it: Whitewater Lake, Rice Lake and Lake Lorraine.

What this guide covers

The 53190 ZIP reaches across 3 counties. This guide is narrower.

In this guide:

City and Town of Whitewater, Walworth and Jefferson counties
Town of Richmond, Walworth County
Town of La Grange north of Highway 12, Walworth County

Township property here runs on private well and septic, covered in our guide to preparing a second home.

Not in this guide:

Lauderdale Lakes, in the southern part of La Grange. That belongs with Elkhorn.
The outer townships of Lima, Cold Spring, Johnstown and Sugar Creek, which sit at the edges of the ZIP.

One note on schools. In most towns we cover, the district line splits the map. Whitewater is different. The Whitewater Unified School District serves nearly every address in this footprint, across all 3 counties. A buyer in the Town of Richmond and a buyer on the Jefferson County side of the city feed the same schools.

Where Whitewater is

Whitewater was founded at the confluence of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook, and it was named for the white sand in their beds.

The city spans Walworth and Jefferson counties and covers about 8.8 square miles. The Town of Whitewater is separate, and covers about 29.6 square miles in Walworth County.

Destination	Approximate drive
Elkhorn	15 minutes
Lake Geneva	25 minutes via WI-59
Alpine Valley Resort	20 minutes
Madison	40 minutes via US-12
Milwaukee	1 hour via I-43
Milwaukee Mitchell Airport	50 minutes
Chicago	just under 2 hours

The Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit begins at the edge of town. Our latest market update covers conditions across the wider region.

The university

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is the biggest thing in this market. A buyer should know what that means before touring.

The university was founded on April 21, 1868, as Whitewater Normal School. It sits on a 400-acre campus and enrolls more than 12,000 students. That makes it the largest of the 11 comprehensive universities in the Universities of Wisconsin.

It employs about 1,400 faculty and staff. In a city of 15,000, that is the main employer.

Studies from its Fiscal and Economic Research Center put the university and its alumni at more than $1.4 billion in economic activity statewide each year.

What it means for housing. The school calendar sets the rhythm of this town. Rental demand runs September to May. Summer is quiet. A house near campus may sit in a rental corridor. A house on the edge of town does not.

That is a real distinction and it shows in the data. We cover it in buying a home in Whitewater. Our condominium study covers how condominium types price across the region.

Warhawks and Young Auditorium

Warhawk athletics compete in NCAA Division III, in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The football program is one of the most decorated in Division III history, with multiple national titles. Fall Saturdays run at Perkins Stadium and winter basketball at Kachel Fieldhouse. The wheelchair basketball program is nationally known.

Young Auditorium is a 1,300-seat hall on campus. It books Broadway tours, national acts and dance from September through May.

A town of 15,000 does not normally get a Broadway season. This one does.

The university also runs WSUW 91.7 FM and the Royal Purple student newspaper.

Schools

The Whitewater Unified School District runs the elementary, middle and high schools and serves nearly this entire footprint. The regional overview covers how this market sits inside the wider region.

Whitewater High School teams are the Whippets, competing in the Rock Valley Conference. District lines and property values are connected, as our guide to pricing a home to sell explains.

Wisconsin open enrollment lets any Wisconsin student in 4K through grade 12 apply to a public district other than their own. The window runs February 2 through April 30 at 4 p.m. Late applications are not accepted. Either district can say no for reasons set in state law, and you can appeal to the state within 30 days. Families usually handle transportation. Details are at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment or (888) 245-2732.

The three lakes

All 3 appear in our companion site's guide to the 26 lakes of the region. Acreage and depth are Wisconsin DNR figures.

Lake	Acres	Max depth	Public access
Whitewater Lake	625	35 ft	State launch and swimming beach
Lake Lorraine	155	8 ft	Public boat landing
Rice Lake	144	10 ft	Public boat landing

Whitewater Lake is the one people mean. It is a 625-acre reservoir built in 1947, inside the Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit. It has a state swimming beach, a public boat launch, fishing piers, picnic areas and a playground. The 63-site Whitewater Lake Campground is a short walk away, and JNT's Parkside Marina handles rentals and gear. A state park sticker is required.

Rice Lake is the shallow neighbor, inside the same recreation area. It runs 144 acres at 10 feet, with its own boat landing and a playground. It is weedy and warm, so it fishes better than it swims.

Lake Lorraine sits between Whitewater and Elkhorn, in the Town of Richmond. It runs 155 acres at 8 feet, with a public boat landing and a small lakeside community. It is shallow with a muck bottom, so it fishes for spring crappie and ice rather than swimming.

All 3 fish for panfish, largemouth bass and northern pike. Whitewater Lake adds walleye. How lake ownership types differ is set out in our lake association study. Our companion site covers the region in its fishing guide.

Cravath Lake and Trippe Lake sit in the city itself. They are not covered as market segments in this series. The lakefront study reports all 26 lakes on the same basis.

The Kettle Moraine at the door

The Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit starts at the edge of town. For a lot of people it is the reason they move here.

The John Muir and Emma Carlin trails hold more than 30 miles of mountain bike singletrack. They draw riders from Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail runs through the same glacial ground, with strong color in mid-October.

Natureland Park sits near the lake. Winter brings cross-country skiing across the forest. How lake and trail access affect value is covered in our guide to amenity impact.

Our companion site covers the Kettle Moraine, the Southern Unit, the Ice Age Trail and the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive.

The Second Salem story

Whitewater carries a nickname most towns would not want. This one leans into it: Second Salem.

The name traces to the Morris Pratt Institute, a spiritualism school that opened in Whitewater in the late 1800s. Local lore added a "Witch's Triangle," a structure called the Witchtower, and ghost stories attached to campus buildings and the city library.

The folklore is why Second Salem Brewing Company downtown carries that name.

Nearby legends include the Beast of Bray Road near Elkhorn and the Wild Man of La Grange from 1929.

It is local color rather than history. It also gives the town an October identity that does not run on the school calendar.

Downtown, dining and events

Downtown Whitewater holds 3 breweries and a winery within a few blocks. They include Second Salem Brewing Company, 841 Brewhouse and Grunzolio Pizzeria and Brewpub. The SweetSpot Cafe runs breakfast and coffee out of the historic Whitewater Hotel building. Fanatico handles Italian. Bingg's Farmstead covers supper club.

The Whitewater 4th of July Festival runs 4 days at Cravath Lakefront Park. It carries fireworks over Cravath Lake, a parade, a carnival, a car show and live music. It dates to the 1890s and is one of the largest in the Midwest.

The Whitewater City Market runs Tuesday summer evenings at Cravath Lakefront Park. The market runs 4 to 7 p.m. with a free concert at 6.

Movies Under the Stars runs free movie nights at the same park. Christmas at Cravath is the December event. Owners buying here from Illinois can read owning across the state line.

Our companion site's Whitewater community guide covers dining and events in more detail. The regional events calendar carries the rest.

What property costs

Here is the orientation. The detail sits in the 2 guides below.

All figures cover 265 closed sales from January 7, 2025 through September 15, 2026.

Segment	Sold	Median
Home off the water	179	$350,000
Lakefront home	24	listed individually in the buying guide
Lake access home	6	$385,000
Condominium	24	$279,000
Vacant land	32	$200,000

By municipality, medians ran $580,000 in the Town of Richmond, $368,410 in the Town of La Grange and $339,900 in Whitewater. The Town and Country study reports the wider region on one basis.

Two markets sit about 10 minutes apart. The city carries a $339,900 median. Water frontage ran from $289,900 to $3,250,000 across 24 sales, on 75 to 209 feet. Whitewater holds an affordable town market and a real lake market at the same time.

Water frontage is reported as individual sales rather than a median, because the range is that wide. The full list sits in the buying guide. Thin sale counts also affect which comparable sales an appraiser can use, covered in our guide to appraisal gaps.

For property types and the lakes in detail, see buying a home in Whitewater. For values, speed and what to gather before listing, see selling a home in Whitewater.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Whitewater, Wisconsin?

Whitewater is a city spanning Walworth and Jefferson counties at the southern edge of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. It was founded at the confluence of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook and named for the white sand in their beds. Lake Geneva is about 25 minutes east via WI-59, Elkhorn about 15 minutes south, Madison about 40 minutes northwest and Milwaukee about an hour.

How big is UW-Whitewater?

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater enrolls more than 12,000 students on a 400-acre campus, which makes it the largest of the 11 comprehensive universities in the Universities of Wisconsin. It was founded on April 21, 1868 as Whitewater Normal School and employs roughly 1,400 faculty and staff. The university and its alumni account for more than $1.4 billion in annual economic activity statewide.

What school district serves Whitewater, WI?

The Whitewater Unified School District, which runs the elementary, middle and high schools. Whitewater High School teams are the Whippets and compete in the Rock Valley Conference. The district serves nearly every address in this guide's footprint, including the Town of Richmond and the Jefferson County side of the city.

What lakes are near Whitewater, WI?

Three. Whitewater Lake is a 625-acre reservoir at 35 feet deep, built in 1947 inside the Kettle Moraine State Forest, with a state swimming beach, a boat launch and a campground. Lake Lorraine is 155 acres at 8 feet in the Town of Richmond, with a public boat landing. Rice Lake is 144 acres at 10 feet next to Whitewater Lake, also with a public landing. Cravath Lake and Trippe Lake sit inside the city itself.

Why is Whitewater called Second Salem?

The nickname traces to the Morris Pratt Institute, a spiritualism school that operated in Whitewater beginning in the late 1800s. Local lore added a "Witch's Triangle," a structure called the Witchtower and ghost stories attached to campus buildings and the city library. Second Salem Brewing Company downtown takes its name from the folklore.

What is there to do in Whitewater, WI?

The Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit starts at the edge of town, holding the John Muir and Emma Carlin mountain bike trails with more than 30 miles of singletrack, plus the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Whitewater Lake has a state beach, a launch and a campground. Young Auditorium books Broadway tours September through May, and Warhawk football plays at Perkins Stadium in fall. Downtown has 3 breweries and a winery within a few blocks.

What does a home cost in Whitewater, WI?

Across 265 closed sales from January 2025 through September 15, 2026, homes off the water sold at a $350,000 median. Condominiums ran $279,000 and vacant land $200,000. Water frontage sold 24 times, from $289,900 to $3,250,000. Those are reported as individual sales in the buying guide. By municipality, medians ran $580,000 in the Town of Richmond, $368,410 in the Town of La Grange and $339,900 in Whitewater.

Is Whitewater a good place to buy near Lake Geneva?

It is the value end of the region. Whitewater sits about 25 minutes from Geneva Lake. The city carries a $339,900 median. Water frontage ran from $289,900 to $3,250,000 across 24 sales. A buyer can reach an affordable town market and a genuine lake market about 10 minutes apart, with the Kettle Moraine at the edge of town and a university cultural calendar most towns this size never get.