Rufus King at a glance: Located north of Capitol Dr., just west of the freeway. Brick homes sell for $60,000-$90,000. Most houses built in the late 1920s and feature working fireplaces, stained glass, built-in oak cabinets, carved moldings and solid plaster walls.

Until the late '90s, Riverwest was a place where you could find a great deal on an older home. The neighborhood became "The Land of Fixer-Uppers," and droves of artists, young families, students and ex-suburbanites gobbled up property Monopoly-style.

Recently, this has all changed.

Last week, OMC reported that according to the National Association of Realtor's 2002 survey, Milwaukee is the fastest appreciating housing market of midrange metro areas. For Milwaukee residents, this is either good or bad, depending on if you already own a home or if you are trying to buy one.

In Riverwest, single-family homes in decent shape once sold for as low as $30,000-$40,000, and duplexes often went for under $60,000. Naturally, it didn't take long for sellers to realize they were living in a very appealing neighborhood, and seemingly overnight, the cost of properties sky rocketed.

Today, most new homes in Riverwest are selling for more than $100,000, and many duplexes are going for twice that amount. Consequently, some middle-to-low income families have watched their property values -- and their taxes -- double.

Unfortunately, the high cost of Riverwest property isn't so great for the artists, young families and students who are just arriving on the scene, hoping to buy a house. In response to Riverwest's property boon, a number of people bought homes just a few minutes west, in the Rufus King neighborhood.

The Rufus King neighborhood, named for the nearby high school bearing the name of 19th century Civil War general, Sentinel editor and MPS Superintendent, is an extremely well-kept area, with many trees, flowers and brick tudors and bungalows that are, at least for now, extremely affordable.

The neighborhood is located north of Capitol Dr., just west of the freeway, and is predominantly inhabited by middle-to-upper-middle-class African-Americans who are teachers, city attorneys, police officers, politicians and community leaders. However, James Edler, a 33-year-old MPS teacher, recently purchased a home in the 4100 block of 14th St. and became one of a growing-number of young, professional Whites buying property in this area.

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"I never thought I would be able to afford a house this nice," he says, referring to the four-bedroom brick tudor with a working fireplace, hardwood floors, leaded glass, large yard and two-car garage that he purchased six months ago for $80,000.

Edler says he has a lot in common with his professional neighbors, and feels completely at home in the neighborhood. "It's been great," he says. "We're all professionals who work hard during the week and like to relax and hang out with our families and work in our yards on the weekends."

Because the neighborhood has a "suburban feel" to it, including green space, clean alleys and stately houses, residents jokingly refer to the area as "Blackfish Bay."

Most houses in the Rufus King neighborhood were built in the late 1920s and feature working fireplaces, stained glass, built-in oak cabinets, carved moldings and solid plaster walls.

"Hank" Aaron lived on 14th Street for many years, singer-musician Al Jarreau grew up on 17th Street and Alderman Marvin Pratt has lived in the Rufus King neighborhood since 1983.

"The Rufus King neighborhood is, and always has been, a wonderful mix of people, cultures and diversity," says Kevin Rozman, a 20-year resident of the neighborhood.