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Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 23rd largest (by population) in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. As of a 2007 U.S. Census estimate, Milwaukee had a population of 602,191. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,739,497 as of 2007. Milwaukee is also the regional center of the seven county Greater Milwaukee Area, with a population of 2,003,218 as of 2007.
Milwaukee has a rich European history.
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Encyclopedia
Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 23rd largest (by population) in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. As of a 2007 U.S. Census estimate, Milwaukee had a population of 602,191. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,739,497 as of 2007. Milwaukee is also the regional center of the seven county Greater Milwaukee Area, with a population of 2,003,218 as of 2007.
Milwaukee has a rich European history. The first Europeans to pass through the area were French missionaries and fur traders. In 1818, the French-Canadian explorer Solomon Juneau settled in the area, and in 1846 Juneau's town combined with two neighboring towns to incorporate as the City of Milwaukee. Large numbers of German and other immigrants helped increase the city's population during the 1840s and the following decades.
Once known almost exclusively as a brewing and manufacturing powerhouse, Milwaukee has taken steps in recent years to reshape its image. In the past decade, major new additions to the city have included the Milwaukee Riverwalk, the Midwest Airlines Center, Miller Park, an internationally renowned addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Pier Wisconsin, as well as major renovations to the Milwaukee Auditorium. In addition, many new skyscrapers, condos, lofts, and apartments have been constructed in neighborhoods on and near the lakefront and riverbanks.
History
The Milwaukee area was originally inhabited by the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Native American tribes. French missionaries and traders first passed through the area in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The word "Milwaukee" comes from an Algonquian word Millioke which means "Good/Beautiful/Pleasant Land", Potawatomi language minwaking, or Ojibwe language ominowakiing, "Gathering place [by the water]". Early explorers called the Milwaukee River and surrounding lands various names: Melleorki, Milwacky, Mahn-a-waukie, Milwarck, and Milwaucki. For many years, printed records gave the name as "Milwaukie". One story of Milwaukee's name says,
- "[O]ne day during the thirties of the last century [1800s] a newspaper calmly changed the name to Milwaukee, and Milwaukee it has remained until this day."
The spelling "Milwaukie" lives on in Milwaukie, Oregon, named after the Wisconsin city in 1847, before the current spelling was universally accepted.
in 1901]]
Milwaukee has three "founding fathers", of whom French Canadian Solomon Juneau was first to come to the area, in 1818. The Juneaus founded the town called Juneau's Side, or Juneautown, that began attracting more settlers. However, Byron Kilbourn was Juneau's equivalent on the west side of the Milwaukee River. In competition with Juneau, he established Kilbourntown west of the Milwaukee River, and made sure the streets running toward the river did not join with those on the east side. This accounts for the large number of angled bridges that still exist in Milwaukee today. Further, Kilbourn distributed maps of the area which only showed Kilbourntown, implying Juneautown did not exist or that the east side of the river was uninhabited and thus undesirable. The third prominent builder was George H. Walker. He claimed land to the south of the Milwaukee River, along with Juneautown, where he built a log house in 1834. This area grew and became known as Walker's Point.
By the 1840s, the three towns had grown quite a bit, along with their rivalries. There were some intense battles between the towns, mainly Juneautown and Kilbourntown, which culminated with the Milwaukee Bridge War of 1845. Following the Bridge War, it was decided the best course of action was to officially unite the towns. So, on January 31 1846, they combined to incorporate as the City of Milwaukee and elected Solomon Juneau as Milwaukee's first mayor. A great number of German immigrants had helped increase the city's population during the 1840s, who continued to migrate to the area during the following decades. Milwaukee has even been called "Deutsches Athen" (German Athens), and into the twentieth century, there were more German speakers and German-language newspapers than there were English speakers and English-language newspapers in the city. (To this day, the Greater Milwaukee phonebook includes more than 40 pages of Schmitts or Schmidts, far more than the pages of Smiths.)
During the middle and late 19th century, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area became the final destination of many German immigrants fleeing the Revolution of 1848 in the various small German states and Austria. In Wisconsin, they found the inexpensive land and the freedoms they sought. The German heritage and influence in the Milwaukee area is widespread. In addition to Germans, Milwaukee received large influxes of immigrants from Poland, Italy and Ireland, as well as many Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. By 1910, Milwaukee (along with New York City) shared the distinction of having the largest percentage of foreign-born residents in the United States.
Early in the 20th century, Milwaukee was home to several pioneer brass era automobile makers, including Ogren (from 1919 to 1922) and LaFayette (from 1922 to about 1924).
In March 1889, Milwaukee had four days of protest and one day of rioting against its Chinese laundrymen. Sparking this city-wide disturbance were allegations of sexual misconduct between two Chinese and several underaged white females. The unease and tension in the wake of the riot was assuaged by the direct disciplining of the city's Chinese.
In 1892, Whitefish Bay, South Milwaukee, and Wauwatosa each were incorporated. They were followed by Cudahy (1895), North Milwaukee (1897) and East Milwaukee, later known as Shorewood, in 1900. In the early 20th century West Allis (1902) and West Milwaukee (1906) were added, which completed the first generation of "inner-ring" suburbs.
During the first half of the twentieth century, Milwaukee was the hub of the socialist movement in the United States. Milwaukee elected three socialist mayors during this time: Emil Seidel (1910-1912), Daniel Hoan (1916-1940), and Frank Zeidler (1948-1960). It remains the only major city in the country to have done so. Often referred to as "Sewer Socialists", the Milwaukee socialists were characterized by their practical approach to government and labor. Also during this time, a small but burgeoning community of African Americans who emigrated from the south formed a community that would come to be known as Bronzeville. Industry was booming, and the African American influence grew in Milwaukee. In the 1920s Chicago gangster activity came north to Milwaukee during the prohibition era. Al Capone, noted Chicago mobster, owned a home in the Milwaukee suburb Brookfield, where moonshine was made. The house still stands on a street named after Capone.
With the large influx of immigrants, Milwaukee became one of the 15 largest cities in the nation, and by the mid-1960s, its population reached nearly 750,000. Starting in the late 1960s, however, Milwaukee, like many cities in the "rust belt", saw its population start to decline through various factors, including the loss of blue collar jobs and the phenomenon of "white flight".
Nevertheless, in recent years the city has begun to make strides in improving its economy, neighborhoods, and image, resulting in the revitalization of neighborhoods such as the Historic Third Ward, the East Side, and more recently Walker's Point and Bay View, along with attracting new businesses to its downtown area. The city continues to make plans for increasing its future revitalization through various projects.
Milwaukee's rich European history is evident today. Largely through its efforts to preserve its history, in 2006 Milwaukee was named one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation..
In 2007, the Census Bureau released revised population numbers for Milwaukee that showed the city gained population between 2000 and 2006. This marked the first period of positive population growth since the 1960s.
Geography
Milwaukee lies along the shores and bluffs of Lake Michigan at the confluence of three rivers: the Menomonee, the Kinnickinnic, and the Milwaukee. Smaller rivers, such as the Root River and Lincoln Creek also flow through the city.
Milwaukee's terrain is sculpted by the glacier path and includes steep bluffs along the lakeshore that begin about one half mile north and four miles (6 km) south of downtown. In addition, west of Milwaukee is the Kettle Morraine and Lake Country that provides a hilly landscape combined with inland lakes.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 251.0 km² (96.9 square miles). 248.8 km² (96.1 square miles) of it is land, and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.88% water.
Climate
Milwaukee's location in the Great Lakes Region means that it often has rapidly changing weather. The warmest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is 82 °F (28 °C), with overnight low temperatures averaging 66 °F (19 °C); January is the coldest month, with high temperatures averaging 27 °F (-3 °C), with the overnight low temperatures around 13 °F (-11 °C). Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, Milwaukee has the second-coldest average annual temperature, next to that of Minneapolis.
Milwaukee's proximity to Lake Michigan causes a convection current to form around mid-afternoon in light wind regimes, resulting in the so-called "lake breeze", a smaller scale version of the more common sea breeze. The lake breeze is most common between the months of March and June. This onshore flow causes temperatures to remain milder near the lake compared to inland locations. As the sun sets, the convection current reverses and an offshore flow ensues causing a land breeze. After a land breeze develops, warmer temperatures flow east toward the lakeshore, sometimes causing high temperatures to be reached during the late evening. The lake breeze is not a daily occurrence and will not form if southwest to northwest winds generally exceed . The lake also acts to moderate cold air outbreaks along the lakeshore during winter months. Despite Lake Michigan, overnight lows in downtown Milwaukee are often much warmer than suburban locations because of the urban heat island effect. Also, more snow falls in Milwaukee than surrounding areas, because of periodic episodes of lake effect snow. Onshore winds cause higher daytime relative humidity levels in Milwaukee as compared to other cities at the same latitude.
Milwaukee's all-time record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C) set on July 24, 1934. The coldest temperature ever experienced by the city was -26 °F (-32 °C) on both January 17, 1982 and February 4, 1996. The 1982 event, also known as Cold Sunday, featured temperatures as low as -40 °F (-40 °C) in some of the suburbs as little as 10 miles (16 km) to the north of Milwaukee.
The wettest month is August, because of frequent thunderstorms. These can at times be dangerous and damaging, bringing hail and high winds. In rare instances, it can bring a tornado to the more inland parts of the city. However, almost all summer rainfall in the city is brought by these storms. In spring and fall, longer events of prolonged, lighter rain bring most of the precipitation. Snow commonly falls in the city from early November until the middle of March, although it has been recorded as early as September 23, and as late as May 31. The city receives an average of 47.0 inches (119 cm) of snow in winter, but this number is highly variable.
In 2000, 49.5 inches (126 cm) of snow fell solely in the month of December.
Cityscape
The city runs largely on the grid system, although in the far northwest and southwest corners of the city, the grid pattern gives way to a more suburban-style streetscape. North-south streets are numbered, and east-west streets are named. However north-south streets east of 1st street are named, like east-west streets. The north-south numbering line is along the Menomonee River (east of Hawley Road) and Fairview Avenue/Golfview Parkway (west of Hawley Road), with the east-west numbering line defined along 1st Street (north of Oklahoma Avenue) and Chase/Howell Avenue (south of Oklahoma Avenue). This numbering system is also used to the north by Mequon in Ozaukee County, and by some Waukesha County communities.
Milwaukee is crossed by Interstate 43 and Interstate 94, which come together downtown at the Marquette Interchange. Interstate 894 bypass runs through portions of the city's southwest side, and Interstate 794 comes out of the Marquette interchange eastbound, bends south along the lakefront and crosses the harbor over the Hoan Bridge, then ends near the Bay View neighborhood and becomes the "Lake Parkway" (WIS-794).
Demographics
Population
As of the census estimate of 2006, there are 602,782 people residing in Milwaukee . As of 2000, there were 232,188 households, and 135,133 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,399.5/km² (6,214.3 per square mile). There are 249,225 housing units at an average density of 1,001.7/km² (2,594.4 per square mile).
There are 232,188 households, of which 30.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% are married couples living together, 21.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% are non-families. 33.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.25.
According to the 2000 Census, there were at least 1,408 same-sex households in Milwaukee which accounts for 0.6% of all households in the city. Although this number is slightly lower than other cities in the region such as Chicago and Minneapolis, Milwaukee continues to be noted for its generally accepting attitudes towards the LGBT community. As a result, many gay-friendly communities have developed in neighborhoods such as Walker's Point, Bay View, Historic Third Ward, Riverwest, and the East Side. Milwaukee and later Wisconsin became the first in the nation to not discriminate against sexual orientation. In 2001, Milwaukee was named the #1 city for lesbians by Girlfriends magazine.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,216, and the median income for a family is $37,879. Males have a median income of $32,244 versus $26,013 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,181. 21.3% of the population and 17.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. At 43% in 2007, Milwaukee has the second highest black male unemployment rate in the country behind Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| Race in Wisconsin and Milwaukee |
|---|
| Race | Milwaukee | Wisconsin |
|---|
| White | 43.6% | 91% | | Black | 39.5% | 6.48% | | Native American | 0.8% | 1.3% | | Asian | 3.6% | 2.21% | | Pacific Islander | 0.05% | 0.09% | | Other race | 7.3% | N/A | | Two or more races | 2.1% | N/A | | Hispanic | 14.9% | 3.35% | | Note: Hispanics may be of any race. |
Race and ethnicity
According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the city's population was 46.8% White (40.9% non-Hispanic-White alone), 40.0% Black or African American, 3.5% Asian, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 10.6% from some other race and 2.0% from two or more races. 15.1% of the total popolation were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
At the 2000 census, 39.5% of Milwaukeeans reported having African-American ancestry and 38% reported German ancestry. Other significant population groups include Polish (12.7%), Irish (10%), English (5.1%), Italian (4.4%), French (3.9%), with Hispanic origin totaling 14.9%. Statistics from Milwaukee's suburbs are not included in these census data.
The metropolitan area was cited as being the most segregated in the U.S. in a Jet Magazine article in 2002. The source of this information was a segregation index developed in the mid 1950s and used since 1964. In 2003, a more detailed study was conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin which found evidence that Milwaukee is not "hypersegregated" and actually ranks as the 43rd most integrated city in America. Through continued dialogue between Milwaukee's citizens, the city is making an effort to reduce racial tensions and reduce the rate of segregation. With demographic changes in the wake of white flight, segregation in metropolitan Milwaukee is primarily in the suburbs rather than the city as in the era of Father Groppi.
Religion
The Association of Religion Data Archives reported on the religious composition of the Milwaukee-Racine area as of 2000. Approximately 55% of residents were adherents to one of the 188 groups included in the data.
Of them, 58% were Catholic, 23% Lutheran, 3% Methodist, and 2.5% Jewish. Others included adherents to other Protestant denominations, Orthodox churches, and Eastern religions. Historically African-American denominations were not included in the data.
Milwaukee is home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The School Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis have their mother house in Milwaukee, and several other religious orders have a significant presence in the area, including the Jesuits and Franciscans. St. Joan of Arc Chapel is the oldest church in Milwaukee and is located on the Marquette University campus. St. Josaphat Basilica was the first church to be given this honor in Wisconsin and the third in the United States in 1929. Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, which joined it as Wisconsin's other church to be distinguished by the Holy See in 2006 is located northwest of Milwaukee, in Hubertus, Wisconsin.
Milwaukee is home for several Lutheran Church Synods, including The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), which operates Concordia University in Mequon and Milwaukee Lutheran High School, the oldest Lutheran high school in the nation; and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), which was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee and maintains its national headquarters there.
In addition, numerous mosques and synagogues serve Milwaukee's Muslim and Jewish communities.
Masons have various meeting locations in Milwaukee. The Tripoli Shrine Temple and Mosque, located on Wisconsin Avenue is an architectural replica of India's Taj Mahal, home to the headquarters of all Shriner activities in Milwaukee. Completed in 1928, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and one of Milwaukee's most unique landmarks. Shriners, or Shrine Masons, belong to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America.
Education
Higher education
Milwaukee has one of the highest per capita student populations in North America, ranking 6th among U.S. and Canadian cities in number of college students per 100 residents, according to a January 2000 study from McGill University
Milwaukee area universities and colleges:
Primary and secondary schooling
Milwaukee maintains Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), the largest school district in Wisconsin and one of the largest in the nation. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 92,935 students and as of 2006 employs 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. Milwaukee Public Schools operate as magnet schools, with individualized specialty areas for interests in academics or the arts. Washington High School, Riverside University High School, Rufus King High School, Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School, Golda Meir School, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, and Lynde & Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School are some of the magnet schools in Milwaukee. In addition to its public schools, Milwaukee is home to over two dozen private or parochial high schools (e.g., Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, Thomas More High School, Dominican High School, Messmer High School, Marquette University High School, Milwaukee Lutheran High School, St. Joan Antida High School, Pius XI High School, and University School of Milwaukee among others) and many private and parochial middle and elementary schools.
Of persons in Milwaukee aged 25 and above, 84.5% have a high school diploma, and 27% have a bachelor's degree or higher. (2000)
Government and politics
Milwaukee has a mayor-council form of government with a weak-mayor plan. The mayor oversees a Common Council of elected members, each representing one of 15 districts in the city. Milwaukee County residents also elect a county executive (currently Republican Scott Walker) who oversees the County Board of Supervisors, representatives from 19 districts of which nine are entirely within the city's borders. Milwaukee has a history of giving long tenures to its mayors; from Frank Zeidler to Tom Barrett, the city has had only four mayors in the last 60 years. When 28-year incumbent Henry Maier retired in 1988, he held the record for longest term of service for a city of Milwaukee's size.
Milwaukee has been a Democratic stronghold for more than a century, with Democrats dominating every level of government, except for its Socialist mayors and (for briefer periods) other city and county offices. The city is split between three state Senate districts, each of which is composed of three Assembly districts. All 12 of the officials representing the city in the State Legislature are Democrats.
Milwaukee makes up the overwhelming majority of Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. The district is so heavily Democratic that the Democratic primary for the seat is widely considered more important than the general election. The district is currently represented by Democrat Gwen Moore. Small portions of the city located in Washington and Waukesha counties are in the 5th district, represented by Republican Jim Sensenbrenner.
Economy
Milwaukee and its suburbs are the home to the headquarters of 13 Fortune 1000 companies, including Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual, Manpower Inc., Kohl's, Harley-Davidson, Rockwell Automation, Fiserv, Inc., Marshall & Ilsley Corp., Wisconsin Energy, Briggs & Stratton, Joy Global, A.O. Smith,, GE Healthcare Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Systems and MGIC Investments. The Milwaukee metropolitan area ranks fifth in the United States in terms of the number of Fortune 500 company headquarters as a share of the population. Brookfield is the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. Milwaukee also has a large number of financial service firms, particularly those specializing in mutual funds and transaction processing systems, and a number of publishing and printing companies. The Milwaukee area is also the headquarters of Midwest Airlines, Bucyrus International, the Koss Corporation, Harken, Evinrude Outboard Motors (Sturtevant, WI) and Master Lock.
Service and managerial jobs are the fastest-growing segments of the Milwaukee economy, and health care alone makes up 27% the jobs in the city. Twenty-two percent of Milwaukee's workforce is involved in manufacturing, second only to San Jose, California, and far higher than the national average of 16.5%.
Brewing
, closed in 1997]]
Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries (Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller), and was the number one beer producing city in the world for many years. Despite the decline in its position as the world's leading beer producer after the loss of two of those breweries, its one remaining major brewery, Miller Brewing Company remains a key employer by employing over 2,200 of the city's workers. Because of Miller's solid position as the second-largest beer-maker in the U.S., the city remains known as a beer town despite now only representing a fraction of its economy.
The historic Milwaukee Brewery, located in "Miller Valley" at 4000 West State Street, is the oldest still-functioning major brewery in the United States. In July 2008, it was announced that Coors beer would be added to the list of beers brewed in Miller Valley. This created additional brewery jobs in Milwaukee, as its world headquarters moved south from Milwaukee to Chicago.
Besides Miller and the heavily-automated Leinenkugel's brewery in the old Blatz 10th Street plant, the only other currently operating stand-alone breweries in Milwaukee are Milwaukee Brewing Company, a microbrewery in Walker's Point, and Lakefront Brewery, a microbrewery located in Riverwest. The suburb of Glendale is home to Sprecher Brewery, another locally popular microbrew. Various brewpubs can also be found throughout the Milwaukee area, including Milwaukee Ale House and Water Street Brewery.
Manufacturing
along the historically industrial Menomonee River Valley]]
Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, Milwaukee's Menomonee River Valley has historically been home to manufacturing, stockyards, rendering plants, shipping, and other heavy industry.
Reshaping of the valley began with the railroads built by city co-founder Byron Kilbourn to bring product from Wisconsin's farm interior to the port. By 1862 Milwaukee was the largest shipper of wheat on the planet, and related industry developed. Grain elevators were built and, due to Milwaukee's dominant German immigrant population, breweries sprang up around the processing of barley and hops. A number of tanneries were constructed, of which the Pfister & Vogel tannery grew to become the largest in America.
In 1843 George Burnham and his brother Jonathan opened a brickyard near 16th Street. When a durable and distinct cream-colored brick come out of the clay beds, other brickyards sprang up to take advantage of this resource. Because many of the city's buildings were built using this material it earned the nickname "Cream City," and conversely the brick was called Cream City brick. By 1881 the Burnham brickyard, which employed 200 men and peaked at 15 million bricks a year, was the largest in the world.
Flour mills, packing plants, breweries, railways and tanneries further industrialized the valley. With the marshlands drained and the Kinnickinnic and Milwaukee Rivers dredged, attention turned to the valley. In 1869 an initiative was undertaken to channelize the Menomonee River and build a series of ship canals, among which Holtons Canal, the South Menomonee Canal and Burnham Canal are still in use today.
Along with the processing industries, bulk commodity storage and machining and manufacturing entered the scene. The valley was home to the Milwaukee Road, Falk Corporation, Cutler-Hammer, Harnischfeger, Chain Belt Company, Nordberg and other industry giants.
Healthcare
Milwaukee's healthcare industry includes multiple health systems. The Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex located between 8700 and 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue is located on the Milwaukee County grounds. This area includes the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin, the Ronald McDonald House, Curative Rehabilitation and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country and ranked in the top 3 Children's Hospitals in the United States in 2006. Aurora Health Care includes St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, West Allis Memorial,and St. Luke's SouthShore. Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare includes St. Joseph's Hospital, Elmbrook Memorial (Brookfield) and others located in the Milwaukee area. Columbia St. Mary's Hospital is located in Milwaukee's lakeshore and has established affiliations with Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin. The Medical College of Wisconsin is the only medical school in Milwaukee and one of two in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Madison is the second medical school in Wisconsin.
Crime
Violent crime in Milwaukee has declined substantially since the late 1990s : For several years, Milwaukee ranked among the ten most dangerous large cities in the United States, although in recent years, it no longer appears even among the 25 most dangerous cities. However, despite its improvement, Milwaukee still fares worse than average when comparing specific crime types to the national average (e.g., homicide, rape, robbery); only aggravated assaults occur less frequently in Milwaukee than the national average. In 2008, under the leadership of Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, Milwaukee's homicide rate fell to a 23-year low, according to the Journal/Sentinel website, which credits targeted policing and cooperation among law enforcement agencies as the main reasons for the decline.
Also showing encouraging progress is Milwaukee’s confrontation of gang activity. A story in Milwaukee Magazine documented
“tens of thousands of gang members in the city – black, white, Latino and Asian gangs – all involved in some way in the drug trade and almost all riddled with rats - hundreds of informants reporting back to the cops in the Milwaukee Police Department’s Gang Unit.”
The unit was reactivated in 2004 after Police Chief Nannette Hergety was sworn into office. In 2006 alone, the story noted, some 4,000 charges were brought against criminals through Milwaukee’s Gang Unit.
Culture
Museums
Milwaukee is home to a wide variety of museums:
Man at Work collection, which comprises more than 700 paintings and sculptures dating from 1580 to the present. The museum also features a spectacular rooftop sculpture garden.America's Black Holocaust Museum, founded by lynching survivor James Cameron, features exhibits which chronicle the injustices suffered throughout history by African Americans in the United States. The museum closed temporarily in July 2008 as a result of financial difficulties; no formal re-opening date had been set.
]]
- Discovery World, is just south of the Milwaukee Art Museum long the lakefront, draws visitors of high-tech, hand-on exhibits, salt water and freshwater aquariums, as well as touch tanks and digital theatres. A double-helix staircase wraps around the kinetic sculpture of a human genome.
- Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
- Charles Allis Art Museum
- Jewish Museum Milwaukee is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of the Jewish people in southeastern Wisconsin and celebrating the continuum of Jewish heritage and culture.
- William F. Eisner Museum of Advertising & Design
- Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, known as "The Domes," is an indoor botanical garden exhibiting arid desert and humid tropical environments, in three beehive-shaped (not geodesic) glass domes.
- Milwaukee County Zoo is a serene home to more than 1,800 mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles with more than 350 species represented. Recognized as one of the country’s finest zoological attractions, the Milwaukee County Zoo serves as a resource to educate, entertain and inspire.
- Haggerty Museum of Art, located on the Marquette University campus houses several classical masterpieces and is open to the public.
- Harley-Davidson Museum, opened in 2008, pays tribute to Harley-Davidson motorcycles and is the only museum of its type in the world.
- S/V Dennis Sullivan Schooner Ship docked at Discovery World Museum is the first schooner to be built in Milwaukee in over 100 years, and teaches visitors about freshwater, the Great Lakes and Wisconsin's maritime history. The Great Lakes Schooner is the world's only re-creation of an 1880's era three masted vessel.
Performing arts
Milwaukee is home to a number of musical groups and venues, including:
First Stage Children's Theater, Festival City Symphony, Florentine Opera, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Theatre, Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Milwaukee Youth Theatre, Pabst Theater, Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps, The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, Riverside Theater, Skylight Opera Theatre, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and Turner Hall.
In 1984 ComedySportz was founded in Milwaukee by native Dick Chudnow and has since become a franchise, with numerous venues throughout the United States and England. In July 2009 the ComedySportz world championship will return to Milwaukee to coincide with their 25th anniversary.
Festivals
Milwaukee, "A Great Place on a Great Lake" has also advertised itself as the "City of Festivals," The Milwaukee metropolitan area hosts the Wisconsin State Fair, as well as an annual lakefront fair called Summerfest. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest music festival in the world, Summerfest attracts around 1,000,000 visitors each year to its eleven stages.
Milwaukee is also home to a variety of primarily ethnically themed festivals throughout the summer. Held generally on the lakefront Summerfest grounds, these festivals span several days (typically Friday plus the weekend) and celebrate Milwaukee's history and diversity. In 2008 Riversplash, which markets itself as 'the official opening of summer', kicks off festival season on the last weekend of May. Festivals for the LGBT (PrideFest) and Polish communities follow in June. Summerfest spans 11 days at the end of June and beginning of July. There are French (Bastille Day), Greek, Italian and German festivals in July. The African, Arab, Irish, Mexican, and American Indian events wrap it up from August through September.
Music
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Milwaukee has a long history of musical activity. The first organized musical society, called "Milwaukee Beethoven Society" formed in 1843, three years before the city was incorporated. This was later replaced with the Milwaukee Musical Society.
The large concentrations of German immigrants contributed to the musical character of the city. Saengerbund festivals were held regularly. Also notable is the founding of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in 1899.
More recently, Milwaukee has enjoyed a vibrant history of rock, hip hop, jazz, soul, blues, punk, ska, industrial music, electronica, world music, and pop music bands. Venues such as Pabst Theater, Marcus Center for Performing Arts, the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, Marcus Amphitheater (Summerfest Grounds), Riverside Theater, the Northern Lights Theater, and The Rave frequently bring internationally-known and critically acclaimed acts to Milwaukee. 'Jazz in the Park', a weekly jazz show held at downtown Cathedral Square Park, has become a summer tradition; free, public performances with a picnic environment.
The Milwaukee area is known for producing national talents such as Steve Miller (rock), Wladziu Valentino Liberace (piano), Al Jarreau (jazz), Daryl Stuermer (rock), BoDeans (rock), Les Paul (rock), the Violent Femmes (alternative), Die Kreuzen (punk), Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy (punk), Andrew 'The Butcher' Mrotek of The Academy Is... (alt-rock), The Promise Ring (indie), the Gufs (alt rock), and Decibully (indie) .
Municipal wireless
Through its Milwaukee Wireless Initiative, the city has contracted with Midwest Fiber Networks to invest US$20 million in setting up a municipal wireless network city-wide. Under the plan, the city will designate numerous government and public service websites for free access, and city residents will be able to access unlimited content for a monthly fee. Full wireless coverage was expected by March 2008, but delays have been reported.
The city had previously established free wireless networks in two downtown city parks: Cathedral Square; and Pere Marquette Park.
Park system and recreation
, "The Domes"]]
Milwaukee County is known for its well-developed park system. The Grand Necklace of Parks, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted includes Lake Park, River Park (now Riverside Park) and West Park (now Washington Park). The offer facilities for sunbathing, picnics, grilling, disc golf, and ice skating. It has over 140 parks with over of parks and parkways that enhance the quality of life for residents in southeastern Wisconsin. Early Commissioners conceived of a park system that would form a "green belt" or series of scenic drives and parks encircling the county. Parks were located in outlying areas to allow for population expansion. Commissioners selected land not only for its natural beauty and interest, but also for its fitness for various forms of active and passive recreation.
Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee parks include Beverly Pepper's Cleopatra's Wedge in Burns Commons and two sculptures by Wisconsin artist Nancy Metz White: "Tree of Life" in Mitchell Boulevard Park and "Magic Grove" in Enderis Park.
The Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, The Milwaukee Yacht Club, The Southshore Yacht Club, Kenosha Yacht Club, Racine Yacht Club, and inland Pewaukee Yacht Club also offer social, educational, and recreational sailing opportunities. The Queens Cup Sailing race departs from Milwaukee to Michigan each summer.
in downtown]]
The U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee (formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open) is a PGA Tour event held at Brown Deer Park Golf Course in the bordering suburb of Brown Deer.
Additional recreational resources include the Milwaukee County Zoo, the Boerner Botanical Gardens, and Mitchell Park Domes.
The Milwaukee County Grounds feature the famous Monarch Trail, where every fall the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies can be witnessed along its 1.25 mile (2 km) length.
Various opportunities for sports fishing are provided by Lake Michigan.
Sports
Milwaukee has a rich history of involvement in professional and nonprofessional sports, going back to the 19th century. Currently, its major sports teams include:
National Women's Football Association
Milwaukee is also the host city of The Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic, presented by Time Warner Cable, which includes the men's and women's Superweek Pro Tour races, featuring top professional and elite amateur cyclists and teams from across the U.S. and more than 20 foreign countries.
Between 1933 and 1994 the Green Bay Packers of the NFL split their home games between Green Bay in north Wisconsin and Milwaukee. The Packers are Wisconsin's most successful sports team and one of the greatest in NFL history.
Transportation
Air
Milwaukee is home to two airports, General Mitchell International Airport on the southern edge of the city, and the smaller Timmerman Field on the north side. Mitchell is served by 14 airlines, which offer roughly 240 daily departures and 245 daily arrivals. Approximately 90 cities are served nonstop or direct from Mitchell International. It is the largest airport in Wisconsin. The airport terminal is open 24 hours a day.[11] Since 2005, Mitchell International Airport has been connected by the Amtrak Hiawatha train service, which provides airport access via train to Chicago and Milwaukee.
Train and bus
Milwaukee's Amtrak station was renovated in 2007 to create the Intermodal Transportation Station located near downtown Milwaukee and the Third Ward. The renovated station is home to Amtrak train and Greyhound Lines bus transportation. Amtrak serves Milwaukee, operating its Empire Builder daily in both directions between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest with stops near Madison, Wisconsin Dells and Minneapolis, MN. Milwaukee is also served by the Hiawatha Amtrak express service up to seven times daily between Milwaukee and Chicago, including a newer stop, the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station, which opened in 2005.
The Badger Busline and station is located in downtown Milwaukee and provides bus service between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Stops include Madison Memorial Union (UW-Madison), Madison Bus Depot, Johnson Creek , Goerkes Corners, Milwaukee 84th St, Milwaukee Bus Depot (downtown Milwaukee), and Mitchell Airport.
The Milwaukee County Transit System provides bus transportation services within Milwaukee County.
Highway
Two of Wisconsin's Interstate highways intersect in Milwaukee. Interstate 94 comes north from Chicago to enter Milwaukee and continues west to Madison. Interstate 43 enters Milwaukee from the southwest and continues north to Green Bay. Milwaukee has two branch interstate highways, Interstate 894 and Interstate 794. I-894 extends from the western suburbs to the southern suburbs, bypassing downtown. I-794 extends east from the Marquette Interchange to Lake Michigan before turning south over the Hoan Bridge toward the airport, turning into Highway 794 along the way. Milwaukee is also served by three US highways. U.S. Route 18 provides a link from downtown to points west. U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 45 both provide north-south freeway transportation on the western side of the city.
Bicycle
In recent years, Milwaukee has become one of the more bicycle-friendly cities in the United States. holds an annual Bike to Work Week. The event, held in May each year, has frequently featured a commuter race between a car, a bus, and a bike; and also a morning ride into work with the mayor. In 2006, it obtained bronze-level status from the League of American Bicyclists , a rarity for a city its size. The city has over of bicycle lanes and trails, most of which run alongside or near its rivers and Lake Michigan. Still pending are the creation of bicycle lanes along major commuting routes, such as the Hoan Bridge connector between downtown and the suburbs to the south. The city has also identified over of streets on which bike lanes will fit. It has created a plan labeling of those as high priority for receiving bike lanes. As part of the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force's mission to "make Milwaukee more bicycle and pedestrian friendly", over 700 bike racks have been installed throughout the city. Unlike many other cities, however, bicycle racks have not yet been installed on any city buses.
Ferry
High speed ferry service is available from Milwaukee to Michigan. Ferries leave daily in non-winter months from the Port of Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan via the Lake Express high speed car ferry. The ferry provides a 3-hour connection to Michigan, bypassing the I-94 highway through Chicago and Indiana.
Tram
A tram system known as the Milwaukee Connector was proposed and passed by the Common Council, but Mayor Tom Barrett vetoed the bill because of problems of cost and availability. A 0.5% sales tax has been proposed for the counties of Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha by the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority to fund an extension of the Chicago Metra commuter rail from Kenosha to downtown Milwaukee. The tax would also be used to fund the bus systems in those counties that currently rely on property taxes.
Media
Milwaukee's only surviving daily newspaper is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which was formed when the morning paper the Milwaukee Sentinel merged with the afternoon paper Milwaukee Journal. The most prominent alternative weekly is Shepherd Express, a free publication. Other local newspapers, city guides and magazines with large distributions include M Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, Vital Source, The Bay View Compass, and Riverwest Currents. OnMilwaukee.com is an online magazine providing news and events. The UWM Post is the independent, student-run weekly at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Onion, a weekly satirical publication, is distributed free in Milwaukee (one of the paper's earliest markets) in addition to nine other U.S. cities.
Milwaukee's major network television affiliates are WTMJ 4 (NBC), WITI 6 (Fox), WISN 12 (ABC), WVTV 18 (CW), WCGV 24 (MyNetworkTV), and WDJT 58 (CBS). Spanish language programming is on WBWT 38 (Azteca America) and WYTU-LP 63 (Telemundo). Milwaukee's public broadcasting stations are WMVS 10 and WMVT 36.
Other television stations in the Milwaukee market include WMKE 7 (America One), WVCY 30 (FN), WMLW 41 (Independent), WBME 49 (ME-TV), WWRS 52 (TBN), and WPXE 55 (ION)
There are numerous radio stations throughout Milwaukee and the surrounding area.
Journal Communications (a NYSE-traded corporation), in addition to owning the Journal Sentinel, also owns: WTMJ-TV; WTMJ and WLWK radio stations; and well over a dozen local weekly newspapers in the metropolitan area. As a result, it has been repeatedly criticized for having a near-monopoly in local news coverage., with critics concerned about a certain uniformity of thought and coverage, as well as to lack of coverage of topics unfriendly to Journal Communications interests in such matters as labor disputes.
Sister cities
The city of Milwaukee has several sister cities as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc (SCI) and Milwaukee's Sister Cities:
Cooperation
Although this relationship is not recognized by SCI, officials from Milwaukee and Ningbo have signed an agreement to promote business and cultural ties between the two cities and their respective nations.
In popular culture
- Milwaukee appears as a setting under the name Millhaven, Illinois in the later works of Milwaukeean Peter Straub
- Milwaukee was the setting for popular American television shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including
Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Milwaukee unveiled a life-sized, bronze statue of Fonzie from Happy Days along the downtown Riverwalk on August 19, 2008.Milwaukee has appeared in scenes from various films including:The Blues Brothers (1980)Major League (1989)Wayne's World (1992)BASEketball (1998)Dogma (1999)Milwaukee, Minnesota (2003)Mr. 3000 (2004)Dawn of the Dead (2004)Chasing Sound: Les Paul at 90 (2007)Michael Clayton (2007)Public Enemies (2009)
See also
External links
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