Milwaukee

I

Introduction

Milwaukee, largest city in Wisconsin, located in the southeastern corner of the state on the shore of Lake Michigan. Although Milwaukee has long been one of the nation’s leading industrial cities and the commercial hub of the state, it was beer that made the city famous. For decades some of the nation’s leading brewers called Milwaukee home. The smell of brewing beer was a familiar aroma in the city, and institutions from the city’s most historic theater to its baseball team have names connected with the brewing industry. But by the mid-1990s the city’s association with beer was receding as all but one of the major breweries closed.

The Milwaukee River, which flows from north to south through the city, is joined just south of the city’s downtown by its tributaries, the Menomonee and the Kinnickinnic. From that confluence it flows eastward through a short channel to empty into Milwaukee Bay on Lake Michigan. The lake itself is Milwaukee’s most important natural resource: the source of its drinking water, a recreational magnet, and a major influence on local weather. January temperatures, which the lake keeps warmer than those inland, average a high of -3°C (26°F) and a low of -11°C (12°F). Temperatures in July, cooled by the lake, average a high of 27°C (80°F) and a low of 17°C (62°F). Milwaukee’s average annual precipitation is 840 mm (33 in).

Numerous Native American peoples made their homes in the Milwaukee area before the arrival of whites. That diversity was continued after the community was founded in the 1830s. In the following years waves of immigrants were drawn to Milwaukee, and each ethnic group lent the city unique attributes. The city’s name is believed to be derived from the Native American Mahn-ah-wauk, most often translated as “good land.”

II

Milwaukee and Its Metropolitan Area

The city of Milwaukee covers a land area of 248.9 sq km (96.1 sq mi). Nearly one-half of the area was added through annexations between 1945 and 1960. Milwaukee is also the seat of Milwaukee County and the heart of a metropolitan area that includes Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee counties. The entire metropolitan area covers 3,781 sq km (1,460 sq mi). Suburban and outlying population centers include the cities of West Allis, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, Brookfield, New Berlin, Greenfield, and Menomonee Falls.

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Milwaukee lies on a series of bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, and the city retains the charm of broad tree-lined streets, parks, woods, and lakes. The older industrial section of the city extends inland from Lake Michigan, mainly along the Menomonee River. The central business district lies just north, along both banks of the Milwaukee River. Numerous bridges connect the two sides of the downtown. Farther north are many of the city’s most fashionable residential areas.

Milwaukee’s rivers divide the city into large geographic districts, each with its own personality. The East Side is a center for nightlife and specialty shopping. The North Side is a stronghold of African American culture. The West Side is a multiethnic, mixed-income section of town, and the South Side is the home of Milwaukee’s largest Polish and Hispanic communities. Several neighborhoods, including Walker’s Point, Brewer’s Hill, and the Third Ward, are showcases for restoration efforts, while others—such as Bay View, Pigsville, and Layton Park—have maintained their traditional characters for generations. Individual suburbs range from industrial Cudahy, built around a packing plant, to affluent River Hills, built around a country club.

III

Population

Milwaukee’s population decreased in the later half of the 20th century. The number of its inhabitants peaked in 1960 at 741,324; the city experienced its sharpest decline in the 1970s. The population in 2000 was 596,974. In 2006, Milwaukee's population was estimated at 573,358. Meanwhile, the surrounding four-county metropolitan area has continued to grow in population, rising from 1,397,143 in 1980 to 1,500,741 in 2000.

Historic patterns of ethnic diversity have persisted. According to the 2000 census, whites made up 50 percent of the population, blacks 37.3 percent, Asians 2.9 percent, Native Americans 0.9 percent, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent. People of mixed heritage or not reporting race were 8.8 percent of inhabitants. Hispanics, who may be of any race, made up 12 percent of the populace. People from Southeast Asia, particularly Hmongs and Lao, were Milwaukee’s fastest-growing ethnic group in the 1980s. The number of Hispanics in the city doubled during the 1990s.

In 2000, 37.6 percent of the metropolitan area’s residents identified their backgrounds as German, the highest proportion among the nation’s largest urban areas. German ancestry was followed by Polish (12.3 percent), Irish (10 percent), English (5.2 percent), and Italian (4.5 percent).

IV

Education and Culture

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (founded in 1885 as a teachers college and joined with the state university system in 1956) is the region’s largest institution of higher learning, with nearly 23,000 students. Marquette University (1881), with more than 10,600 students, is the largest private school. Other four-year institutions in the Milwaukee area include Alverno College (1887), Cardinal Stritch University (1937), Concordia University Wisconsin (1881), Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (1974), Milwaukee School of Engineering (1903), Mount Mary College (1913), and Wisconsin Lutheran College (1973). Milwaukee Area Technical College (1912) offers a full range of vocational programs on four campuses.

As Wisconsin’s principal metropolis, Milwaukee has cultural resources of national standing, among them the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the Florentine Opera Company, and the Milwaukee Shakespeare Company. Other major cultural institutions include the Milwaukee Public Museum, a pioneer in interpreting natural and cultural history, and the Central Library, housed in a neoclassical-style landmark on the western edge of downtown.

The Milwaukee County War Memorial Complex, dedicated to the county residents who died in the nation’s wars, consists of a performing arts center and three museums located around the city. The complex includes the Milwaukee Art Museum, home of a celebrated modern art collection; the Charles Allis Art Museum, housed in a mansion built by an early-20th-century industrialist; and Villa Terrace, a decorative arts museum noted for its beautiful grounds. In 2001 the Milwaukee Art Museum unveiled a dramatic new pavilion designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

In 2006 Discovery World, an interactive science museum, opened in a new facility along Milwaukee’s lakefront, just south of the art museum. It consists of two main units: the Technology Building, which features exhibits on computers, scientific concepts, and economics, and the Aquatarium, which offers a full-scale model of a wooden schooner and a series of aquariums filled with marine life.

Milwaukee has preserved an unusually large number of its historic buildings. The better-known examples include City Hall (1895), a civic shrine rooted in Germanic architectural styles; the Pabst Mansion (1893), built for pioneer brewer Frederick Pabst; and Saint Josaphat’s Basilica (1901), the city’s largest church and a monument to the Polish immigrants who built it. The restored Pabst Theater is home to concerts and theatrical presentations.

In recent years, Milwaukee has developed a reputation as a city of festivals. Summerfest, an 11-day music festival held on its own lakefront grounds, is a showcase for acts ranging from alternative rock to country music. During the rest of the summer months, the park is the site of weekend festivals staged by Milwaukee’s major ethnic groups: Italian, Irish, German, African American, Polish, Mexican, Native American, and Asian. The Great Circus Parade, featuring the world’s largest collection of ornate circus wagons, is another staple of Milwaukee’s festival season. The Wisconsin State Fair is held annually in nearby West Allis.

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