View source for Milwaukee

{{Short description|Largest city in Wisconsin, United States}}
{{about|the city in Wisconsin|the former town in Wisconsin|Milwaukee (town), Wisconsin|the county in Wisconsin|Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|the city in Oregon|Milwaukie, Oregon||Milwaukee (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Milwaukee
| settlement_type    = [[Administrative divisions of Wisconsin#City|City]]
| nicknames          = Cream City, Brew City, MKE, City of Festivals, [[Area code 414|The 414]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Henzl|first1=Ann-Elise|title=How Milwaukee Got The Nickname 'Cream City'|url=https://www.wuwm.com/regional/2019-12-27/how-milwaukee-got-the-nickname-cream-city|website=wuwm.com|publisher=[[WUWM]]|access-date=August 17, 2021|date=December 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Tyler |date=2023-02-01 |title=20 Milwaukee nicknames, ranked |url=https://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/20-milwaukee-nicknames-ranked/ |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=Milwaukee Record |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Tarnoff|first1=Andy|title=The 411 on the 414 area code|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/414-history|website=onmilwaukee.com|access-date=August 17, 2021|date=April 14, 2021}}</ref>
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 280
| perrow                   = 1/3/1/2
| caption_align            = center
| image1                   = Dji fly 20241201 160430 0031 1733092392756 photo-edit1.jpg
| caption1                 = [[Downtown Milwaukee]]
| image2                   = Ein aktuelles Foto des Art-Museum - panoramio.jpg
| caption2                 = [[Milwaukee Art Museum]]
| image3                   = Milwaukee (WIS) Downtown Riverwalk 100 East Building & First National Bank Building (4743909231).jpg
| caption3                 = [[Milwaukee Riverwalk]]
| image4                   = Harley-Davidson Museum statue.jpg
| caption4                 = [[Harley-Davidson Museum|Harley Museum]]
| image5                   = Panorama at the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (20 October 2023) 07.jpg
| caption5                 = [[Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory|Mitchell Park Domes]]
| image6                   = St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers September 2023 01 (American Family Field).jpg
| caption6                 = [[American Family Field]]
| image7                   = Captain Frederick Pabst home, Milwaukee, Wi (4930431457).jpg
| caption7                 = [[Pabst Mansion]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.svg
| image_seal         = MKESeal.png
| image_blank_emblem = City of Milwaukee Logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| blank_emblem_size  = 100px
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| image_map          = {{maplink
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  | frame-width        = 270
  | frame-height       = 270
  | frame-coord        = {{coord|qid=Q37836}}
  | zoom               = 10
  | type               = shape
  | marker             = city
  | stroke-width       = 2
  | stroke-color       = #0096FF
  | fill               = #0096FF
  | fill-opacity = 0.15
  | id2                = Q37836
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| map_caption        = Interactive map of Milwaukee
| pushpin_map        = Wisconsin#USA
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|Counties]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]], [[Washington County, Wisconsin|Washington]],<!--The Census maps show a piece of Milwaukee is in Washington County : see the pointing arrow at the corner https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st55_wi/schooldistrict_maps/c55131_washington/DC20SD_C55131.pdf --> [[Waukesha County, Wisconsin|Waukesha]]
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Strong mayor-council]]
| governing_body     = [[Government of Milwaukee#Common Council|Milwaukee Common Council]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = [[Cavalier Johnson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| established_title  = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = {{Start date and age|1846|01|31}}
<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 250.75
| area_land_km2      = 249.12
| area_water_km2     = 1.63
| area_total_sq_mi   = 96.81
| area_land_sq_mi    = 96.18
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.63
<!-- Population -->| population_total   = 577222
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/milwaukeecitywisconsin/POP010220|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 24, 2021}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 2024
| population_est     = 563531 {{decrease}}
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusQuickFacts">{{cite web |title=Milwaukee city, Wisconsin |work=QuickFacts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/milwaukeecitywisconsin |access-date=May 15, 2025 }}</ref>
| population_rank    = [[List of North American cities by population|85th]] in North America<br />[[List of United States cities by population|31st]] in the United States<br>[[List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population|1st]] in Wisconsin
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_urban   = 1,306,795 ([[List of United States urban areas|US: 38th]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,088.2
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 2,818.3
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web|title=2020 Population and Housing State Data|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2021}}</ref>
| population_metro   = 1574731 ([[List of metropolitan statistical areas|US: 40th]])
| population_blank1_title = [[Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
| population_blank1  = 2049805 ([[List of combined statistical areas|US: 33rd]])
| population_demonym = Milwaukeean
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP33340|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Metro
| demographics2_info1 = $120.563 billion (2022)
| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|CST]]
| utc_offset         = −6
| timezone_DST       = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −5
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = {{collapsible list
|title = 53172, 532XX
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style = text-align:center;display:none
|53172, 53201–53216, 53218–53228, 53233–53234, 53237, 53259, 53263, 53267–53268, 53274, 53278, 53288, 53290, 53293, 53295}}
| area_code          = [[Area code 414|414]]
| coordinates        = {{Coord|43.05|N|87.95|W|type:city_region:US-WI_dim:50km|display=title,inline}}
| elevation_m        = 188
| elevation_ft       = 617
| blank_name         = [[FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 55-53000<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1577901<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|city.milwaukee.gov}}
| footnotes          = 
| founder            = [[Solomon Juneau]], [[Byron Kilbourn]], and [[George H. Walker]]
| named_for          = [[Potawatomi language|Potawatomi]] for "gathering place by the water"
}}

'''Milwaukee'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|m|ɪ|l|ˈ|w|ɔː|k|i}} {{respell|mil|WAW|kee}}, {{IPAc-en|local|m|ə|ˈ|w|ɔː|k|i|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Milwaukee.wav}} {{respell|mə|WAW|kee}}}} is the [[List of cities in Wisconsin|most populous city]] in the state of [[Wisconsin]]. Located on the western shore of [[Lake Michigan]], it is the [[List of United States cities by population|31st-most populous city]] in the United States and the fifth-most populous city in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] with a population of 577,222 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The [[Milwaukee metropolitan area]], with over 1.57 million residents, is the [[Metropolitan statistical area|40th-largest metropolitan area]] in the nation. It is the [[county seat]] of [[Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Milwaukee County]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Counties|url=https://www.wicounties.org/the-counties/|access-date=January 11, 2023|website=Wisconsin Counties Association|language=en-US}}</ref>

Milwaukee was inhabited by many indigenous cultures, particularly the [[Potawatomi]], [[Menominee]], and [[Ho-Chunk]]. In the early 19th century, European settlers established the city as a hub for trade and industry, capitalizing on its location as a port. [[History of Milwaukee|Its history]] was heavily influenced by Central European immigrants, and it remains a [[Germans in Milwaukee|center of German-American culture]]. Milwaukee grew into a [[Beer in Milwaukee|major brewing center]], with the [[Miller Brewing Company|Miller]], [[Pabst Brewing Company|Pabst]], and [[Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company|Schlitz]] breweries shaping its industrial identity. The city also became known for [[Sewer socialism|its strong labor movement]]. While it is an ethnically and [[culturally diverse]] city,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mak|first1=Adrian|title=Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.|url=https://advisorsmith.com/data/most-diverse-cities-in-the-u-s/|website=advisorsmith.com|access-date=March 7, 2021|date=June 24, 2020}}</ref> it continues to be one of the most racially segregated cities{{Where|date=October 2025}} as a result of early-20th century [[redlining]].<ref name="Leah Foltman & Malia Jones">{{cite web|url=https://www.wiscontext.org/how-redlining-continues-shape-racial-segregation-milwaukee|date=February 28, 2019|title=How Redlining Continues To Shape Racial Segregation In Milwaukee|website=Wiscontext|publisher=PBS Wisconsin/Wisconsin Public Radio|first1=Leah|last1=Foltman|first2=Malia|last2=Jones}}</ref>

Milwaukee is rated as a "Sufficiency" city by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]],<ref>{{cite web|title=World Cities 2024|url=https://gawc.lboro.ac.uk/gawc-worlds/the-world-according-to-gawc/world-cities-2024/|website=GaWC – Research Network|publisher=Globalization and World Cities|access-date=January 21, 2024}}</ref> with a [[List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP|regional GDP]] of over $130&nbsp;billion in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/lagdp1224.pdf |title = Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2023|publisher = [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] |website = www.bea.gov}}</ref> The city is home to [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]] companies [[Northwestern Mutual]], [[Fiserv]], [[ManpowerGroup]], [[Rockwell Automation]], and [[WEC Energy Group]].<ref name="fortune">{{cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2024/06/06/wisconsin-companies-on-2024-fortune-500-led-by-northwestern-mutual/73998064007/ |title=These are the 8 Wisconsin companies on the 2024 Fortune 500. Three of them took big jumps on the list. |author=Clarey, David |publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=June 6, 2024 |access-date=July 7, 2025 }}</ref> Its cultural institutions include the [[Harley-Davidson Museum]], [[Milwaukee Art Museum]], [[Milwaukee Public Museum]], and [[Summerfest]], one of the world's largest music festivals. It is home to several higher education institutions, such as [[Marquette University]], [[Milwaukee School of Engineering]], and the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]]. The city's major league [[Sports in Milwaukee|professional sports teams]] include the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] ([[Major League Baseball|MLB]]) and [[Milwaukee Bucks]] ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]).

==History==
{{Main|History of Milwaukee}}

===Name===
The etymological origin of the name ''Milwaukee'' is disputed.<ref name="MilMagMilwaukeeMean"><!--supports the disputed origin-->{{Cite magazine|first=Matthew|last=Prigge|date=January 29, 2018|title=What Does 'Milwaukee' Mean, Anyway?|url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/what-does-milwaukee-mean/|access-date=October 5, 2023|website=Milwaukee Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref><ref><!--supports the disputed origin-->{{Cite web|date=August 8, 2017|title=Milwaukee County [origin of place name]|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS10647|access-date=October 5, 2023|website=Wisconsin Historical Society|language=en}}</ref> Wisconsin academic Virgil J. Vogel has said, "the name [...] Milwaukee is not difficult to explain, yet there are a number of conflicting claims made concerning it."<ref name="Vogel134">{{Cite book|last=Vogel|first=Virgil J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xrYfektNvoQC&pg=PA34|title=Indian Names on Wisconsin's Map|date=1991|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|page=34|isbn=978-0-299-12984-2|language=en}}</ref>

One theory says it comes from the [[Ojibwe language|Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwe]] word {{lang|oj|mino-akking}}, meaning "good land",<ref name="MilMagMilwaukeeMean"/><ref name="WUWM origin">{{Cite news|date=October 14, 2016|title=Mino-akking, Mahn-a-waukke: What's The Origin Of The Word 'Milwaukee'?|url=https://www.wuwm.com/regional/2016-10-14/mino-akking-mahn-a-waukke-whats-the-origin-of-the-word-milwaukee|access-date=October 5, 2023|website=WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR|language=en}}</ref> or words in closely related languages that mean the same.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bright|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA284|title=Native American Placenames of the United States|date=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|page=284|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|language=en}}</ref> These included Menominee and Potawatomi.<ref name="Vogel134"/> This theory was popularized by a line by [[Alice Cooper]] in the 1992 comedy film ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]''.<ref name="MilMagMilwaukeeMean"/> Another theory is that it stems from the [[Fox language|Meskwaki]] language, whose term for "gathering place" is ''mahn-a-waukee''.<ref name="MilMagMilwaukeeMean"/><ref name="WUWM origin"/> The city of Milwaukee itself claims that the name is derived from {{lang|pot|mahn-ah-wauk}}, a Potawatomi word for "council grounds".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Milwaukee History|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/cityclerk/MilwaukeeHistory|access-date=January 24, 2024|website=City of Milwaukee}}</ref>

The name of the future city was spelled in many ways prior to 1844.<ref name="Legler">{{Cite book|first=Henry|last=Legler|author-link=Henry Eduard Legler|title=Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin Place-names: With Special Reference to Indian Nomenclature|publisher=Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters|date=1903|page=24|url=https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AZ2O57KPOUDGBE8I}}</ref> People living west of the [[Milwaukee River]] preferred the modern-day spelling, while those east of the river often called it ''Milwaukie''.<ref name="MilMagMilwaukeeMean"/> Other spellings included ''Melleokii'' (1679), ''Millioki'' (1679), ''Meleki'' (1684), ''Milwarik'' (1699), ''Milwacky'' (1761), ''Milwakie'' (1779), ''Millewackie'' (1817), ''Milwahkie'' (1820), and ''Milwalky'' (1821). The ''[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]'' used ''Milwaukie'' in its headline until it switched to ''Milwaukee'' on November 30, 1844.<ref name="Legler"/> The city of [[Milwaukie, Oregon]], retains the alternate spelling.

===Indigenous cultures===
Indigenous cultures lived along the waterways for thousands of years. The first recorded inhabitants of the Milwaukee area were various [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes: the [[Menominee]], [[Meskwaki]], [[Mascouten]], [[Sauk people|Sauk]], [[Potawatomi]], and [[Ojibwe]] (all Algic/Algonquian peoples), and the [[Ho-Chunk]] (Winnebago, a Siouan people). Many of these people had lived around [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]]<ref>{{cite book|last=White|first=Richard|title=The Middle Ground|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|page=146|isbn=9781139495684|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHLfiOZVzmMC&pg=PA146}}</ref> before migrating to the Milwaukee area at about the time of European contact.

In the second half of the 18th century, the Native Americans living near Milwaukee played a role in all the major European wars on the American continent. During the [[French and Indian War]], a group of "Ojibwas and Pottawattamies from the far [Lake] Michigan" (i.e., the area from Milwaukee to Green Bay) joined the French-Canadian [[Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu]] at the [[Battle of the Monongahela]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Fowler|first=William|title=Empires at War|year=2005|publisher=Walker & Company|location=New York|page=68|isbn=9780802719355|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XqukoiTFL_oC&pg=PA68}}</ref> In the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Native Americans around Milwaukee were some of the few groups to ally with the rebel Continentals.<ref>{{cite book|last=White|first=Richard|title=The Middle Ground|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|page=400|isbn=9781139495684|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHLfiOZVzmMC&pg=PA400}}</ref>

After the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Native Americans fought the United States in the [[Northwest Indian War]] as part of the [[Council of Three Fires]]. During the [[War of 1812]], they held a council in Milwaukee in June 1812, which resulted in their decision to attack [[Chicago]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Keating|first=Ann|title=Rising Up from Indian Country|year=2012|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|page=137}}</ref> in retaliation against American expansion. This resulted in the [[Battle of Fort Dearborn]] on August 15, 1812, the only known armed conflict in Chicago. This battle convinced the American government to [[Indian Removal|remove]] these groups of Native Americans from their indigenous land.{{dubious|date=March 2023}} After being attacked in the [[Black Hawk War]] in 1832, the Native Americans in Milwaukee signed the [[1833 Treaty of Chicago]] with the United States. In exchange for ceding their lands in the area, they were to receive monetary payments and lands west of the Mississippi in [[Indian Territory]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Potawatomi Treaties and Treaty Rights {{!}} Milwaukee Public Museum|url=https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-107|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=www.mpm.edu}}</ref>

===European settlement===
[[File:Solomon Juneau.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of [[Solomon Juneau]], who helped establish the city of Milwaukee]]
Europeans arrived in the Milwaukee area before the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. French missionaries and traders first passed through the area in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Alexis Laframboise, coming from Michilimackinac (now in Michigan), settled a trading post in 1785 and is considered the first resident of European descent in the Milwaukee region.<ref name="St-Pierre, T 1895">St-Pierre, T. ''Histoire des Canadiens du Michigan et du comté d'essex, Ontario''. ''Cahiers du septentrion'', vol. 17. Sillery, Québec: Septentrion. 2000; 1895.</ref>

One story on the origin of Milwaukee's name says,
{{blockquote|[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.<ref name="WGBruce">{{cite book|last=Bruce|first=William George|year=1936|title=A Short History of Milwaukee|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin|publisher=The Bruce Publishing Company|pages=15–16|lccn=36010193}}</ref>}}
The spelling "Milwaukie" lives on in [[Milwaukie, Oregon]], named after the Wisconsin city in 1847, before the current spelling was universally accepted.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 3, 2016|title=From Milwaukee, Wis. to Milwaukie, Ore.|author-first1=Molly|author-last1=Snyder|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/milwaukieore|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=OnMilwaukee}}</ref>

Milwaukee has three "[[Father of the Nation|founding fathers]]": [[Solomon Juneau]], [[Byron Kilbourn]], and [[George H. Walker]]. Solomon Juneau was the first of the three to come to the area, in 1818. He founded a town called Juneau's Side, or Juneautown, that began attracting more settlers. In competition with Juneau, Byron Kilbourn established Kilbourntown west of the [[Milwaukee River]]. He ensured the roads 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/bridges/|title=Bridges {{!}} Encyclopedia of Milwaukee|website=emke.uwm.edu|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> Further, Kilbourn distributed maps of the area which only showed Kilbourntown, implying Juneautown did not exist or the river's east side was uninhabited and thus undesirable. The third prominent developer 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Walker's Point|url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/walkers-point/|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee}}</ref>

The first large wave of settlement to the areas that would later become Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee began in 1835, following removal of the tribes in the Council of Three Fires. Early that year it became known that Juneau and Kilbourn intended to lay out competing town-sites. By the year's end both had purchased their lands from the government and made their first sales. There were perhaps 100 new settlers in this year, mostly from [[New England]] and other Eastern states. On September 17, 1835, the first election was held in Milwaukee; the number of votes cast was 39.<ref>{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{Cite book|title=Memoirs of Milwaukee County from the Earliest Historical Times ..., Vol. I|last=Watrous|first=Jerome A.|publisher=Western Historical Association|year=1909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XD4VAAAAYAAJ&q=editions:Jqsw4p18KfAC|location=Madison, Wisconsin|pages=265–267}}}}</ref>

By 1840, the three towns had grown, along with their rivalries. There were intense battles between the towns, mainly Juneautown and Kilbourntown, which culminated with the [[Milwaukee Bridge War]] of 1845. Following the Bridge War, on January 31, 1846, the towns were combined to incorporate as the City of Milwaukee, and elected Solomon Juneau as Milwaukee's first mayor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://192.159.83.40/SOS/pdf/THEOSOS_025/images/00014104.pdf|title=City of Milwaukee Incorporated, page 164, 1846; page 314, 1851|access-date=April 8, 2007|author=City of Milwaukee|publisher=Office of the Secretary of State of Wisconsin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605144656/http://192.159.83.40/SOS/pdf/THEOSOS_025/images/00014104.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=June 5, 2007}}</ref>

===Growth and immigration===
[[File:Milwaukee birdseye map by Bailey (1872). loc call no g4124m-pm010450.jpg|thumb|Illustrated map of Milwaukee in 1872]]

Milwaukee began to grow as a city as high numbers of immigrants, mainly [[Germans|German]], made their way to Wisconsin during the 1840s and 1850s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Germans|url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/germans/|access-date=January 11, 2023|website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee|language=en-US}}</ref> Scholars classify [[German immigration to the United States]] in three major waves, and Wisconsin received a significant number of immigrants from all three. The first wave from 1845 to 1855 consisted mainly of people from [[Southwestern Germany]], the second wave from 1865 to 1873 concerned primarily [[Northwestern Germany]], while the third wave from 1880 to 1893 came from [[Northeastern Germany]].<ref name="Bungert, Heike 2006">Bungert, Heike, Cora Lee Kluge and Robert C. Ostergren. ''Wisconsin German Land and Life''. Madison: [[Max Kade Institute]] for German-American Studies, 2006.</ref> By 1900, 34 percent of Milwaukee's population was of German background.<ref name="Bungert, Heike 2006" /> The largest number of German immigrants to Milwaukee came from [[Prussia]], followed by [[Bavaria]], [[Saxony]], [[Hanover]], and [[Hesse-Darmstadt]]. Milwaukee gained its reputation as the most German of American cities not just from the large number of German immigrants it received, but also for the sense of community that the immigrants established.<ref name="Conzen, Kathleen Neils 1860">Conzen, Kathleen Neils. ''Immigrant Milwaukee, 1836–1860''. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: [[Harvard University Press]], 1976.</ref>

Most German immigrants came to Wisconsin in search of inexpensive farmland.<ref name="Conzen, Kathleen Neils 1860" /> However, immigration began to change in character and size in the late 1840s and early 1850s, due to the [[Revolutions of 1848|1848 revolutionary movements in Europe]].<ref>Conzen, Kathleen Neils. {{" '}}The German Athens' Milwaukee and the Accommodation of Its Immigrants 1836–1860." PhD diss., vol. 1, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1972.</ref> After 1848, hopes for a united Germany had failed, and revolutionary and radical Germans, known as the "[[Forty-Eighters]]", immigrated to the U.S. to avoid imprisonment and persecution by German authorities.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Dippel|first1=Christian|last2=Heblich|first2=Stephan|date=May 24, 2020|title=Leadership and Social Movements: The Forty-Eighters in the Civil War|url=https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty_pages/christian.dippel/48ers_paper.pdf|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=UCLA Anderson|page=7|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112150246/https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty_pages/christian.dippel/48ers_paper.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

One of the most famous "liberal revolutionaries" of 1848 was [[Carl Schurz]]. He later explained in 1854 why he came to Milwaukee,
<blockquote>"It is true, similar things [cultural events and societies] were done in other cities where the Forty-eighters {{sic}} had congregated. But so far as I know, nowhere did their influence so quickly impress itself upon the whole social atmosphere as in 'German Athens of America' as Milwaukee was called at the time."<ref>"[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ny:True,Ro:0,N:4294963828-4294963788&dsNavOnly=Ntk:All%7cMilwaukee+and+Watertown+as+Seen+by+Schurz+in+1854%7c3%7c,Ny:True,Ro:0&dsRecordDetails=R:BA4176&dsDimensionSearch=D:Milwaukee+and+Watertown+as+Seen+by+Schurz+in+1854,Dxm:All,Dxp:3&dsCompoundDimensionSearch=D:Milwaukee+and+Watertown+as+Seen+by+Schurz+in+1854,Dxm:All,Dxp:3 Milwaukee and Watertown as Seen by Schurz in 1854]". ''The Milwaukee Journal'', October 21, 1941. Accessed February 5, 2013.</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Lake Front Depot 1898 LOC ds.00203.jpg|thumb|left|Milwaukee's [[Lake Front Depot]] in 1898]]

Schurz was referring to the various clubs and societies Germans developed in Milwaukee. The American [[Turners]] established its own [[Normal College]] for teachers of physical education and the [[University School of Milwaukee|German-English Academy]].<ref>Rippley, LaVern J. and Eberhard Reichmann, trans. "The German Americans, An Ethnic Experience." [http://maxkade.iupui.edu/ Max Kade German-American Center] and [[Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis]]. (accessed February 5, 2013).</ref> Milwaukee's German element is still strongly present; the city celebrates its German culture by annually hosting a German Fest in July<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 5, 2021|title=Milwaukee's German Fest canceled over COVID-19 concerns|url=https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/milwaukees-german-fest-canceled-over-covid-19-concerns|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=TMJ4|language=en}}</ref> and an [[Oktoberfest]] in October. Milwaukee boasts a number of German restaurants, as well as a traditional German beer hall. A German language [[immersion school]] is offered for children in grades [[K-5 (education)|K–5]].<ref name=immersionschool>{{cite web|title=Milwaukee German Immersion School|url=http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/mgis/|website=5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us|access-date=April 24, 2015|archive-date=April 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425215726/http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/mgis/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although the German presence in Milwaukee after the Civil War remained strong and their largest wave of immigrants had yet to land, other groups also made their way to the city. Foremost among these were [[Polish people|Polish]] immigrants. Because Milwaukee offered the Polish immigrants an abundance of low-paying entry-level jobs, it became home to [[List of the United States cities with large Polish-American populations|one of the largest Polish-American communities]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Introduction {{!}} Milwaukee Polonia|url=https://uwm.edu/mkepolonia/introduction/|access-date=March 2, 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> For many residents, [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#South Side|Milwaukee's South Side]] is synonymous with the Polish community.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Poles|url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/poles/|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee|language=en-US}}</ref> Milwaukee County's Polish population of 30,000 in 1890 rose to 100,000 by 1915.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nation of Polonia {{!}} Polish/Russian {{!}} Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History {{!}} Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress {{!}} Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/polish-russian/the-nation-of-polonia/|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Library of Congress}}</ref> [[St. Stanislaus Catholic Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)|St. Stanislaus Catholic Church]] and the surrounding [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee|neighborhood]] was the center of [[Polish people|Polish]] life in Milwaukee. As the Polish community surrounding St. Stanislaus continued to grow, Mitchell Street became known as the "Polish Grand Avenue". As Mitchell Street grew more dense, the Polish population started moving south to the [[Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Lincoln Village neighborhood]], home to the [[Basilica of St. Josaphat]] and [[Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin#Kosciuszko Park|Kosciuszko Park]]. Other Polish communities started on [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|the East Side of Milwaukee]]. [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Jones Island|Jones Island]] was a major [[commercial fishing]] center settled mostly by [[Kashubians]] and other Poles from around the [[Baltic Sea]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Beutner|first=Jeff|title=Yesterday's Milwaukee: Jones Island Fishing Village, 1898|url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2016/04/13/yesterdays-milwaukee-jones-island-fishing-village-1898/|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Urban Milwaukee|language=en}}</ref> Milwaukee has the fifth-largest Polish population in the U.S. at 45,467, ranking behind [[New York City]] (211,203), [[Chicago]] (165,784), [[Los Angeles]] (60,316) and [[Philadelphia]] (52,648).<ref name="factfinder2.census.gov">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213036/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=American FactFinder – Results|author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS)|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref> The city holds [[Polish Fest]], an annual celebration of [[Polish culture]] and [[Polish food|cuisine]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/events/2018/06/13/polish-fest-100th-anniversary-poland/673094002/|title=Polish Fest celebrates the 100th anniversary of the rebirth of a nation|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=October 3, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Pabst Building Milwaukee from LOC ID Service-pnp-det-4a00000-4a08000-4a08000-4a08079v.jpg|thumb|Wisconsin Street and the [[Pabst Building]] in the early 20th century]]

In addition to the Germans and Poles, Milwaukee received a large influx of other [[Europe]]an immigrants from [[Lithuania]], [[Italy]], [[Ireland]], [[France]], [[Russia]], [[Bohemia]], and [[Sweden]], who included [[American Jews|Jews]], [[Lutherans]], and [[Catholics]]. [[Italian Americans]] total 16,992 in the city, but in Milwaukee County, they number at 38,286.<ref name="factfinder2.census.gov" /> The largest Italian-American festival in the area, ''Festa Italiana'', is held in the city, while ''Irishfest'' is the largest Irish-American festival in southeast Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gbhs/resources/unitedstates/Milwaukee.html|title=Aus dem Egerland, nach Milwaukee|last=Muehlhans-Karides|first=Susan|access-date=April 25, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423173335/http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gbhs/resources/unitedstates/Milwaukee.html|archive-date=April 23, 2010}}</ref> By 1910, Milwaukee shared the distinction with [[New York City]] of having the largest percentage of foreign-born residents in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uwm.edu/lib-collections/mkenh/|title=Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Photos and Maps, 1885–1992|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]]|access-date=December 5, 2017|archive-date=February 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205060424/https://uwm.edu/lib-collections/mkenh/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1910, European descendants ("Whites") represented 99.7% of the city's total population of 373,857.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|access-date=December 24, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> Milwaukee has a strong [[Greek Orthodox]] Community, many of whom attend the [[Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church]] on Milwaukee's northwest side, designed by Wisconsin-born architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. Milwaukee has a sizable [[Croats|Croatian]] population, with Croatian churches and their own historic and successful soccer club [[Croatian Eagles|The Croatian Eagles]] at Croatian Park in Franklin, Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reck |first=Bill |date=March 24, 2020 |title=Croatians |url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/croatians/ |access-date=October 25, 2025 |website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee}}</ref>

Milwaukee also has a large [[Serbs|Serbian]] population, who have developed Serbian restaurants, a [[St. Sava Orthodox School|Serbian K–8 School]], and Serbian churches, along with an American Serb Hall. The American Serb Hall in Milwaukee is known for its Friday fish fries and popular events. Many U.S. presidents have visited Milwaukee's Serb Hall in the past. The Bosnian population is growing in Milwaukee as well due to late-20th-century immigration after the war in [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

During this time, a small community of [[African American]]s migrated from the [[Southern United States|South]] in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. They settled near each other, forming a community that came to be known as [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. As industry boomed, more migrants came, and African-American influence grew in Milwaukee.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Geenen|first=Paul H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwc40zNjW9MC&q=Milwaukee+bronzeville&pg=PA6|title=Milwaukee's Bronzeville, 1900–1950|date=2006|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-4061-0|language=en}}</ref>

In 1892, [[Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin|Whitefish Bay]], [[South Milwaukee]], and [[Wauwatosa]] were incorporated. They were followed by [[Cudahy, Wisconsin|Cudahy]] (1895), North Milwaukee (1897) and East Milwaukee, later known as [[Shorewood, Wisconsin|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.

===20th century to present===
[[File:Slums in milwaukee 1936.png|thumb|left|A [[slum]] area of Milwaukee from 1936]]

During the first sixty years of the 20th century, Milwaukee was the major city in which the [[Socialist Party of America]] earned the highest votes. Milwaukee elected three [[mayor]]s who ran on the ticket of the Socialist Party: [[Emil Seidel]] (1910–1912), [[Daniel Hoan]] (1916–1940), and [[Frank Zeidler]] (1948–1960), with [[Victor L. Berger]] elected as the first socialist congressman in 1910. Often referred to as "[[Sewer Socialists]]", the Milwaukee Socialists were characterized by their practical approach to government and labor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Milwaukee Socialism: The Emil Seidel Era {{!}} UWM Libraries Digital Collections|url=https://uwm.edu/lib-collections/mke-socialism/|access-date=March 2, 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> On October 14, 1912, former president [[Theodore Roosevelt]], who ran for a third term under his progressive, [[Bull Moose Party]], survived an assassination attempt by salonkeeper [[Attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt|John Fleming Shrank]], while making a speech at the [[Gilpatrick Hotel]]. On November 24, 1917, Milwaukee was the site of a [[Milwaukee Police Department bombing|terrorist explosion]] when a large black powder bomb<ref name="Balousek, Marv 1997 p. 113">Balousek, Marv, and Kirsch, J. Allen, ''50 Wisconsin Crimes of the Century'', Badger Books Inc. (1997), {{ISBN|1-878569-47-3}}, {{ISBN|978-1-878569-47-9}}, p. 113</ref> exploded at the central police station at Oneida and Broadway.<ref name="ReferenceA">''The Indianapolis Star'', "Bomb Mystery Baffles Police", November 26, 1917</ref> Nine members of the department were killed in the blast, along with a female civilian, Catherine Walker.<ref name="Balousek, Marv 1997 p. 113"/><ref name="city.milwaukee.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/MemorialPage1670.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220192844/http://city.milwaukee.gov/MemorialPage1670.htm |archive-date=2009-02-20 }} "Milwaukee Police Department Officer Memorial Page"</ref> It was suspected at the time that the bomb had been placed outside the church by anarchists, particularly the ''[[Galleanist]]'' faction led by adherents of [[Luigi Galleani]]. At the time, the bombing was the most fatal single event in national law enforcement history.<ref>Deadliest Days in Law Enforcement History, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (November 24, 1917) http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/deadliest.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708090204/http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/deadliest.html |date=2016-07-08 }}</ref>

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, Wisconsin|Brookfield]], where [[moonshine]] was made. The house still stands on a street named after Capone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brookfieldnow.com/news/102435199.html|date=November 11, 2010|title=It's everyday life that keeps local historian fascinated: But the Hollywood- worthy moments aren't bad, either?|author=Nan Bialek}}</ref>

By 1925, around 9,000 [[Mexican Americans|Mexicans]] lived in Milwaukee, but the [[Great Depression]] forced many of them to move back south. In the 1950s, the Hispanic community was beginning to emerge. They arrived for jobs, filling positions in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. During this time there were labor shortages due to the immigration laws that had reduced immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe. Additionally, strikes contributed to the labor shortages.<ref name="test">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-052/?action=more_essay Wisconsinhistory.org], additional text.</ref>

In the mid-20th century, African Americans from Chicago moved to the North side of Milwaukee.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Milwaukee's [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|East Side]] has attracted a population of Russians and other Eastern Europeans who began migrating in the 1990s, after the end of the [[Cold War]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Many Hispanics of mostly Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage live on the south side of Milwaukee.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} In the 1930s the city was severely segregated via [[redlining]]. In 1960, African-American residents made up 15 percent of Milwaukee's population, yet the city was still among the most segregated of that time. As of 2019, at least three out of four black residents in Milwaukee would have to move to create racially integrated neighborhoods.<ref name="Leah Foltman & Malia Jones"/>

[[File:South Menomonee Canal - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA - October 9, 2023 03.jpg|thumb|[[Downtown Milwaukee]] from the Menomonee River]]

Milwaukee's population peaked at 741,324 in 1960, where the Census Bureau reported the city's population as 91.1% white and 8.4% black.<ref>{{cite web|title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> By the late 1960s, Milwaukee's population had started to decline as people moved to suburbs, aided by ease of highways and offering the advantages of less crime, new housing, and lower taxation.<ref>Glabere, Michael. "Milwaukee:A Tale of Three Cities" in, ''From Redlining to Reinvestment: Community Responses to Urban Disinvestment'' edited by Gregory D. Squires. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011; p. 151 and ''passim''</ref> Milwaukee had a population of 594,833 by 2010, while the population of the overall metropolitan area increased. Given its large immigrant population and historic neighborhoods, Milwaukee avoided the severe declines of some of its fellow "[[Rust Belt]]" cities.

Since the 1980s, 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]], [[Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Lincoln Village]], the [[East Side, Milwaukee|East Side]], and more recently Walker's Point and [[Bay View, Milwaukee|Bay View]], along with attracting new businesses to its downtown area. These efforts have substantially slowed the population decline and have stabilized many parts of Milwaukee. Largely through its efforts to preserve its history, Milwaukee was named one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] in 2006.<ref name="distinctive">{{cite web|url=http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/midwest-region/milwaukee-wi-2006.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222174953/http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/midwest-region/milwaukee-wi-2006.html|archive-date=February 22, 2010|title=Dozen Distinctive Destinations – Milwaukee|publisher=[[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]|year=2006}}</ref> Historic Milwaukee walking tours provide a guided tour of Milwaukee's historic districts, including topics on Milwaukee's architectural heritage, its glass skywalk system, and the [[Milwaukee Riverwalk]].

In the 2010s and 2020s, Milwaukee underwent several development projects, including the opening of the [[Bradley Symphony Center]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2017/03/04/extraordinary-building-boom-reshaping-milwaukees-skyline/98477354/|title=Extraordinary building boom is reshaping Milwaukee's skyline|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=March 25, 2021|title=First Look: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Bradley Symphony Center|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/mso-first-look|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=OnMilwaukee}}</ref> [[The Hop (streetcar)|The Hop streetcar system]] began operation in 2018, and the [[Fiserv Forum]] opened the same year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Sean |title=Milwaukee streetcar draws a crowd on first day of service|newspaper=Milwaukee Business Journal |date=November 2, 2018|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2018/11/02/milwaukee-streetcar-draws-a-crowd-on-first-day-of.html |access-date=November 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=James B. |title=Bucks receive occupancy permit for new arena less than two years after groundbreaking |url=http://ux.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/06/05/milwaukee-bucks-received-permission-start-moving-into-new-arena/672252002/ |access-date=July 24, 2018 |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=June 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813124205/http://ux.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/06/05/milwaukee-bucks-received-permission-start-moving-into-new-arena/672252002/ |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The city was hit by [[2025 Milwaukee flood|widespread flash flooding on August 9–10, 2025]], after the second-most recorded rain over a two-day period in the city's history.<ref name="Why did Milwaukee flood">{{Cite news |last1=Albright |first1=Jack |first2=Brandi D. |last2=Addison |title=Why did Milwaukee flood? City recorded second-wettest day in 154 years on Saturday, Aug. 9 |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/weather/2025/08/11/milwaukee-storms-flooding-rivers-nws-explainer/85606358007/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Milwaukee 05741u.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.55|Panorama map of Milwaukee, with a view of the [[Milwaukee City Hall|City Hall]] tower, {{circa|1898}}]]

==Geography==
[[File:Milwaukee aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view from the north – the [[Menomonee River]], [[Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River tributary)|Kinnickinnic River]], and [[Milwaukee River]] are visible in the foreground; [[Wind Point]] in the background.]]
Milwaukee lies along the shores and bluffs of [[Lake Michigan]] at the [[confluence]] of three rivers: the [[Menomonee River|Menomonee]], the [[Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River)|Kinnickinnic]], and the [[Milwaukee River|Milwaukee]]. Smaller rivers, such as the [[Root River (Wisconsin)|Root River]] and Lincoln Creek, also flow through the city.

Milwaukee's terrain is sculpted by the glacier path and includes steep bluffs along Lake Michigan that begin about a mile (1.6&nbsp;km) north of downtown. In addition, {{convert|30|mi|km}} west of Milwaukee is the Kettle Moraine and lake country that provides an industrial landscape combined with inland lakes.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|96.80|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|96.12|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.68|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref> The city is overwhelmingly (99.89% of its area) in [[Milwaukee County]], but there are two tiny unpopulated portions that extend into neighboring counties.<ref name="foran-counties">{{Cite news|last=Foran|first=Chris|date=January 10, 2023|title=Parts of the city of Milwaukee are in Waukesha and Washington counties. How'd that happen?|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2023/01/10/why-parts-of-city-of-milwaukee-are-in-waukesha-washington-counties/8015388001/|access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>{{efn-ua|The part in [[Washington County, Wisconsin|Washington County]] is bordered by the southeast corner of [[Germantown, Wisconsin|Germantown]], while the part in [[Waukesha County]] is bordered by the southeast corner of [[Menomonee Falls]], north of the village of [[Butler, Waukesha County, Wisconsin|Butler]]. Both areas were annexed to Milwaukee for industrial reasons; the Waukesha County portion contains a [[Cargill]] plant for Ambrosia Chocolate (known as "the Ambrosia triangle"), while the Washington County portion contains a [[Waste Management (corporation)|Waste Management]] facility.<ref name="foran-counties" />}}

===Cityscape===
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in Milwaukee|Neighborhoods of Milwaukee}}
[[File:Milwaukee Boat Line tour July 2022 50 (Historic Third Ward).jpg|thumb|The [[Historic Third Ward (Milwaukee)|Historic Third Ward]] from the Milwaukee River]]

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 Milwaukee|downtown]] at the [[Marquette Interchange]]. The [[Interstate 894]] bypass (which as of May 2015 also contains [[Interstate 41]]) 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, Milwaukee|Bay View]] [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee|neighborhood]] and becomes the "Lake Parkway" ([[Wisconsin Highway 794|WIS-794]]).

One of the distinctive traits of Milwaukee's residential areas are the neighborhoods full of so-called [[Polish flat]]s. These are two-[[family]] [[home]]s with separate entrances, but with the units stacked one on top of another instead of side-by-side. This arrangement enables a family of limited means to purchase both a home and a modestly priced [[rental]] [[apartment]] unit. Since [[Polish-American]] immigrants to the area prized land ownership, this solution, which was prominent in their areas of settlement within the city, came to be associated with them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cross|first=John A.|title=Ethnic Landscapes of America|publisher=Springer|year=2017|isbn=978-3-319-54009-2|location=Cham, Switzerland|pages=310}}</ref>

The tallest building in the city is the [[U.S. Bank Center (Milwaukee)|U.S. Bank Center]] in downtown Milwaukee, at 601 feet ( 183m ) tall, completed in 1973. In 2024 ''[[Architectural Digest]]'', a prominent design publication, rated Milwaukee's skyline as the 15th most beautiful skyline in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McLaughlin|first=Katherine|date=June 26, 2024|title=The 17 Most Beautiful Skylines in the World|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/the-most-beautiful-skylines-in-the-world|access-date=July 3, 2024|website=Architectural Digest|language=en-US}}</ref>

{{wide image|CityscapeMilwaukee2023.jpg|650px|align-cap=center|[[Downtown Milwaukee]]}}

===Climate===
{{see also|Climate change in Wisconsin}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Milwaukee February 2025 26 (Veterans Park).jpg
| caption1          = Veterans Park in winter
| image2            = Milwaukee November 2022 17 (W. Wisconsin Avenue from Milwaukee Skywalk).jpg
| caption2          = West Wisconsin Avenue from the [[Milwaukee Skywalk]]
}}

Milwaukee's location in the [[Great Lakes Region]] often has rapidly changing weather, producing a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfa''), with cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with a mean temperature of {{convert|73.3|F|1}}, while January is the coldest month, with a mean temperature of {{convert|24.0|F|1}}.

Because of Milwaukee's proximity to Lake Michigan, a convection current forms around mid-afternoon in light wind, resulting in the so-called "lake breeze" – a smaller scale version of the more common [[sea breeze]]. The lake breeze is most common between March and July. This onshore flow causes cooler temperatures to move inland usually {{convert|5|to|15|mi|0}}, with much warmer conditions persisting further inland. Because Milwaukee's official climate site, [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]], is only {{convert|3|mi}} from the lake, seasonal temperature variations are less extreme than in many other locations of the [[Milwaukee metropolitan area]].

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 during the late evening. The lake breeze is not a daily occurrence and will not usually form if a southwest, west, or northwest wind generally exceeds {{convert|15|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. The lake moderates cold air outbreaks along the lakeshore during winter months.

Aside from the lake's influence, overnight lows in downtown Milwaukee year-round are often much warmer than suburban locations because of the [[urban heat island effect]]. Onshore winds elevate daytime [[relative humidity]] levels in Milwaukee as compared to inland locations nearby.

Thunderstorms in the region can be dangerous and damaging, bringing [[hail]] and high winds. In rare instances, they can bring a [[tornado]]. 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]]. A moderate snow cover can be seen on or linger for many winter days, but even during meteorological winter, on average, over 40% of days see less than {{convert|1|in|cm|1}} on the ground.<ref name="NOAA txt"/>

Milwaukee tends to experience highs that are {{convert|90|°F|0}} or above on about nine days per year, and lows at or below {{convert|0|°F|0}} on six to seven nights.<ref name="NOAA txt" /> Extremes range from {{convert|105|F|C|abbr=on}} set on July 24, 1934, down to {{convert|−26|F|0}} on both January 17, 1982, and February 4, 1996.<ref name = NOAA >
{{cite web
  |url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/?n=norm-extreme
  |title = Normals and Extremes for Milwaukee and Madison
  |publisher = [[National Weather Service]]
  |access-date = January 9, 2012}}</ref> The 1982 event, also known as [[Cold Sunday]], featured temperatures as low as {{convert|−40|°F|0}} in some of the [[suburb]]s as little as {{convert|10|mi}} to the north of Milwaukee.

{{Milwaukee weatherbox}}

====Climate change====
According to the United States' [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]], Milwaukee is threatened by ongoing [[climate change]] which is warming the planet. These risks include worsened heat waves because many of its residents do not possess [[air conditioner]]s, concerns about the water quality of Lake Michigan, and increased chances of flooding from intense rainstorms.<ref name="EPA">{{cite web|url=https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-wi.pdf|title=What Climate Change Means for Wisconsin|publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]|date=August 2016}}</ref> In 2018, Milwaukee mayor [[Tom Barrett (Wisconsin politician)|Tom Barrett]] announced that the city would uphold its obligations under the [[Paris Agreement]], despite the United States' withdrawal, and set a goal moving a quarter of the city's electricity sources to renewable energy by 2025. These have included expansions in the city's solar power-generating capacity and a [[wind turbine]]'s installation near the Port of Milwaukee. Other actions being taken include local incentives for energy-saving upgrades to homes and businesses.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Henderson|first=Alison|url=https://shepherdexpress.com/news/features/milwaukee-remains-committed-to-the-paris-climate-agreement/|title=Milwaukee Remains Committed to the Paris Climate Agreement|date=April 17, 2020|work=[[Shepherd Express]]|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804010205/https://shepherdexpress.com/news/features/milwaukee-remains-committed-to-the-paris-climate-agreement/}}</ref>

===Water===
In the 1990s and 2000s, Lake Michigan experienced large [[algae blooms]], which can threaten aquatic life. Responding to this problem, in 2009 the city became an "Innovating City" in the [[United Nations Global Compact|Global Compact]] Cities Program. The Milwaukee Water Council was also formed in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewatercouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/Our_History_Web_4-19-19.pdf|title=Our History|publisher=Milwaukee Water Council|website=Thewatercouncil.com}}</ref> Its objectives were to "better understand the processes related to freshwater systems dynamics" and to develop "a policy and management program aimed at balancing the protection and utilization of freshwater". The strategy used the [[Circles of Sustainability]] method. Instead of treating the water quality problem as a single environmental issue, the Water Council draws on the Circles method to analyze the interconnection among ecological, economic, political and cultural factors.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170702212539/http://citiesprogramme.com/aboutus/our-approach/circles-of-sustainability Circles of Sustainability]}}. The Cities Programme. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref> This holistic water treatment helped Milwaukee win the US Water Alliance's 2012 US Water Prize.<ref>[http://www.uswateralliance.org/u-s-water-prize/2012-prize-winners/ 2012 Prize Winners] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211170937/http://uswateralliance.org/u-s-water-prize/2012-prize-winners/ |date=December 11, 2015 }}. U.S. Water Alliance. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref> In 2009 the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also established the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences]], the first graduate school of [[limnology]] in the United States.

{{As of|2021}}, there are more than 3,000 drinking fountains in the Milwaukee Public School District; 183 had lead levels above 15 parts per billion (ppb). 15 ppb is the federal action level in which effort needs to be taken to lower these lead levels.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MPS: Milwaukee Public Schools releases results of water quality testing|url=https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/News/Milwaukee-Public-Schools-releases-results-of-water-quality-testing.htm|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us}}</ref> In the city, more than 10% of children test positive for dangerous lead levels in their blood {{as of|2019|lc=yes}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Files|first=Emily|title=What Milwaukee's Lead Problem Means For Children|url=https://www.wuwm.com/post/what-milwaukees-lead-problem-means-children|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=www.wuwm.com|date=May 7, 2019|language=en}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|Irish in Milwaukee|Germans in Milwaukee|African Americans in Milwaukee}}
{{US Census population
| 1840 = 1700
| 1850 = 20061
| 1860 = 45246
| 1870 = 71440
| 1880 = 115587
| 1890 = 204468
| 1900 = 285315
| 1910 = 373857
| 1920 = 457147
| 1930 = 578249
| 1940 = 587472
| 1950 = 637392
| 1960 = 741324
| 1970 = 717099
| 1980 = 636212
| 1990 = 628088
| 2000 = 596974
| 2010 = 594833
| 2020 = 577222
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 563531
| estref = <ref name="USCensusQuickFacts" />
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref><br />2010–2020<ref name="QuickFacts" />
}}

Milwaukee is the [[List of United States cities by population|31st-most populous]] city in the United States, and anchors the [[Metropolitan statistical area|39th-most populous metropolitan statistical area]] in the US.<ref name="USCensusEst2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Largest Cities In The Midwest|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-cities-in-the-midwest.html|website=worldatlas.com|date=January 4, 2019|access-date=March 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/cph-series/cph-t/cph-t-2.html|title=Population Change for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas|website=Census.gov}}</ref> Its [[combined statistical area]] population makes it the 29th-most populous in the US. The city's population has dropped at every census count since 1970. In 2012, Milwaukee was listed as a gamma city by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]].

===2020 census===
In the [[2020 United States census]],<ref name="2020-census-5553000">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5553000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1|website=data.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> the population was 577,222. The [[population density]] was {{convert|6,001.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 257,723 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,679.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. Ethnically, the population was 20.1% [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 38.6% [[Black (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 36.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 5.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.9% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 9.0% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 10.1% from two or more races.

The 2020 census population of the city included 1,198 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities and 9,625 people in university student housing.<ref name="2020-P5-5553000">{{cite web|title=Group Quarters Population, 2020 Census: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5553000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P5|website=data.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>

In [[American Community Survey]] estimates for 2016–2020, the median household income was $43,125, and the median family income was $51,170. Male full-time worker median income was $42,859, versus $37,890 for female workers. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $24,167. About 19.6% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 35.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="2020-EconChar-5553000">{{cite web|title=Selected Economic Characteristics, 2020 American Community Survey: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5553000&y=2020&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP03|website=data.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> Of the population age 25 and over, 84.4% were high school graduates or higher and 24.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name="2020-SocChar-5553000">{{cite web|title=Selected Social Characteristics, 2020 American Community Survey: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5553000&y=2020&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP02|website=data.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>

===Racial and ethnic groups===
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Milwaukee.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Milwaukee]]
[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Milwaukee (5559895075).png|thumb|A racial distribution map of Milwaukee, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;
|+ Racial and ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref name="2020-census-5553000-P2">{{cite web|title=Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino By Race: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5553000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=data.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! Race or Ethnicity<br /> ''(NH = Non-Hispanic)''
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Race Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total{{efn-ua|The total for each race includes those who reported that race alone or in combination with other races. People who reported a combination of multiple races may be counted multiple times, so the sum of all percentages will exceed 100%.}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|37.8|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|40.1|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|32.3|%|2||background:gray}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|35.4|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn-ua|Hispanic and Latino origins are separate from race in the U.S. Census. The Census does not distinguish between Latino origins alone or in combination. This row counts Hispanics and Latinos of any race.}}
|aline=right| {{bartable}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|20.1|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|5.2|%|2||background:purple}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|5.8|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.4|%|2||background:gold}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|1.4|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.03|%|2||background:pink}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.10|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.5|%|2||background:brown}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|1.0|%|2||background:brown}}
|}

In the 2010 Census, 44.8% of the population was White (37.0% [[non-Hispanic white]]), 40.0% was Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.5% Asian, 3.4% from two or more races. 17.3% of Milwaukee's population was of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (they may be of any race) (11.7% Mexican, 4.1% Puerto Rican).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/5553000.html|title=Milwaukee (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau|publisher=Quickfacts.census.gov|access-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207151149/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/5553000.html|archive-date=February 7, 2014}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Racial composition !! 2020 !! 2010 !! 2000 !! 1990 !! 1980
|-
| [[African American|Black or African American]] || 37.8% || 39.2% || 36.9% || 30.2% || 22.9%
|-
| [[White American|White (Non-Hispanic)]] || 32.3% || 37.0% || 45.5% || 60.8% || 71.4%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] || 20.1% || 17.3% || 12.0% || 6.3% || 4.2%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 5.2% || 3.5% || 2.9% || 1.8% || 0.7%
|-
|[[Multiracial American|Mixed]] ||3.6%||2.2%
|}

In the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, 38.3% of Milwaukee's residents reported having [[African American]] ancestry and 20.8% reported [[German American|German]] ancestry. Other significant population groups include [[Polish American|Polish]] (8.8%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (6.5%), [[Italian American|Italian]] (3.6%), [[English American|English]] (2.8%), and [[French American|French]] (1.7%). According to the 2010 United States census, the largest Hispanic backgrounds in Milwaukee as of 2010 were: Mexican (69,680), Puerto Rican (24,672), Other Hispanic or Latino (3,808), Central American (1,962), South American (1,299), Cuban (866) and Dominican (720).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP10|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212214535/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP10|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=American FactFinder – Results|author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS)|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref> Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the [[German American]] population was 87,601.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2022.B04006?t=Ancestry&g=160XX00US5553000|title=B04006 People Reporting Ancestry 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Milwaukee, Wisconsin|date=July 1, 2022|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 17, 2024}}</ref> Per the 2023 American Community Survey one-year estimates, the [[Mexican American]] population was 82,845, comprising over 60% of the city's Latino population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B03001?q=B03001&g=160XX00US5553000|title=B03001 Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin – 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates – Milwaukee, Wisconsin |date=July 1, 2022 |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 10, 2024}}</ref>

in 2002, the [[Milwaukee metropolitan area]] was cited as being the most segregated in the U.S. in a ''[[Jet Magazine]]'' article.<ref name="hypersegregation">{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_102/ai_95632042|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013223726/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_102/ai_95632042|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 13, 2007|publisher=Jet magazine|title=Milwaukee is most segregated city: U.S. Census analysis|date=December 16, 2002}}</ref> The source of this information was a segregation index developed in the mid-1950s and used since 1964. In 2003, a non-peer-reviewed study was conducted by hired researchers at the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] which claimed Milwaukee is not "hypersegregated" and instead ranks as the 43rd most integrated city in America.<ref>{{cite news|last=Murphy|first=Bruce|title=Study explodes myth of area's 'hypersegregation'|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=109872|date=January 12, 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712153014/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=109872|archive-date=July 12, 2006|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref> According to research by demographer [[William H. Frey]] using the [[index of dissimilarity]] method and data from the [[2010 United States census]], Milwaukee has the highest level of black-white segregation of any of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Frey|first1=William H.|title=Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America|date=2018|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-8157-2398-1|page=177|edition=Second}}</ref> Through continued dialogue between Milwaukee's citizens, the city is trying to reduce racial tensions and the rate of segregation.<ref name="segregation">{{cite web|url=http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CED/pdf/fairhousing.pdf|publisher=The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council|last=Levine|first=Marc V.|title=Citizens and MMFHC Respond to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Article: Getting the Facts Right on Segregation in Milwaukee|work=Fair Housing Keys|date=May 2004}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="integration">{{cite web|url=http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/integration/integration.htm|publisher=University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute|last=Pawasarat|first=John|title=Racial Integration in Urban America: A Block Level Analysis of African American and White Housing Patterns|date=January 2003|access-date=March 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724014400/http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/integration/integration.htm|archive-date=July 24, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="QuinnCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/integration/QuinnCensus.pdf|publisher=University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute|last=Quinn|first=Lois M.|title=Assumptions and Limitations of the Census Bureau Methodology Ranking Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in Cities and Metro Areas|date=October 2004|access-date=March 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010124806/http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/integration/QuinnCensus.pdf|archive-date=October 10, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2015, Milwaukee was rated as the "worst city for black Americans" based on disparities in employment and income levels.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/10/why-milwaukee-is-the-worst-place-to-live-for-african-americans/413218/|title=Why Milwaukee Is the Worst Place to Live for African Americans|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> The city's black population experiences high levels of [[Incarceration in the United States|incarceration]] and a severe [[Achievement gap in the United States|educational achievement gap]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/03/05/390723644/why-is-milwaukee-so-bad-for-black-people|title=Why Is Milwaukee So Bad For Black People?|newspaper=NPR|date=March 5, 2015|last1=Downs|first1=Kenya}}</ref>

Per the 2022 [[American Community Survey]] five-year estimates, the [[Hmong American]] population was 11,469,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2022.B02018?q=B02018&g=160XX00US5553000|title=B02018 Total Asian Alone or in Any Combination Population – 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Milwaukee, Wisconsin|date=July 1, 2022|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 17, 2024}}</ref> numerically the largest Hmong population of any city in Wisconsin. In 2013, Mark Pfeifer, the editor of the ''[[Hmong Studies Journal]]'', stated [[Hmong people|Hmong]] in Milwaukee had recently been moving to the northwest side of Milwaukee; they historically lived in the north and south areas of Milwaukee.<ref name=Pabst>Pabst, Georgia. "[http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/report-shows-growth-in-hmong-community-a388pb6-185823661.html Report shows growth in Hmong community]". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 6, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.</ref> The [[Hmong American Peace Academy]]/[[International Peace Academy (Milwaukee)|International Peace Academy]], a K–12 school system in Milwaukee centered on the [[Hmong in Wisconsin|Hmong community]], opened in 2004.<ref name=Pabst />

Polish people, Slavs, European Jews, people from the Mediterranean including Greeks, Italians, and Syrians immigrated to Milwaukee after 1880.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/peoples/|title=Peoples}}</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:Milwaukee Cathedral 3.jpg|thumb|The [[Basilica of St. Josaphat]] in Milwaukee's historic [[Lincoln Village, Milwaukee|Lincoln Village]] ]]

In 2010, approximately 51.8% of residents in the Milwaukee area said they regularly attended religious services. In 2012, 24.6% of the Milwaukee area population identified as [[Catholic]], 10.8% as [[Lutheran]], 1.6% as [[Methodist]], and 0.6% as [[Judaism|Jewish]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/m/33340/rcms2010_33340_metro_name_2010.asp|title=Metro-Area Membership Report: Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI CMSA|access-date=September 11, 2015|year=2012|publisher=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016085038/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/m/33340/rcms2010_33340_metro_name_2010.asp|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Milwaukee metro area contains the majority of the state's Jewish population,<ref name="Sheskin">{{cite book|last1=Sheskin|first1=Ira M.|last2=Dashefsky|first2=Arnold|title=American Jewish Year Book 2017|chapter=United States Jewish Population, 2017|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-70663-4_5|date=2018|volume=117|pages=179–284|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-70663-4_5|isbn=978-3-319-70662-7|access-date=October 5, 2023|issn=0065-8987}}</ref> and has a long [[Jews in Milwaukee|history of Jewish immigration]] from German-speaking and Eastern European countries.<ref name="Cohen">{{cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Sheila Terman|title=What Happened To Wisconsin's Once-Thriving Smaller Jewish Communities?|url=https://www.wiscontext.org/what-happened-wisconsins-once-thriving-smaller-jewish-communities|website=WisContext|access-date=August 1, 2022|language=en|date=September 25, 2019}}</ref>

The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee]] is headquartered in the city. The [[School Sisters of St. Francis]] have their [[motherhouse]] in Milwaukee, and several other religious orders have a significant presence in the area, including the [[Jesuits]] and [[Franciscan]]s. Milwaukee, where [[Joseph Kentenich]] was exiled from 1952 to 1965, is the center for the [[Schoenstatt Movement]] in the US.

Milwaukee is home to numerous historic Catholic parishes, including the [[Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Milwaukee)|Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist]]. The oldest church building in Milwaukee is [[St. Joan of Arc Chapel]], which was built {{circa|1420}} in France and presently located on the [[Marquette University]] campus. The [[Basilica of St. Josaphat]] was the first church to be given [[Basilicas in the Catholic Church|basicila designation]] in Wisconsin and the third in the US. [[Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians]], northwest of Milwaukee in [[Hubertus, Wisconsin]], was made a basilica in 2006.

The [[Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee]] is based in the city, as are several [[Lutheran]] bodies, including the [[Greater Milwaukee Synod]] of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]; the [[South Wisconsin District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod|South Wisconsin District]] of the [[Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod]], which operates [[Concordia University Wisconsin]] in the suburb of [[Mequon, Wisconsin|Mequon]]; and the [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]], which was founded in Milwaukee in 1850 and has headquarters in the suburb of [[Waukesha, Wisconsin|Waukesha]]. [[Milwaukee Lutheran High School]] and [[Wisconsin Lutheran High School]] are the nation's oldest Lutheran high schools.

The [[St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (Milwaukee)|St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral]] is a landmark of the Serbian community in Milwaukee, located by the American Serb hall, which the congregation also operated until putting it up for sale in January 2021 due to financial challenges caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Meyer|first=Maredithe|date=January 26, 2021|title=Iconic Milwaukee venue Serb Hall up for sale|url=https://biztimes.com/iconic-milwaukee-venue-serb-hall-up-for-sale/|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=BizTimes – Milwaukee Business News|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] has a presence in the Milwaukee area. The Milwaukee area has two stakes, with fourteen wards and four branches among them. The closest temple is the [[Chicago Illinois Temple]]. The area is part of the [[Mission (LDS Church)|Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission]].<ref name="LDS">{{cite web|url=http://www.lds.org|title=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official Website|access-date=April 11, 2011|year=2011}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Harley-Davidson Road King in Switzerland (2022).jpg|thumb|Motorcycle manufacturer [[Harley-Davidson]] is based in Milwaukee; the [[Harley-Davidson Museum]] chronicles its history.]]
Milwaukee is the home to the international headquarters of five [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]] companies: [[Northwestern Mutual]], [[Fiserv]], [[ManpowerGroup]], [[Rockwell Automation]], and [[WEC Energy Group]].<ref name="fortune" /> Other companies based in Milwaukee include [[Harley-Davidson]], [[Briggs & Stratton]], [[Brady Corporation]], [[Baird (investment bank)]], [[Alliance Federated Energy]], [[Sensient Technologies]], [[Hal Leonard]], [[Direct Supply]], [[Rite-Hite]], the [[American Society for Quality]], [[A. O. Smith]], [[Rexnord]], [[Master Lock]], [[Marcus Corporation]], [[REV Group]], [[American Signal Corporation]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aosmith.com/about/Locations/Locations.htm|title=A.O. Smith|access-date=March 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024140701/http://www.aosmith.com/about/Locations/Locations.htm|archive-date=October 24, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[GE Healthcare]], Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Systems, and [[MGIC Investment Corporation|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. 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. Service and managerial jobs are the fastest-growing segments of the Milwaukee economy, and [[health care]] alone makes up 27% of the jobs in the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Milwaukee's 10 largest employers|url=http://www.uwm.edu/Course/448-440/employers.html|date=2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012193317/http://www.uwm.edu/Course/448-440/employers.html|archive-date=October 12, 2007|website=UWM.edu|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref>

===Brewing===
{{further|Beer in Milwaukee}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Miller Brewery.png
| caption1          = [[Miller Brewing Company]] was founded in 1855.
| image2            = Milwaukee July 2023 087 (Pabst Brewery Complex--The Malt House and On Tap).jpg
| caption2          = The former [[Pabst Brewery Complex]] closed in 1997 and was later renovated into a mixed-use complex.
}}

Milwaukee became synonymous with [[Germans]] and [[beer]] beginning in the 1840s. The Germans had long enjoyed beer and set up breweries when they arrived in Milwaukee. By 1856, there were more than two dozen breweries in Milwaukee, most of them owned and operated by Germans. Besides making beer for the rest of the nation, Milwaukeeans enjoyed consuming the various beers produced in the city's breweries. As early as 1843, pioneer historian James Buck recorded 138 taverns in Milwaukee, an average of one per forty residents. Today, [[beer hall]]s and taverns are abundant in the city, but only one of the major breweries—[[Miller Brewing Company|Miller]]—remains in Milwaukee.<ref name="milwaukeehistory.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/milwaukee_timeline/1800s.html|title=Milwaukee County Historical Society – Milwaukee Timeline 1800s|publisher=Milwaukeehistory.net|access-date=July 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610215529/http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/milwaukee_timeline/1800s.html|archive-date=June 10, 2010}}</ref>

Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest beer breweries ([[Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company|Schlitz]], [[Valentin Blatz Brewing Company|Blatz]], [[Pabst Brewing Company|Pabst]], and Miller), and was the number one beer producing city in the world for many years, giving it the nickname " Brew City ". As late as 1981, Milwaukee had the greatest brewing capacity in the world.<ref name="Breweries Shut Off Tap">{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-04-01-8501180549-story.html|title=Milwaukee Loses 'Beer Capital' Title as Breweries Shut off Tap|website=Chicago Tribune|date=April 1985|access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref> Despite the decline in its position as the world's leading beer producer after the loss of two of those breweries, Miller Brewing Company remains a key employer by employing over 2,200 of the city's workers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.millerbrewing.com/images/inthecommunity/pdf/millerWIimpact.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822162035/http://www.millerbrewing.com/images/inthecommunity/pdf/millerWIimpact.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 22, 2006|title=Connected to Wisconsin – its people and its economy|publisher=Miller Brewing Company|date=February 2005}}</ref> Because of Miller's position as the second-largest beer-maker in the U.S., the city remains known as a beer town. The city and surrounding areas are seeing a resurgence in microbreweries, nanobreweries and brewpubs with the craft beer movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/beer/demand-for-better-beer-foments-a-new-brewery-boom-in-milwaukee-b99723919z1-386980631.html|title=Demand for better beer foments a new brewery boom in Milwaukee|website=Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel|access-date=February 9, 2017|author-first1=Kathy|author-last1=Flanigan}}</ref>

The historic Milwaukee Brewery in "Miller Valley" at 4000 West State Street, is the oldest functioning major brewery in the United States. In addition to Miller and the heavily automated [[Leinenkugel's]] brewery in the old Blatz 10th Street plant, other stand-alone breweries in Milwaukee include [[Milwaukee Ale House|Milwaukee Brewing Company]], a microbrewery in [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Walker's Point|Walker's Point neighborhood]]; [[Lakefront Brewery]], a [[microbrewery]] in Brewers Hill; and [[Sprecher Brewery]], a German brewery that also brews craft sodas. Since 2015, nearly two dozen craft brewing companies have been established in the city.<ref name="Late">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/brewstraveler/ct-milwaukee-craft-breweries-travel-0611-20170526-story.html|title=Late to the craft beer scene, Milwaukee's small brewers are a big hit|first=Josh|last=Noel|website=Chicago Tribune|date=June 2017|access-date=March 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name="22 New">{{cite web|url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/brewery-boom-new-milwaukee-breweries/|title=Welcome to Milwaukee's Brewery Boom: 22 New Breweries to Try|first=Dan|last=Murphy|website=milwaukeemag.com|date=January 28, 2019|access-date=March 16, 2019}}</ref>

===Other industries===
[[File:The menomonee valley in milwaukee 1882.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[Menomonee Valley]] in 1882]]

Milwaukee was situated as a port city and a center for collecting and distributing produce. Some of the new [[immigrants]] who were settling into the new state of Wisconsin during the middle of the 19th century were wheat farmers. By 1860, Wisconsin was one of the major producers of wheat. [[Rail transport]] was needed to transport this grain from the wheat fields of Wisconsin to Milwaukee's harbor. Improvements in railways at the time made this possible.<ref>{{cite web|title=Milwaukee History|url=https://milwaukeehistory.net/education/milwaukee-timeline/|access-date=May 4, 2024}}</ref>

There was intense competition for markets with [[Chicago]], situated across the state line in [[Illinois]], and, to a lesser degree, with [[Racine, Wisconsin|Racine]] and [[Kenosha]] in Wisconsin. Eventually, Chicago won out due to its superior financial markets and transportation position, including the [[Chicago Portage]] and being the hub of the railroad lines in the United States. Milwaukee did solidify its place as the commercial capital of Wisconsin and an important market in the Midwest.<ref name="milwaukeehistory.net" />

Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, Milwaukee's [[Menomonee Valley]] has historically been home to [[manufacturing]], [[Meat packing industry|stockyards]], [[Rendering (food processing)|rendering plants]], [[shipping]], and other [[heavy industry]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Menomonee River Valley – History|url=https://www.thevalleymke.org/history|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Menomonee River Valley|language=en-US}}</ref> Manufacturing was concentrated on the north side, with a peak of over 50 manufacturers in that industrialized area.<ref name="master">{{Cite news|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=June 29, 2023|access-date=June 29, 2023|language=en-GB|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/29/master-lock-milwaukee-plant-closure-manufacturing-holdout|title=Master Lock's Milwaukee plant to close after 100 years and send jobs abroad|first=Michael|last=Sainato|oclc=60623878|issn=1756-3224}}</ref>

[[File:Mounds of coal, catwalks, and barges at the Milwaukee Western Fuel Company coal docks, 12-1942 - NARA - 535923.jpg|thumb|Milwaukee Western Fuel Company coal docks, 1942]]

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 elevator]]s were built and, due to Milwaukee's dominant [[German American|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 came 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 consequently the brick was called [[Cream City brick]]. By 1881 the Burnham brickyard, which employed 200 men and peaked at 15&nbsp;million bricks a year, was the largest in the world.

[[Flour mills]], packing plants, breweries, railways and tanneries further industrialized the valley. With the [[marsh]]lands drained and the [[Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River)|Kinnickinnic]] and [[Milwaukee River]]s dredged, attention turned to the valley. Along with the processing industries, bulk commodity storage, machining, and manufacturing entered the scene. The valley was home to the [[Milwaukee Road]], [[Falk Corporation]], [[Cutler-Hammer]], [[Harnischfeger Corporation]], [[Chain Belt Company]], [[Nordberg Manufacturing Company]] and other industry giants. Early in the 20th century, Milwaukee was home to several pioneer [[brass era]] [[automobile]] makers, including Ogren (1919–1922).<ref>{{cite book|last=Clymer|first=Floyd|title=Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925|location=New York|publisher=Bonanza Books|year=1950|page=153}}</ref>

==Culture==
Milwaukee is a popular location for sailing, boating, and kayaking on Lake Michigan, ethnic dining, and cultural festivals. Often referred to as the City of Festivals,<ref name="festivals">{{cite web|title=The City of Festivals|url=https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/events/festivals/|website=visitmilwaukee.org|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817164131/https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/events/festivals/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Milwaukee has various cultural events which take place throughout the summer at [[Henry Maier Festival Park]], on the lake. Museums and cultural events, such as Jazz in the Park, occur weekly in downtown parks.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

===Museums===
[[File:Milwaukee Art Museum Quadracci Pavilion 2016.jpg|thumb|[[Milwaukee Art Museum]]]]

The [[Milwaukee Art Museum]] is perhaps Milwaukee's most visually prominent cultural attraction, especially its $100&nbsp;million wing designed by [[Santiago Calatrava]] in his first American commission.<ref name="Museum Info">{{cite web|url=http://www.mam.org/info/details/calatrava.php|publisher=Milwaukee Art Museum|title=Museum Info: Santiago Calatrava|access-date=October 16, 2008|archive-date=November 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103074257/http://www.mam.org/info/details/calatrava.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The museum includes a ''brise soleil'', a moving sunscreen that unfolds similarly to the wing of a bird. The [[Grohmann Museum]] at the [[Milwaukee School of Engineering]] contains the world's most comprehensive art collection dedicated to the evolution of human work.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aG6yi_2T5CQC&q=world's+most+comprehensive+art+collection+dedicated+to+the+evolution+of+human+work&pg=PT261|title=Cool Colleges 101: The Midwestern Region of the United States: Part II of IV|last=Peterson's|date=October 15, 2011|publisher=Peterson's|isbn=9780768935707|language=en}}</ref> [[Haggerty Museum of Art]] on the [[Marquette University]] campus houses several classical masterpieces and is open to the public. The [[Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum]] is the former home of Lloyd Smith, president of the [[A.O. Smith]] corporation, and has a terraced garden, an assortment of Renaissance art, and rotating exhibits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villaterracemuseum.org/about.html|title=Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum|website=Villaterracemuseum.org|access-date=August 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805172951/http://www.villaterracemuseum.org/about.html|archive-date=August 5, 2016|url-status=usurped}}</ref> [[Charles Allis Art Museum]], in the Tudor-style mansion of Charles Allis, hosts several changing exhibits every year in the building's original antique furnished setting.

The [[Milwaukee Public Museum]] has been Milwaukee's primary [[natural history]] and [[history|human history]] museum for 125 years, with over {{convert|150000|sqft|m2}} of permanent exhibits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpm.edu/plan-visit/exhibitions/permanent-exhibits|title=Permanent Exhibits|publisher=Milwaukee Public Museum|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref> Exhibits feature Africa, Europe, the Arctic, Oceania, and South and Middle America, ancient Western civilizations, dinosaurs, the tropical rainforest, streets of Old Milwaukee, a European Village, live insects and arthropods, a [[Samson (gorilla)|Samson gorilla]] replica, the Puelicher Butterfly Wing, hands-on laboratories, and animatronics. The museum also contains an [[IMAX]] movie theater/planetarium. Milwaukee Public Museum owns the world's largest dinosaur skull.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://journaltimes.com/news/new-dinosaur-exhibit-to-open-in-milwaukee/article_a0bfc5c9-032e-5555-9137-cde4615e6119.html|title=New dinosaur exhibit to open in Milwaukee|last=By|work=Journal Times|access-date=February 28, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Milwaukee June 2022 05 (Discovery World).jpg
| caption1          = [[Discovery World (museum)|Discovery World]]
| image2            = Milwaukee, pabst mansion 01.jpg
| caption2          = [[Pabst Mansion]]
}}

[[Discovery World (museum)|Discovery World]], Milwaukee's largest museum dedicated to science, is just south of the Milwaukee Art Museum along the lakefront. Visitors are drawn by its interactive exhibits, saltwater and freshwater aquariums, as well as touch tanks and digital theaters. A [[double helix staircase]] wraps around the {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=on}} kinetic sculpture of a human genome. The S/V Dennis Sullivan Schooner Ship docked at Discovery World is the world's only re-creation of an 1880s-era three-masted vessel and the first schooner to be built in Milwaukee in over 100 years. It teaches visitors about the Great Lakes and Wisconsin's maritime history. [[Betty Brinn Children's Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcmkids.org|title=bbcmkids.org|publisher=bbcmkids.org|access-date=July 28, 2013}}</ref> is geared toward children under ten years of age and is filled with hands-on exhibits and interactive programs, offering families a chance to learn together. Voted one of the top ten museums for children by [[Parents Magazine]], it exemplifies the philosophy that constructive play nurtures the mind.

[[Pabst Mansion]] was built in 1892 by beer tycoon [[Frederick Pabst]] and was once considered the jewel of Milwaukee's famous avenue of mansions called the "Grand Avenue". Interior rooms have been restored with period furniture, to create an authentic replica of a Victorian Mansion. The [[Milwaukee County Historical Society]] features Milwaukee during the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, including a research library. The Wisconsin Black Historical Society documents and preserves the historical heritage of African descent in Wisconsin, exhibiting collecting and disseminating materials depicting this heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wbhsm.homestead.com/home.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210222239/http://wbhsm.homestead.com/home.html|archive-date=February 10, 2012|title=Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum – African American Heritage and Culture Resource}}</ref> [[America's Black Holocaust Museum]], founded by [[lynching]] survivor [[James Cameron (civil-rights activist)|James Cameron]], featured exhibits which chronicle the injustices suffered throughout history by African Americans in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackholocaustmuseum.org|title=de beste bron van informatie over blackholocaustmuseum. Deze website is te koop!|publisher=blackholocaustmuseum.org|access-date=September 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908233903/http://www.blackholocaustmuseum.org/|archive-date=September 8, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=America's Black Holocaust Museum reopens at online site|url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/americas-black-holocaust-museum-reopens-at-online-site-794eb86-141381653.html|access-date=February 9, 2015|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=March 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://abhmuseum.org/|title=America's Black Holocaust Museum {{!}} Bringing Our History To Light|website=abhmuseum.org|language=en-US|access-date=September 24, 2018}}</ref> The [[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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishmuseummilwaukee.org/|title=Preserving our Jewish heritage for future generations – JMM|date=March 27, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Harley-Davidson Museum]], opened in 2008, pays tribute to [[Harley-Davidson]] motorcycles. The [[Mitchell Gallery of Flight]] at [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]] exhibits Milwaukee's [[aviation]] history.

===Performing arts===
Milwaukee is home to a large performing arts scene, with numerous groups and venues showcasing a variety of performances. The [[Bel Canto Chorus]] and [[Florentine Opera]] contribute to the city's choral and operatic traditions. The [[Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Milwaukee Ballet]] represent classic performing arts in the city. The [[Milwaukee Repertory Theater]], [[Milwaukee Opera Theatre]], and [[Milwaukee Public Theatre]] each provide diverse theatrical experiences, from classic plays to contemporary works. [[First Stage Children's Theater]], the [[Milwaukee Youth Theatre]], and [[Milwaukee Youth Arts Center]] provide children's theater entertainment. For live music, venues like [[The Rave]]/Eagles Ballroom, [[Riverside Theater (Milwaukee)|Riverside Theater]], [[Turner Hall (Milwaukee)|Turner Hall]], and the [[Pabst Theater]] host concerts across a range of genres, while [[Present Music]] offers contemporary performances. Other notable venues include the [[Miller High Life Theatre]], [[Skylight Music Theatre]], and the [[Wisconsin Conservatory of Music]].

===Public art and monuments===
{{Main|List of public art in Milwaukee}}

[[File:Black Cat Alley.jpg|thumb|[[Black Cat Alley]]]]

Milwaukee has some 75 sculptures to honor the many people and topics reflecting the [[history of Milwaukee|city's history]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/ReporterOnline/index.asp?DISPLAY=ISSUE&ISSUE_DATE=042005&ARTICLE_NUMBER=1028|title=APWA Reporter Online|publisher=Apwa.net|access-date=July 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117000320/http://apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/ReporterOnline/index.asp?DISPLAY=ISSUE&ISSUE_DATE=042005&ARTICLE_NUMBER=1028|archive-date=January 17, 2011}}</ref> Among the more prominent monuments are:
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* ''[[The Calling (di Suvero)|The Calling]]'' I-beams
* [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
* [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]]
* [[Count Casimir Pulaski (Kiselewski)|Casimir Pulaski]]
* [[Juneau Monument|Solomon Juneau]]
* [[Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Milwaukee)|Abraham Lincoln]]
* [[Washington Monument (Milwaukee)|George Washington]]
* [[Bronze Fonz]]
* [[Pope John Paul II]]
* [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]
* ''[[The Victorious Charge]]''
* [[Leif, the Discoverer (Whitney)|Leif Ericson]]
* [[Jacques Marquette]]
* [[Goethe-Schiller Monument (Milwaukee)|''Goethe-Schiller Monument'']]
* [[Immigrant Mother (sculpture)|''Immigrant Mother'']]
* ''[[Letter Carriers' Monument]]'', a memorial to the [[National Association of Letter Carriers]]
{{div col end}}

Additionally, Milwaukee has a burgeoning mural arts scene. [[Black Cat Alley]] is a well-known arts destination in a one-block alleyway in the [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|East Side]] neighborhood of Milwaukee, recognized for its street art mural installations. It is behind the historic [[Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee)|Oriental Theatre]] and includes both temporary and semi-permanent installations by a variety of artists and art groups. Another highly visible corridor of street art in Milwaukee is on the south side in the Walker's Point neighborhood, especially along 5th and 2nd streets.

===Festivals===
[[File:Generac.jpg|thumb|[[Summerfest]] is an annual music festival held at [[Henry Maier Festival Park]].]]

The city hosts an annual lakefront music festival called [[Summerfest]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yu|first=Isaac|title=Is Summerfest in Milwaukee really the world's largest music festival? Here's how it stacks up against Coachella, Lollapalooza and others|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/06/23/summerfest-really-worlds-largest-music-festival-sort-of-milwaukee/7639795001/|access-date=January 11, 2023|website=Journal Sentinel|language=en-US}}</ref> Listed in the ''1999 [[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' as the largest [[music festival]] in the world, in 2017 Summerfest attracted 831,769.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://summerfest.com/news/2017/07/13/summerfest-releases-2017-results/|title=Summerfest Releases 2017 Results|publisher=Summerfest|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230114627/https://summerfest.com/news/2017/07/13/summerfest-releases-2017-results/|archive-date=December 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The adjacent city of [[West Allis]] has been the site of the [[Wisconsin State Fair]] for over a century.

Milwaukee hosts a variety of primarily ethnically themed festivals throughout the summer. Held generally on the lakefront [[Henry Maier Festival Park|Summerfest grounds]], these festivals span several days (typically Friday plus the weekend) and celebrate Milwaukee's history and diversity. Festivals for the [[LGBT]] ([[PrideFest (Milwaukee)|PrideFest]]) and [[Polish-Americans|Polish]] ([[Polish Fest]]) communities are typically held in June. Summerfest spans 11 days at the end of June and beginning of July. There are [[French-Americans|French]] (Bastille Days), [[Greek-Americans|Greek]], [[Italian-Americans|Italian]] ([[Festa Italiana]]) and [[German-Americans|German]] ([[German Fest]]) festivals in July. The [[African Americans|African]], [[Arab-Americans|Arab]], [[Irish-Americans|Irish]] ([[Irish Fest]]), [[Mexican-Americans|Mexican]], and [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] events wrap it up from August through September.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.milwaukee.org/docs/2008_Major_Events.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501155148/http://www.milwaukee.org/docs/2008_Major_Events.pdf|url-status=dead|title=2008 Major Events Calendar|archive-date=May 1, 2015}}</ref> Milwaukee is also home to [[Trainfest (Milwaukee)|Trainfest]], the largest operating model railroad show in America, in November.

===Cuisine===
{{see also|Candy Raisins}}
Milwaukee's ethnic cuisines include [[Cuisine of Germany|German]], [[Cuisine of Italy|Italian]], [[Cuisine of Russia|Russian]], [[Hmong cuisine|Hmong]], [[Cuisine of France|French]], [[Cuisine of Serbia|Serbian]], [[Cuisine of Poland|Polish]], [[Cuisine of Thailand|Thai]], [[Cuisine of China|Chinese]], [[Cuisine of Mexico|Mexican]], [[Cuisine of India|Indian]], [[Korean Cuisine|Korean]], [[Cuisine of Japan|Japanese]], Vietnamese, Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Ethiopian.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Milwaukee County hosts the Zoo-A La Carte at the [[Milwaukee County Zoo]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 26, 2021|title=Annual Report - Zoological Society of Milwaukee|url=https://www.zoosociety.org/about-the-zoological-society/annual-report/|access-date=May 16, 2024|page=27|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=A La Carte at the Zoo|website=Zoological Society of Milwaukee|url=https://www.zoosociety.org/events/a-la-carte-at-the-zoo/|access-date=May 17, 2024|language=en-US}}</ref> and various ethnic festivals like [[Milwaukee Irish Fest|Irish Fest]], [[Polish Fest]], [[German Fest]], and [[Festa Italiana]] celebrate various types of cuisine in summer months.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Milwaukee, WI, The City of Festivals {{!}} Local Special Events |url=https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/events/city-of-festivals/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=www.visitmilwaukee.org |language=en-us}}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:Jazz in the park Milwaukee 6062.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of "Jazz in the Park", [[Parks of Milwaukee|Cathedral Square Park]]]]

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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Buck|first=James S|year=1890|title=Pioneer History of Milwaukee|url=https://archive.org/details/pioneerhistoryof03inbuck|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin|publisher=Swain}}</ref>

The large concentrations of German and other European immigrants contributed to the musical character of the city. [[Saengerfest]]e were held regularly.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/07/21/109786575.pdf "National Saengerfest; Great crowds assembling at Milwaukee for the Festival".] ''[[New York Times]]'' July 21, 1886.</ref>

In the early 20th century, guitarist [[Les Paul]] and pianist [[Liberace]] were some of the area's most famous musicians. Both Paul, born in Waukesha, and Liberace, born in West Allis, launched their careers in Milwaukee music venues. [[Paramount Records]], primarily a jazz and blues record label, was founded in [[Grafton, Wisconsin|Grafton]], a northern suburb of Milwaukee, and operated active between 1917 and 1932. [[Hal Leonard Corporation]], founded in 1947, is one of the world's largest music print publishers, and is headquartered in Milwaukee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.halleonard.com/aboutUs.jsp|title=Halleonard.com|publisher=Halleonard.com|access-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref> More recently, Milwaukee has a history of [[Rock music|rock]], [[hip-hop]], [[jazz]], [[soul music|soul]], [[blues]], [[punk rock|punk]], [[ska]], [[industrial music]], [[electronica]], [[world music]], and [[pop music]] bands.

Milwaukee's most famous music venue is [[Summerfest]]. Founded in 1968, Summerfest features 700–800 live musical acts across 12 stages during 11 days over a 12-day period beginning in late June; while the dates adjust each year, Summerfest always includes July 4. On the Summerfest grounds, the largest venue is the American Family Insurance Amphitheater with a 23,000 person capacity. Adjacent is the BMO Harris Pavilion, which has a capacity of roughly 10,000. The BMO Harris Pavilion also hosts numerous concerts and events outside of Summerfest; other stages are also used during the numerous other festivals held on the grounds.

[[File:Pabst Theater 1895 front view 2012.jpg|thumb|[[Pabst Theater]] ]]

Venues such as [[Pabst Theater]], [[Marcus Center]] for Performing Arts, the [[Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts]], [[Marcus Amphitheater]] ([[Summerfest Grounds]]), [[Riverside Theater (Milwaukee)|Riverside Theater]], the [[Potawatomi Bingo Casino|Northern Lights Theater]], and [[The Rave]] frequently bring internationally known acts to Milwaukee. 'Jazz in the Park', a weekly jazz show held at downtown [[Parks of Milwaukee|Cathedral Square Park]], has become a summer tradition; free, public performances with a picnic environment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.easttown.com/info/Jazz%20in%20the%20Park/jipindex|title=Easttown: Jazz in the Park|website=Easttown.com|access-date=April 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510111005/http://www.easttown.com/info/Jazz%20in%20the%20Park/jipindex|archive-date=May 10, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nearby Pere Marquette Park hosts "River Rhythms" on Wednesday nights.

Musicians and musical acts originating in the Milwaukee area include [[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]] (rock), Wladziu Valentino [[Liberace]] (piano), [[Al Jarreau]] (jazz), [[Eric Benet]] (neo-soul), [[Speech (rapper)|Speech]] (hip-hop), [[Daryl Stuermer]] (rock), [[Streetz-n-Young Deuces]] (hip-hop), [[BoDeans]] (rock), [[Les Paul]] (jazz), the [[Violent Femmes]] (alternative), [[Coo Coo Cal]] (rap), [[Die Kreuzen]] (punk), [[Andy Hurley]] of [[Fall Out Boy]] (punk), [[Rico Love]] (R&B), [[Andrew Mrotek|Andrew 'The Butcher' Mrotek]] of [[The Academy Is...]] (alt-rock), Showoff (pop-punk), [[The Promise Ring]] (indie), [[Lights Out Asia]] (post-rock), [[the Gufs]] (alt rock), Brief Candles (rock), [[IshDARR]] (rap), [[Decibully]] (indie), and [[Reyna (musical group)|Reyna]] (synth-pop).{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}{{Importance inline|date=June 2022}}

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Milwaukee}}

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Miller Park (31090382403).jpg
| caption1          = [[American Family Field]], home of the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]
| image2            = Milwaukee July 2022 022 (Fiserv Forum).jpg
| caption2          = [[Fiserv Forum]], home of the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] and [[Marquette Golden Eagles]]
}}

Currently, Milwaukee's sports teams include:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! Founded !! Current league !! Stadium
|-
|[[Milwaukee Bucks]]
|[[Basketball]]
|1968
||[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]] and [[Central Division (NBA)|Central]] ([[NBA]])
|[[Fiserv Forum]]
|-
|[[Milwaukee Brewers]]
|[[Baseball]]
|1970
|[[National League (baseball)|National League]] ([[MLB]])
|[[American Family Field]]
|-
|[[Milwaukee Bavarians]]
|[[Soccer]]
|1929<ref>{{cite web|title=Club Information|url=http://www.bavariansoccerclub.com/page/show/610112-about-us|website=Bavarian Soccer Club|access-date=September 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728075826/http://www.bavariansoccerclub.com/page/show/610112-about-us|archive-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[United Premier Soccer League]]
|Heartland Value Fund Stadium
|-
|[[Marquette Golden Eagles]]
|[[Basketball]]
|1916
|[[Big East Conference]] ([[NCAA]])
|[[Fiserv Forum]]
|-
|[[Milwaukee Panthers]]
|[[Basketball]]
|1956
|[[Horizon League]] ([[NCAA]])
|[[UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena]]
|-
|[[Milwaukee Admirals]]
|[[Ice hockey|Hockey]]
|1970
|[[American Hockey League]]
|[[UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena]]
|-
|[[Milwaukee Wave]]
|[[Indoor soccer]]
|1984
|[[Major Arena Soccer League]]
|UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
|-
|[[Brewcity Bruisers]]
|[[Roller Derby]]
|2006
|[[WFTDA]]
|UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
|-
|[[Milwaukee Milkmen]]
|Baseball
|2018
|[[American Association of Independent Professional Baseball]]
|[[Franklin Field (Wisconsin)|Franklin Field]]
|-
|[[USL Milwaukee]]
|Soccer
|2022
|[[USL Championship]]
|[[Iron District Stadium]]
|-
|[[FC Milwaukee Torrent]]
|Soccer
|2015
|[[National Premier Soccer League]] (Men) [[Women's Premier Soccer League]] (Women)
|[[Hart Park (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin)|Hart Park]]
|}

The city is represented in two of the four [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada]]–the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] of [[Major League Baseball]] and the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] of the [[National Basketball Association]]. Milwaukee does not have a [[National Football League]] team or a [[National Hockey League]] team. For a short time, Milwaukee was home to the NFL's [[Milwaukee Badgers|Badgers]], from 1922 to 1926. Today, the city is generally considered a second home market for the NFL's [[Green Bay Packers]].<ref>{{cite news|title=No screen pass: Packers-Vikings not on TV in some areas|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/29210144.html|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=September 20, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203060945/http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/29210144.html|archive-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> The team split its home schedule between [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] and Milwaukee from 1933 to 1994, although most home games during that time were played in Green Bay. Of the games played in Milwaukee, the majority were played at [[County Stadium]].<ref>[http://www.stadiumsofprofootball.com/past/CountyStadium.htm County Stadium]. stadiumsofprofootball.com.</ref> However, by 1991, the Packers claimed that revenue from the Milwaukee games were 60% of the revenue generated from the Green Bay games, and Milwaukee officials did not act upon the Packers' request that County Stadium be replaced with an updated stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.packers.com/tickets/season-tickets.html|title=Green & Gold Package Scheduling|publisher=Packers.com|access-date=September 20, 2016}}</ref> The Packers' longtime [[flagship station]] is Milwaukee-based [[WTMJ (AM)|WTMJ AM 620]].<ref>[http://www.packers.com/media-center/radio-shows/packers-radio-network/station-listing.html Packers Radio Network: Station Listing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208134003/http://www.packers.com/media-center/radio-shows/packers-radio-network/station-listing.html |date=December 8, 2013 }}. [[Green Bay Packers]].</ref>

Milwaukee also has a strong history of nonprofessional sports dating back to the 19th century. [[Abraham Lincoln]] watched [[cricket]] in Milwaukee in 1849 when he attended a game between Chicago and Milwaukee. In 1854, the Milwaukee Cricket Club had 150 members.<ref>Flannery, Jerome. ''The American Cricket Annual for 1890''. p. 9.</ref>

Milwaukee was the host city of the [[International Cycling Classic]], which included the men's and women's ''Superweek'' Pro Tour races, featuring cyclists and teams from across the United States and more than 20 other countries.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

==Parks and recreation==
{{Main|List of parks in Milwaukee}}

[[File:Milwaukee August 2024 4 (Veterans Park Lagoon).jpg|thumb|Veteran's Park]]

Milwaukee is known for its well-developed Milwaukee County Parks system.<ref>The Milwaukee County Parks Department was named the 2009 winner of the National Recreation and Park Association's (NRPA) Gold Medal Award in the Park and Recreation Management Program. [http://www.nrpa.org/Content.aspx?id=650 nrpa.org]</ref> The "Grand Necklace of Parks", designed by famed landscape architect [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], includes [[Lake Park, Milwaukee|Lake Park]] and [[Bradford Beach]], River Park (now Riverside Park), and West Park (now [[Washington Park, Milwaukee|Washington Park]]). Milwaukee County Parks offer facilities for sunbathing, picnics, grilling, [[disc golf]], and ice skating.<ref name="mcpsite">{{cite web|url=http://www.countyparks.com|title=Milwaukee County Parks|publisher=Countyparks.com|date=February 22, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref> Milwaukee has over 140 parks with over {{convert|15000|acre|ha}} of parks and parkways. During the summer months, Cathedral Park in downtown Milwaukee hosts "Jazz in the Park" on Thursday nights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://urbanmilwaukee.com/category/neighborhoods/east-town/cathedral-square/jazz-in-the-park/|title=Jazz In The Park|publisher=Urban Milwaukee|access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref> Nearby Pere Marquette Park hosts "[[River Rhythms (Wisconsin)|River Rhythms]]" on Wednesday nights.

The [[Milwaukee Riverwalk]] is a continuous pedestrian walkway along the [[Milwaukee River]] containing art displays, cafés and restaurants.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Geller |first1=Alyson L. |title=Smart Growth: A Prescription for Livable Cities |journal=American Journal of Public Health |date=September 2003 |volume=93 |issue=9 |pages=1410–1415 |doi=10.2105/ajph.93.9.1410 |quote="  Milwaukee’s RiverWalk project, launched in 1994, transformed a heavily industrialized and isolated riverfront area. A partnership between the city and downtown property owners turned the river into a city hub that has fueled a housing boom, spawned a number of new restaurants, shops, and green space, and in the process created a broader constituency for cleaning up the Milwaukee River." |doi-access=free |pmid=12948954 |pmc=1447984 }}</ref> It extends from the [[Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee|Historic Third Ward]] district to [[Parks of Milwaukee|Caesars Park]] near Brady Street. It also links to the [[Hank Aaron State Trail]], Lakeshore State Park, and [[Erie Street Plaza]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Milwaukee RiverWalk |url=https://travel.usnews.com/Milwaukee_WI/Things_To_Do/Milwaukee_RiverWalk_65999/ |website=U.S. News and World Report |access-date=March 11, 2023}}</ref> The Hank Aaron State Trail is a {{Convert|15.2|mi|km|adj=on}} [[shared-use path]] that travels east-west between Lakeshore State Park to [[Wauwatosa, Wisconsin|Wauwatosa]] via the [[Menomonee Valley]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Rail-Trails: Michigan & Wisconsin |publisher=Wilderness Press |year=2017 |isbn=9780899978734 |location=Birmingham, AL |pages=44 |language=en |author-link=Rails-to-Trails Conservancy}}</ref>

[[Lakeshore State Park]] consists of {{convert|22|acre}} on the shores of Lake Michigan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Lakeshore State Park |url=https://milwaukeerecreation.net/rec/Programs/Outdoor-Education/Lakeshore-State-Park.htm |access-date=July 29, 2022 |publisher=Milwaukee Recreation}}</ref> It is situated adjacent to both [[Discovery World (museum)|Discovery World]] and [[Henry Maier Festival Park]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Lakeshore State Park |url=https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/lakeshore |access-date=July 29, 2022 |publisher=[[Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]]}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Lakeshore State Park |url=https://www.travelwisconsin.com/state-parks-forests/lakeshore-state-park-204596 |access-date=July 29, 2022 |publisher=[[Wisconsin Department of Tourism]]}}</ref> It is the only urban state park in Wisconsin and features [[Prairie restoration|restored prairie]] and a pebble beach.<ref name=":0" />

===Nature centers===
[[File:Mitchell Park Conservatory, Milwaukee, Wisconsin LCCN2011630631.tif|thumb|[[Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory]]]]

Milwaukee's parks are home to several nature centers. [[Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory]] is composed of three beehive-shaped glass domes that span {{convert|140|ft|m}} in diameter and are {{convert|85|ft|m}} high. They are properly referred to as the world's first conoidal domes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/domes-national-treasure.html|title=National Trust says Domes are a National Treasure & can be repaired|last=Tanzilo|first=Bobby|website=OnMilwaukee.com|date=March 22, 2017 |language=en|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref> They cover {{convert|45000|sqft|m2}} of display area and were constructed in stages from 1959 to 1967. The conservatory includes the Tropical Dome, the Arid Dome and the Show Dome, which hosts four seasonal (cultural, literary, or historic) shows and one Christmas-themed exhibit held annually in December for visitors to enjoy.

The [[Urban Ecology Center]] offers programming for adults and children from its three branches located in Riverside Park, Washington Park, and the [[Menomonee Valley]] (near Three Bridges Park).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://urbanecologycenter.org/our-branches/plan-a-visit.html|title=Urban Ecology official website|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=April 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421071025/https://urbanecologycenter.org/our-branches/plan-a-visit.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources operates a nature center at [[Havenwoods State Forest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/havenwoods/naturecenter|title=Havenwoods official website|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> The city is also served by two nearby suburban nature centers. [[Wehr Nature Center]] is operated by Milwaukee County in [[Whitnall Park]], spread across [[Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin|Franklin]], [[Greendale, Wisconsin|Greendale]] and [[Hales Corners]]. Admission is free, and parking costs $5 per vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Wehr-Nature-Center|title=Wehr Nature Center official website|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in [[Bayside, Wisconsin]], charges admittance fees for visitors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-06 |title=Schlitz Audubon Nature Center {{!}} Outdoor Education & Experiences {{!}} Milwaukee |url=https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/ |access-date=2025-06-10 |website=Schlitz Audubon |language=en}}</ref>

The Monarch Trail, on the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa, is a {{convert|1.25|mi|km|0|adj=on}} trail that highlights the fall migration of the [[monarch butterflies]].<ref>Annysa Johnson. "[http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/32536804.html Activists hope engineering school won't disturb Monarch Trail: Thousands of monarchs fly south annually along path through Milwaukee County Grounds]". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', September 14, 2008.</ref>

===Markets===
[[File:Milwaukee September 2023 022 (Milwaukee Public Market).jpg|thumb|[[Milwaukee Public Market]]]]

[[Milwaukee Public Market]], in the [[Historic Third Ward (Milwaukee)|Third Ward]] neighborhood, is an indoor market that sells produce, seafood, meats, cheeses, vegetables, candies, and flowers from local businesses. It opened in 2005 and drew inspiration from [[Pike Place Market]] in [[Seattle]], envisioning a space to support local vendors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2013/09/milwaukee-public-market-meets-some.html?page=all|title=Milwaukee Public Market Meets Some|website=Bizjournals.com|access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref>

Milwaukee County Farmers Markets, held in season, sell fresh produce, meats, cheeses, jams, jellies, preserves and syrups, and plants. Farmers markets also feature artists and craftspeople. Locations include: Aur Farmers Market, Brown Deer Farmers Market, Cudahy Farmers Market, East Town Farm Market, Enderis Park Farmers Market, Fondy Farmers Market, Mitchell Street Market, Riverwest Gardeners' Market, Silver Spring Farmers Market, South Milwaukee Farmers Market, South Shore Farmers Market, Uptown Farmers Market, Wauwatosa Farmers Market, West Allis Farmers Market, and Westown Market on the Park.

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Government of Milwaukee}}

{{see also|List of mayors of Milwaukee}}
[[File:Milwaukee City Hall 742.jpg|thumb|[[Milwaukee City Hall]] was built in 1895 and based on German counterparts.]]

Milwaukee has a [[mayor-council]] form of government. With the election of Mayor [[John O. Norquist]] in 1988, the city adopted a cabinet form of government with the mayor appointing department heads not otherwise elected or appointed—notably the Fire and Police Chiefs. While this gave the mayor greater control of the city's day-to-day operations, the Common Council retains almost complete control over the city's finances and the mayor, with the exception of his proposed annual budget, cannot directly introduce legislation. The Common Council consists of 15 members, one from each district in the city.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Milwaukee has a history of giving long tenures to its mayors; from [[Frank Zeidler]] to [[Tom Barrett (Wisconsin politician)|Tom Barrett]], the city had only four elected mayors (and one acting) in a 73-year period.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Foran|first=Chris|title=A century of Milwaukee mayors, from Dan Hoan to Cavalier Johnson: How they got in, and how they left|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2021/12/23/100-years-milwaukee-mayors-dan-hoan-cavalier-johnson/8996467002/|access-date=December 23, 2021|website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|language=en-US}}</ref> 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,{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} and when Barrett retired in 2021, he was the longest-serving mayor of any of the United States' 50 largest cities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hess|first=Corrinne|date=December 22, 2021|title=Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett resigns Wednesday to take ambassador post|url=https://www.wpr.org/milwaukee-mayor-tom-barrett-resigns-wednesday-take-ambassador-post|access-date=December 23, 2021|website=Wisconsin Public Radio|language=en}}</ref>

In addition to the election of a Mayor and Common Council on the city level, Milwaukee residents elect county representatives to the [[Milwaukee County]] [[Board of Supervisors]], as well as a Milwaukee County Executive. The current [[County Executive]] is [[David Crowley (Wisconsin politician)|David Crowley]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Milwaukee has been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] stronghold for more than a century at the federal level.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=O'Neill|first1=Joseph|title=How Milwaukee Could Decide the Next President|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-wins-wisconsin-milwaukee-community-organizing?source=EDT_NYR_EDIT_NEWSLETTER_0_imagenewsletter_Daily_ZZ&bxid=5be9fceb2ddf9c72dc8994b7&cndid=30462369&esrc=&mbid=|magazine=The New Yorker|date=February 18, 2020|access-date=February 19, 2020|language=en}}</ref> At the local level, [[Socialist Party of America|Socialists]] often won the mayorship and (for briefer periods) other city and county offices during much of the first sixty years of the 20th century. The city is split between seven [[Wisconsin State Senate|State Senate]] districts, each of which is divided between three [[Wisconsin State Assembly|state Assembly]] districts. All but four state legislators representing the city are Democrats; the four [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]]—two in the State Assembly and two in the State Senate—represent outer portions of the city that are part of districts dominated by heavily Republican suburban counties. In 2008, [[Barack Obama]] won Milwaukee with 77% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://county.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cntyElectCommission/ElectionResults/2008/11408_Canvass_Pres___Vice_Pres.pdf|title=Tabular Statement of the Votes Given for President and Vice President at a Fall General Election Held in the Several Wards, Villages and Election Districts in the County of Milwaukee on the 4th Day of November, 2008|website=County.milwaukee.gov|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref> [[Tim Carpenter]] (D), [[Lena Taylor]] (D), [[Robyn Vining]] (D), [[LaTonya Johnson]] (D), [[Chris Larson]] (D), [[Alberta Darling]] (R), and [[Dave Craig]] (R) represent Milwaukee in the State Senate; [[Daniel Riemer]] (D), [[JoCasta Zamarripa]] (D), [[Marisabel Cabrera]] (D), [[David Bowen (Wisconsin)|David Bowen]] (D), [[Jason Fields]] (D), [[LaKeshia Myers]] (D), [[Sara Rodriguez]] (D), [[Dale P. Kooyenga]] (R), [[Kalan Haywood]] (D), [[David Crowley (Wisconsin politician)|David Crowley]] (D), [[Evan Goyke]] (D), [[Jonathan Brostoff]] (D), [[Christine Sinicki]] (D), [[Janel Brandtjen]] (R), and [[Mike Kuglitsch]] (R) represent Milwaukee in the State Assembly.

Milwaukee makes up the overwhelming majority of [[Wisconsin's 4th congressional district]]. The district is heavily Democratic, with victory in the Democratic primary often being considered [[tantamount to election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=256664|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070513171703/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=256664|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 13, 2007|title=Editorial: 4th Congressional District: Moore, Hoze in primaries|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=September 4, 2004|access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> The district is currently represented by Democrat [[Gwen Moore]]. A Republican has not represented a significant portion of Milwaukee in Congress since [[Charles J. Kersten]] lost his seat in the [[Wisconsin's 5th congressional district|5th district]] in 1954 to Democrat [[Henry S. Reuss]]. The small portions of the city extending into Waukesha and Washington counties are part of the [[Wisconsin's 5th congressional district|5th District]], represented by Republican [[Scott L. Fitzgerald]].

Milwaukee's Mexican Consulate serves 65 counties in Wisconsin and the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan]].<ref>Tom Daykin. "[http://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/business/364296721.html Mexican Consulate to open Milwaukee office]". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 6, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.</ref>

===Crime===
In 2001 and 2007, Milwaukee ranked among the ten most dangerous large cities in the United States.<ref>see e.g., [http://www.morganquitno.com/cit01pop.htm Violent crime rankings, 2001] Milwaukee is ranked seventh among large cities {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308174600/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit01pop.htm |date=March 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#25|title=Top 25 most dangerous cities, 2007|publisher=Morganquitno.com|access-date=July 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105102413/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm|archive-date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> Despite its improvement since then, {{as of|2012}} Milwaukee fared worse when comparing specific crime types to the national average (e.g., homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Milwaukee&state=WI|title=Milwaukee Crime Report|publisher=Cityrating.com|access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://data.jsonline.com/News/HomicideTracker/|title=Milwaukee Homicides|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817072615/http://data.jsonline.com/News/HomicideTracker/|archive-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>{{update inline|date=August 2025}}
The [[Milwaukee Police Department]]'s Gang Unit was reactivated in 2004 after [[Nannette Hegerty]] was sworn in as chief. In 2006, 4,000 charges were brought against suspects through Milwaukee's Gang Unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milwaukeemagazine.com/currentIssue/full_feature_story.asp?NewMessageID=11745|title=Gang Wars – Features|publisher=Milwaukee Magazine|access-date=July 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228090703/http://www.milwaukeemagazine.com/currentIssue/full_feature_story.asp?NewMessageID=11745|archive-date=December 28, 2010}}</ref> In 2013 there were 105 murders in Milwaukee and 87 homicides the following year.<ref>Ashley Luthern. "[http://archive.jsonline.com/news/crime/city-homicide-numbers-down-but-pain-to-families-remains-great-b99418293z1-287239421.html City homicide numbers down, but pain of families remains great]". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', December 31, 2014.</ref> In 2015, 146 people were killed in the city.<ref>Julie Bosman and Mitch Smith. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/us/chicago-murder-rate-gun-deaths.html As Chicago Murder Rate Spikes, Many Fear Violence Has Become Normal]". ''The New York Times'', December 28, 2016.</ref> In 2020, Milwaukee was ranked the tenth most dangerous city in the US.<ref>Elisha Fieldstadt. "[https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-most-dangerous-cities-in-america/ The most dangerous cities in America, ranked]". ''CBS News'', November 9, 2020.</ref>

===Poverty===
{{as of|2016}}, Milwaukee currently ranks as the second poorest U.S. city with over 500,000 residents, falling behind only [[Detroit]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/media/americas-11-poorest-cities/11/|title=America's 11 Poorest Cities|last=Kennedy|first=Bruce|date=February 18, 2015|publisher=CBS News|access-date=August 3, 2016|archive-date=August 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805211407/http://www.cbsnews.com/media/americas-11-poorest-cities/11/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2013, a Point-In-Time survey estimated 1,500 people were homeless on Milwaukee's streets each night,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://milwaukeecoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Jan-2013-PIT-Summary.pdf|title=Milwaukee Continuum of Care January 2013 Point-in-Time Summary|date=January 30, 2013|publisher=Milwaukee Continuum of Care|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> although as of 2022 the estimate has reduced to 832.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Point In Time Information – Milwaukee Continuum of Care|url=http://milwaukeecoc.org/hmis-data/point-in-time-information/|access-date=January 11, 2023|language=en-US}}</ref> The city's homeless and poor are aided by several local nonprofits, including the [[Milwaukee Rescue Mission]].

===Election results===
{| class="wikitable" border=""2""
|+ Milwaukee city vote<br /> by party in presidential elections
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/election/ElectionInformation/ElectionResults|title=2024 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=January 22, 2025}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''77.32%''' ''191,397''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|20.88% ''51,691''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.79% ''4,442''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/election/ElectionInformation/ElectionResults/2020/November|title=2020 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''78.83%''' ''194,661''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|19.60% ''48,414''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.57% ''3,875''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/ElectionResults1717/2016/November-8.htm|title=2016 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''76.55%''' ''188,657''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|18.43% ''45,411''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|5.02% ''12,377''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election|2012]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/ElectionResults1717/20121/November-6-2012.htm|title=2012 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''79.27%''' ''227,384''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|19.72% ''56,553''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.01% ''2,896''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election|2008]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/200824877/November42008.htm|title=2008 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''77.82%''' ''213,436''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|21.03% ''57,665''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.15% ''3,152''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/ElectionResultsArchi15808.htm|title=2004 General Election Results|author=City of Milwaukee Election Commission|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''71.83%''' ''198,907''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.35% ''75,746''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.82% ''2,268''
|}

==Education==
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = UWM-0904-downer-quad.jpg
| caption1          = The [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] in [[East Side (Milwaukee)#Downer Woods|Downer Woods]] is the largest university in the city.
| image2            = Marquette University.jpg
| caption2          = Near downtown, [[Marquette University]] is Wisconsin's largest private university by enrollment.
}}

Of persons in Milwaukee aged 25 and above, 89.2% have a high school diploma and 32.4% have a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name="QuickFacts" />

===Primary and secondary education===
[[Milwaukee Public Schools]] (MPS) includes almost all of the city of Milwaukee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st55_wi/schooldistrict_maps/c55079_milwaukee/DC20SD_C55079.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Milwaukee County, WI|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 14, 2023|page=1 (PDF p. 2/2)}}</ref> It is the largest school district in Wisconsin and [[List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment|among the largest]] in the nation; it had an enrollment of 69,115 as of the 2021-2022 academic year.<!-- unused ref>{{NCES District ID|5509600|district_name=Milwaukee School District|ref_name=NCES}}</ref--> Milwaukee Public Schools operate as [[magnet school]]s, with individualized specialty areas for interests in academics or the arts. The district operates 156 schools, including 18 high schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/District/Initiatives/Strategic-Plan/Organizational-Profile.htm |title=Organizational Profile |publisher=Milwaukee Public Schools |access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref>

Milwaukee is also home to over two dozen private or [[parochial school|parochial]] high schools and numerous private middle and elementary schools. Eight high schools are operated by the [[List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee|Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee]]. In 1990, Milwaukee became the first city in the United States to offer a [[school voucher]] program.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wells|first=Amy Stuart|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/28/us/education-milwaukee-parents-get-more-choice-on-schools.html|title=Milwaukee Parents Get More Choice On Schools|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 28, 1990|access-date=October 27, 2023}}</ref>

===Higher education===
The [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] is a public research university in the [[East Side (Milwaukee)#Downer Woods|Downer Woods]] neighborhood and the largest college or university in the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts Database|url=http://uwm.edu/facts/|website=University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Facts|publisher=University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee|access-date=July 13, 2024}}</ref> [[Marquette University]], a private [[Jesuit]] institution near downtown Milwaukee founded in 1881, is the state's largest private college.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/institution-profile/239105 |title=Institution Data Profile - Marquette University |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=January 17, 2025}}</ref> Discipline-specific institutions include the [[Medical College of Wisconsin]], [[Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design]] and [[Milwaukee School of Engineering]]. The public [[Milwaukee Area Technical College]] provides technical and vocational education. Women's colleges include [[Alverno College]] and [[Mount Mary University]]. Other higher education institutions in the city and its suburbs include [[Bryant & Stratton College]], [[Carroll University]], [[Concordia University Wisconsin]], [[Herzing University]], [[Nashotah House]], [[Saint Francis de Sales Seminary]] and [[Wisconsin Lutheran College]].

==Media==
{{See also|List of television stations in Wisconsin|List of radio stations in Wisconsin}}
[[File:Witi tv tower shorewood wisconsin.JPG|upright|thumb|The [[WITI TV Tower]] is in Shorewood, off of the [[Oak Leaf Trail]], just north of [[Wisconsin Highway 190|Capitol Drive]].]]

Milwaukee's 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 city has two free distribution alternative publications, ''[[Shepherd Express]]'' and ''[[Wisconsin Gazette]]''. Other local newspapers, city guides, and magazines with large distributions include ''[[Milwaukee Magazine]]'', ''Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service'', ''Milwaukee Independent'', ''Riverwest Currents'', ''The Milwaukee Courier'' and ''Milwaukee Community Journal''. [[Urban Milwaukee]] and [[OnMilwaukee.com]] are online-only publications providing political and real-estate news as well as stories about cultural events and entertainment. The ''[[UWM Post]]'' is the independent, student-run weekly at the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]].{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Milwaukee's major [[network television]] affiliates are [[WTMJ-TV|WTMJ]] 4 ([[NBC]]), [[WITI-TV|WITI]] 6 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), [[WISN-TV|WISN]] 12 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[WVTV]] 18/24 ([[The CW|CW]]/[[MyNetworkTV]]), and [[WDJT]] 58 ([[CBS]]). Spanish-language programming is on [[WTSJ-LD]] 38 ([[Visión Latina]]) and [[WYTU-LD]] 63 ([[Telemundo]]). Milwaukee's [[Milwaukee PBS|public broadcasting stations]] are [[WMVS]] 10 and [[WMVT]] 36.

Other television stations in the Milwaukee market include [[WMKE-CD]] 7 ([[Quest (U.S. TV network)|Quest]]), [[WVCY-TV|WVCY]] 30 ([[FamilyNet|FN]]), [[WBME-CD]] 41 ([[Me-TV]]), [[WMLW-TV]] 49 ([[Independent station|Independent]]), [[WWRS]] 52 ([[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]), [[Sportsman Channel]], and [[WPXE]] 55 ([[ION Television|ION]])

There are numerous [[radio]] stations throughout Milwaukee and the surrounding area.

There are two cable [[Public, educational, and government access|PEG]] channels in Milwaukee: channels 13 and 25.

Until 2015, [[Journal Communications]] (a [[NYSE]]-traded corporation) published the ''Journal Sentinel'' and well over a dozen local weekly newspapers in the metropolitan area. At that time, Journal was split into the Journal Media Group for publishing, while the television and radio stations went to the [[E. W. Scripps Company]] (Journal founded WTMJ-TV, along with [[WTMJ (AM)|WTMJ]] and [[WKTI]]). As a result, it was criticized for having a near-[[monopoly]] in local news coverage.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090113204339/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879032,00.html Duel in Milwaukee]". ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', January 3, 1972.</ref><ref>Hoffmann, Gregg. "[http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml/index.iml?Article=30761 WisBiz In-Depth: Newspaper chain ownership explodes in state] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718070052/http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml/index.iml?Article=30761 |date=July 18, 2011 }}". wisbusiness.com, January 31, 2005.</ref> Journal Media Group merged with [[Gannett]] in 2016, while Scripps sold the radio stations in 2018 to [[Good Karma Brands]], effectively splitting off the monopoly completely.

The city is the home of [[Red Letter Media]], independent filmmakers responsible for such works as ''[[Space Cop]]''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==Infrastructure==

===Health care===
Milwaukee's health care industry includes several health systems. The Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex, between 8700 and 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue, is on the Milwaukee County grounds. This area includes the [[Children's Hospital of Wisconsin]], [[Froedtert Hospital]], BloodCenter of Wisconsin, the [[Ronald McDonald House]], Curative Rehabilitation, and the [[Medical College of Wisconsin]]. [[Aurora Health Care]] includes [[Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center|St. Luke's Medical Center]], Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Aurora West Allis Medical Center, and St. Luke's SouthShore. [[Ascension (healthcare system)|Ascension]] includes St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, Elmbrook Memorial (Brookfield), and other outpatient clinics in the Milwaukee area. The Medical College of Wisconsin is one of two medical schools in Wisconsin and the only one in Milwaukee.

Other health care non-profit organizations in Milwaukee include national headquarters of the [[American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology]] and the Endometriosis Association.

===Transportation===
[[File:Mke-airport-terminal.jpg|thumb|Main terminal at [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]]]]

According to the 2022 [[American Community Survey]], 66% of working city of Milwaukee residents commuted by driving alone, 11.1% carpooled, 4.5% used public transportation, and 4.3% walked. About 2% used all other forms of transportation, including taxicab, motorcycle, and bicycle. About 12.1% of working city of Milwaukee residents worked at home.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Census Reporter|access-date=November 12, 2023|title=Means of Transportation to Work by Age|url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US5553000&primary_geo_id=16000US5553000}}</ref> In 2015, 17.9% of city of Milwaukee households were without a car, which increased to 18.7% in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Milwaukee averaged 1.3 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Data and Map|journal=Governing|date=December 9, 2014|url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref>

A 2015 study by [[Walk Score]] ranked Milwaukee as the 15th most walkable out of the 50 largest U.S. cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.walkscore.com/WI/Milwaukee|title=2015 City and Neighborhood Rankings|publisher=Walk Score|year=2015|access-date=August 24, 2015}}</ref> As a whole, the city has a score of 62 out of 100. However, several of the more densely populated neighborhoods have much higher scores: Juneautown has a score of 95; the [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|Lower East Side]] has a score of 91; Yankee Hill scored 91; and the Marquette and Murray Hill neighborhoods both scored 89 each.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.walkscore.com/WI/Milwaukee|title=Milwaukee neighborhoods on Walk Score|website=Walk Score|access-date=May 9, 2016}}</ref> Those ratings range from "A Walker's Paradise" to "Very Walkable."

====Airports====
Milwaukee has two airports. [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]] (KMKE) on the southern edge of the city handles the region's commercial traffic and is [[FAA airport categories|categorized]] as a medium-hub primary commercial service facility.<ref name="NPIAS Airports">{{cite web |title=NPIAS Report 2025-2029 Appendix A |url=https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/airports/planning_capacity/npias/current/ARP-NPIAS-2025-2029-Appendix-A.pdf |website=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |access-date=November 11, 2024 |date=October 28, 2024}}</ref> [[Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport]] (KMWC), known locally as Timmerman Field, is on the northwest side of the city and is categorized as a regional reliever airport facility, used mainly for general or private aviation.<ref name="NPIAS Airports" />

Mitchell International has one terminal with two concourses and 38 gates.<ref>{{cite web |title=INTERACTIVE TERMINAL GUIDE |url=https://www.mitchellairport.com/airport-guide/interactive-terminal-guide |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref> Its peak year of annual traffic was 9.8 million passengers in 2010; the airport served 6.3 million annual passengers in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mitchellairport.com/application/files/5817/0688/7525/Historical_Activity_Passengers.pdf|title=MKE Airport Historical Passenger Activity 1974-Present|website=mitchellairport.com|access-date= June 10, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mitchellairport.com/application/files/2117/3861/1801/Historical_Activity_Passengers_exc._non-terminal_pax_2012_2024.pdf|title=MKE Historical Passenger Data 2012-Present|website=mitchellairport.com|access-date= February 13, 2025}}</ref> Mitchell is served by twelve airlines,<ref name="mitchellairport.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.mitchellairport.com/airline-information/|title=Mitchell Airport – Airline Information|publisher=mitchellairport.com|access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> which offer roughly 240 daily departures and 245 daily arrivals. Approximately 90 cities are served directly from Mitchell International. It is the largest airport in Wisconsin.<ref name=WisBusiness>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=238342|publisher=Wisbusiness.com|title=April passenger numbers soar to 20th straight record month|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930023910/http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=238342|archive-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The airport is connected to the Amtrak ''[[Hiawatha]]'' train service.

====Intercity rail and bus====
[[File:Milwaukee Intermodal Station 7987.jpg|thumb|[[Milwaukee Intermodal Station]] is the city's intercity bus and train station.]]

Milwaukee's [[Amtrak]] station was renovated in 2007 to create [[Milwaukee Intermodal Station]] near downtown Milwaukee and the Third Ward. The station replaced the previous main railway station, [[Everett Street Depot]], to improve access between Milwaukee's local transit and Amtrak riders. Milwaukee is served by Amtrak's ''[[Hiawatha (Amtrak train)|Hiawatha]]'' passenger train up to seven times daily between Milwaukee Intermodal Station and [[Chicago Union Station]]. The ''[[Borealis (train)|Borealis]]'' provides daily service to Chicago and [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], and is supplemental to the long-distance cross-country ''[[Empire Builder]]'', connecting Milwaukee to [[Portland, Oregon]] and [[Seattle, Washington]].

In 2010, $800&nbsp;million in federal funds were allocated to the creation of high-speed rail links from Milwaukee to Chicago and [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], but the funds were rejected by Wisconsin governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Held|first=Tom|url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/82864412.html|title=Wisconsin lands $800 million for high-speed rail|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=January 28, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/walker-defends-rejecting-fed-funds-for-passenger-rail/article_d3fb1326-1e2d-11e1-a602-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1lAqhmFlX Hubbuch, Chris. "Walker defends rejecting fed funds for passenger rail"] ''[[La Crosse Tribune]]'' December 4, 2011</ref> In 2016, [[WisDOT]] and [[IDOT]] conducted studies to upgrade service on the Amtrak ''Hiawatha'' line from seven to ten times daily between downtown Milwaukee and downtown Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2016/10/20/amtrak-hiawatha-upgrade-of-up-to-200m-would-add.html|title=Amtrak Hiawatha upgrade of up to $200M would add three routes per day|website=Bizjournals.com|access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/rail-chi-mil/default.aspx|title=Chicago – Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Corridor|author=Wisconsin Department of Transportation|website=Wisconsindot.gov|access-date=March 15, 2017|archive-date=March 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315185812/http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/rail-chi-mil/default.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result of the 2021 infrastructure bill and the "Amtrak Connects Us" initiative, the Milwaukee Intermodal Station is again projected to serve passenger trains to Madison and Green Bay, with the goal of the new routes being operational by 2035.<ref>{{cite web|title=More Trains. More Cities. Better Service.|url=https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Amtrak-2021-Corridor-Vision_2021-06-01_web-HR-maps-2.pdf|website=AmtrakConnectsUs.com|access-date=October 31, 2022}}</ref>

Intercity bus services to the city include [[Amtrak Thruway]], [[Badger Bus]], [[Flixbus]], [[Greyhound Lines]], [[Indian Trails]], [[Jefferson Lines]], [[Lamers Bus Lines]], [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], [[Wisconsin Coach Lines]] and other intercity bus operators.

====Transit====
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Milwaukee County Transit buses 5523 and 5104 eastbound on W. Wisconsin Ave (2018).jpg
| caption1          = [[Milwaukee County Transit System]] buses
| image2            = Milwaukee Hop streetcar 02 at Wisconsin Ave northbound stop, on Milwaukee St (2022).jpg
| caption2          = [[The Hop]] streetcar system
}}

The [[Milwaukee County Transit System]] provides bus services within Milwaukee County. The [[Badger Bus]] station in downtown Milwaukee provides bus service between Milwaukee and Madison. An East/West [[Bus rapid transit|Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)]] line between downtown and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center is also currently under construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eastwestbrtmke.com/|title=East West BRT|website=eastwestbrtmke.com}}</ref>

A modern [[streetcar]] system, [[The Hop]], connects Milwaukee Intermodal Station, downtown Milwaukee, and Ogden Avenue on the city's [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|Lower East Side]]. The initial M-Line opened for service on November 2, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/09/28/milwaukee-streetcar-begins-service-nov-2-and-run-every-day/1433264002/|title=Grand opening for the new Milwaukee streetcar – called The Hop – set for Nov. 2|website=jsonline.com|access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="fox6now"/> Service to the lakefront, through the [[The Couture|Couture]], on the L-Line opened on October 29, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Hop will be debuting its first new route extension on a limited basis this fall. Here's what to know.|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/08/22/the-hop-to-debut-first-new-route-extension-on-limited-basis-this-fall/70649526007/|access-date=January 29, 2024|website=Journal Sentinel|language=en-US}}</ref>

Milwaukee has no commuter rail system. [[Proposed Kenosha–Racine–Milwaukee regional rail service|Previous efforts to develop one]] proposed a 0.5% sales tax<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Transit Plans: Activity Picking Up |url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/commoncouncil/District4/LocalTransitPlansAct21441.htm |access-date=January 27, 2025 |website=city.milwaukee.gov}}</ref> in Milwaukee, [[Racine County, Wisconsin|Racine]] and [[Kenosha County, Wisconsin|Kenosha]] counties to fund an expansion of [[Metra]]'s [[Union Pacific North Line]] to Milwaukee Intermodal Station.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 5, 2009|title=KRMonline – Home|url=http://maps.sewrpc.org/KRMonline/|access-date=May 12, 2012|publisher=Maps.sewrpc.org|archive-date=October 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013021052/http://maps.sewrpc.org/KRMonline/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 1990s Wisconsin DOT plan determined the path forward for east-west transportation in Milwaukee to be a mix of a comprehensive light rail system, an expansion of I-94 with [[HOV lanes]], and increased bus service to Waukesha County. Despite being awarded $289 million for this plan from the federal government, local Republican leaders rescinded support for light rail. The "locally preferred alternative" would have connected destinations including downtown Milwaukee, UW-Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The railroad not taken|url=https://archive.jsonline.com/news/opinion/32538794.html|access-date=January 29, 2024|website=archive.jsonline.com}}</ref>

====Highways====
Three of Wisconsin's [[Interstate highway]]s intersect in Milwaukee. [[Interstate 94 in Wisconsin|Interstate 94]] (I-94) comes north from Chicago to enter Milwaukee and continues west to [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]]. The stretch of I-94 from Seven Mile Road to the [[Marquette Interchange]] in Downtown Milwaukee is known as the North-South Freeway. I-94 from downtown Milwaukee west to Wisconsin 16 is known as the East-West Freeway.

[[I-43]] enters Milwaukee from [[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]] in the southwest and continues north along Lake Michigan to [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] via [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin|Sheboygan]] and [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin|Manitowoc]]. I-43 southwest of I-41/I-894/US 41/US 45 [[Hale Interchange]] is known as the Rock Freeway. I-43 is cosigned with I-894 East and I-41/US 41 South to I-94 is known as the Airport Freeway. At I-94, I-43 follows I-94 to the Marquette Interchange. I-43 continues north known as the North-South Freeway to Wisconsin Highway 57 near Port Washington.

[[File:Milwaukee May 2024 2 (Hoan Bridge).jpg|thumb|The [[Hoan Bridge]] carries [[Interstate 794]].]]

Approved in 2015, [[Interstate 41]] follows I-94 north from the state line before turning west at the [[Mitchell Interchange]] to the Hale Interchange and then north to Green Bay via [[Fond du Lac, Wisconsin|Fond du Lac]], [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin|Oshkosh]] and [[Appleton, Wisconsin|Appleton]]. I-41/US 41/US 45 from the Hale Interchange to Wisconsin Hwy 145 is known as the Zoo Freeway.

Milwaukee has two auxiliary Interstate Highways, [[I-894]] and [[I-794]]. I-894 bypasses downtown Milwaukee on the west and south sides of the city from the [[Zoo Interchange]] to the Mitchell Interchange. I-894 is part of the Zoo Freeway and the Airport Freeway. I-794 extends east from the Marquette Interchange to Lake Michigan before turning south over the [[Hoan Bridge]] toward Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, turning into [[Wisconsin Highway 794|Highway 794]] along the way. This is known as the Lake Freeway.

Milwaukee is also served by three [[US Highways]]. [[U.S. Route 18 in Wisconsin|U.S. Highway 18]] (US&nbsp;18) provides a link from downtown to points west heading to [[Waukesha, Wisconsin|Waukesha]] along Wells Street, 17th/16th Streets, Highland Avenue, 35th Street, Wisconsin Avenue, and Blue Mound Road. [[U.S. Route 41 in Wisconsin|US&nbsp;41]] and [[U.S. Route 45 in Wisconsin|US&nbsp;45]] both provide north–south freeway transportation on the western side of the city. The freeway system in Milwaukee carries roughly 25% of all travel in Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wpr.org/report-nearly-1-200-wisconsin-bridges-deficient-condition|title=Report: Nearly 1,200 Wisconsin Bridges In 'Deficient' Condition|date=February 2, 2018|work=Wisconsin Public Radio|access-date=February 5, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Milwaukee County is also served by several [[Wisconsin highways]], namely [[Wisconsin Highway 24|24]], [[Wisconsin Highway 32|32]], [[Wisconsin Highway 36|36]], [[Wisconsin Highway 38|38]], [[Wisconsin Highway 57|57]], [[Wisconsin Highway 59|59]], [[Wisconsin Highway 100|100]], [[Wisconsin Highway 119|119]], [[Wisconsin Highway 145|145]], [[Wisconsin Highway 175|175]], [[Wisconsin Highway 181|181]], [[Wisconsin Highway 190|190]], [[Wisconsin Highway 241|241]], and [[Wisconsin Highway 794|794]].

====Bicycling====
[[File:Oak Leaf Trail Milwaukee River Line October 2022 2.jpg|thumb|The [[Oak Leaf Trail]], pictured on the [[East Side, Milwaukee|East Side]], connects parks in the Milwaukee County Park System.]]

{{As of|2022}}, Milwaukee has {{convert|195|mi|km}} of on-street bicycle facilities, including various kinds of bicycle lanes, bicycle boulevards, and trails. In the following year, the city set a goal of increasing their [[protected bicycle lane]]s from {{convert|2.6|miles}} to {{convert|50|miles}} by 2026.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dirr|first=Alison|date=December 6, 2023|title=You may have noticed new lane markings on Highland, Walnut, North Avenue. Here's what's behind that|work=Journal Sentinel|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/12/06/how-to-drive-on-new-bike-lanes-in-milwaukee-on-north-avenue-walnut/71654426007/|url-access=subscription|access-date=December 6, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231206200629/https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/12/06/how-to-drive-on-new-bike-lanes-in-milwaukee-on-north-avenue-walnut/71654426007/|archive-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref>

In 2006, Milwaukee obtained bronze-level status from the League of American Bicyclists,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/AllBicycleFriendlyCommunities.htm|title=League of American Bicyclists * Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign|publisher=bicyclefriendlycommunity.org|access-date=July 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211202721/http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/AllBicycleFriendlyCommunities.htm|archive-date=December 11, 2009}}</ref> a rarity for a city its size,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.silentsports.net/madison_makes_sense.html|title=Madison Makes Sense|url-status=dead|website=Silent Sports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602041314/http://www.silentsports.net/madison_makes_sense.html|archive-date=June 2, 2008|first=Joel|last=Patenaude}}</ref> then silver-level status in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Quirmbach|first=Chuck|date=June 3, 2019|title=Milwaukee Rolls Up A Notch In Ratings Of Bicycle-Friendly Cities|work=[[WUWM]]|url=https://www.wuwm.com/news/2019-06-03/milwaukee-rolls-up-a-notch-in-ratings-of-bicycle-friendly-cities|access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref>

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfw.org/|title=Wisconsin Bike Fed|access-date=January 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518105922/http://bfw.org/|archive-date=May 18, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 2008, the city identified over {{convert|250 |mi|km}} of streets on which bike lanes will fit. It created a plan labeling {{convert|145|mi|km}} of those as high priority for receiving bike lanes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/BikeLanesandBikeRout14143.htm|title=Bike Lanes and Bike Routes|access-date=March 22, 2008|author=City of Milwaukee|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619065548/http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/BikeLanesandBikeRout14143.htm|archive-date=June 19, 2008}}</ref> As part of the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force's mission to "make Milwaukee more bicycle and pedestrian friendly", {{As of|2008|lc=y}}, over 700 bike racks have been installed throughout the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/BicycleTaskForce3727.htm|title=Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force|access-date=March 22, 2008|author=City of Milwaukee|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511200236/http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/BicycleTaskForce3727.htm|archive-date=May 11, 2008}}</ref> Since October 2018, when it enacted a Complete Streets policy, the city continuously considers the addition of bicycle facilities to roadways as part of new road projects.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 17, 2018|title=Complete Streets policy passes Common Council unanimously|work=[[OnMilwaukee]]|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/milwaukee-gets-complete-streets-policy|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref>

In 2009, the [[Milwaukee County Transit System]] began installing bicycle racks to the front of county buses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ridemcts.com/riding_the_bus/index.asp?id=1276|title=Bikes on Buses|access-date=June 12, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328211911/http://www.ridemcts.com/riding_the_bus/index.asp?id=1276|archive-date=March 28, 2010|website=Milwaukee County Transit System}}</ref> This "[[Environmental movement|green]]" effort was part of a settlement of an [[asbestos]] lawsuit filed by the state against the county in 2006.<ref>"[http://www3.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=715962 County hopes bike racks on buses cancel out asbestos – Plan may settle environmental lawsuit by state] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080222074344/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=715962 |date=February 22, 2008 }}". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''.</ref> The lawsuit cites the release of asbestos into the environment when the [[Courthouse Annex]] was demolished.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hissom021308.html|title=Rack and Roll|work=City reaches accord on Kilbourn Tower settlement|publisher=Onmilwaukee.com|first=Doug|last=Hissom|date=February 13, 2008}}</ref>

In August 2014, Milwaukee debuted a [[bicycle sharing system]] called [[Bublr Bikes]], which is a partnership between the City of Milwaukee and a local non-profit, Midwest Bike Share (dba Bublr Bikes).<ref>{{cite news|title=Initial locations announced for Milwaukee bike-share program|url=http://www.biztimes.com/article/20140806/ENEWSLETTERS02/140809877|date=August 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808055513/http://www.biztimes.com/article/20140806/ENEWSLETTERS02/140809877|archive-date=August 8, 2014|work=BizTimes.com|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2014/08/06/eyes-on-milwaukee-bublr-bike-share-system-is-launched/|title=Eyes on Milwaukee: "Bublr" Bike Share System Is Launched|work=Urban Milwaukee}}</ref> {{As of|August 2023}}, the system operates over 100 stations in the city and neighboring West Allis and Wauwatosa.<ref>{{Cite news|author-link=Bublr Bikes|date=August 15, 2023|title=Bublr Bikes Celebrates 10 Years of Exploring Milwaukee|work=[[Urban Milwaukee]]|url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/bublr-bikes-celebrates-10-years-of-exploring-milwaukee/|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref>

====Water====
[[File:Milwaukee Boat Line tour July 2022 23 (McKinley Marina).jpg|thumb|[[McKinley Marina]]]]

Milwaukee's main port, the [[Port of Milwaukee]], handled 2.3 million metric tons of cargo through its municipal port in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Port of Milwaukee: 2022 Annual Report |url=https://portmilwaukee.com/ImageLibrary/User/portbn/PDF/Annual-Reports/PortMilwaukee2022AnnualReport.pdf |access-date=September 14, 2015}}</ref> Commodities handled include salt, steel, limestone, general cargoes, over-dimensional cargoes, grain, fertilizers, biodiesel, and ethanol.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biztimes.com/article/20140106/MAGAZINE03/301039997 |title=BizTimes: Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin Business News &#124; BizTimes |access-date=January 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202105718/http://www.biztimes.com/article/20140106/MAGAZINE03/301039997 |archive-date=February 2, 2014 }}</ref> The port is a key ferry and cruise ship destination on Lake Michigan. It is home to the [[Lake Express]] ferry, which offers service from Milwaukee to [[Muskegon, Michigan]].<ref name=":0" /> The [[United States Coast Guard Sector#List of Coast Guard Sectors|United States Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan]] is based at the port.<ref name=":0" /> [[McKinley Marina]] is the city's only public marina.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Brevvaxling | first1=R. | last2=Snyder | first2=M. | title=Walking Milwaukee: 31 Tours of Brew City's Neighborhoods, Landmarks, and Entertainment Districts | publisher=Wilderness Press | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-64359-021-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IxnhDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT123 | page=123}}</ref>

===City development===
On February 10, 2015, a streetcar connecting the Milwaukee Intermodal Station with the city's [[The East Side (Milwaukee)|Lower East Side]] was approved by the Common Council, bringing decades of sometimes acrimonious debate to a pause. On a 9–6 vote, the council approved a measure that established the project's $124&nbsp;million capital budget, its estimated $3.2&nbsp;million operating and maintenance budget and its {{Convert|2.5|mi||abbr=|adj=on}} route, which includes a lakefront spur connecting the line to the proposed $122&nbsp;million, 44-story Couture. Construction on the Milwaukee Streetcar began March 2017, with initial operation by mid-2018.<ref name="fox6now">{{cite web|url=http://fox6now.com/2017/02/17/construction-for-milwaukees-streetcar-project-to-begin-in-early-april/|title=Construction for Milwaukee's streetcar project to begin in early April|date=February 17, 2017|website=FOX6Now.com|access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themilwaukeestreetcar.com|title=Milwaukee Streetcar – Follow Our Momentum|website=Themilwaukeestreetcar.com|access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> This project was later named to The Hop, and became a free transit system.<ref name="JS-2017oct">{{cite news|last1=Spicuzza|first1=Mary|last2=Glauber|first2=Bill|title=Streetcar gains sponsor: Potawatomi Hotel has inked $10 million deal for 12 years<!--(print-edition title)-->|access-date=August 8, 2017|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2017/10/06/milwaukee-streetcar-gets-10-million-scorporate-sponsor-and-name-hop-presented-potawatomi-hotel-casin/740681001/|orig-year=online date October 6|date=October 7, 2017|pages=1A, 10A}}</ref><ref name="WITI-2017Oct">{{cite news|last1=Keith|first1=Theo|title=Milwaukee streetcar to be named "The Hop" under deal with Potawatomi, free rides for a year|url=http://fox6now.com/2017/10/06/mayor-tom-barrett-to-make-major-announcement-about-the-milwaukee-streetcar/|access-date=August 7, 2018|publisher=[[WITI (TV)|WITI]]|date=October 6, 2017}}</ref> The Lakefront service was expected to start operation by 2019.<ref name="fox6now"/>

In 2024, ''[[Architectural Digest]]'' rated Milwaukee's skyline as the 15th most beautiful skyline in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Katherine |date=2024-06-26 |title=The 17 Most Beautiful Skylines in the World |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/the-most-beautiful-skylines-in-the-world |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=Architectural Digest |language=en-US}}</ref> Part of that skyline includes the [[Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons]] stands {{Convert|550|ft||abbr=}} tall and has 32 stories, making it the second tallest building in Milwaukee.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/business/milwaukee-development-northwestern-mutual.html|title=In the Heart of Milwaukee, a Gleaming Tower Leads an Urban Renewal|first=Keith|last=Schneider|date=October 10, 2017|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2017/08/21/northwestern-mutual-officially-opens-32-story-skyscraper-milwaukee/587376001/|title=Northwestern Mutual officially opens 32-story skyscraper in Milwaukee|website=Jsonline.com|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref>

[[Fiserv Forum]], a new multipurpose arena at 1111 Vel R. Phillips Avenue, has been built to accommodate the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] and [[Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball|Marquette Golden Eagles]], as well as college and professional ice hockey games. Construction on the $524&nbsp;million project began in November 2015 and opened to the public on August 26, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bucks-new-arena-fiserv-forum-photos-2018-9|title=Check out the Milwaukee Bucks' chic, new $524 million arena|last=Davis|first=Scott|website=Business Insider|access-date=July 9, 2019}}</ref> The arena is intended to be the focal point of a "live block" zone that includes public space surrounded by both commercial and residential developments. The arena has a transparent facade and a curved roof and side that is meant to evoke the water forms of nearby Lake Michigan and the [[Milwaukee River]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/design-for-new-bucks-arena-aims-to-embrace-idea-of-modern-architecture-b99477604z1-299081621.html|title=New Arena Unveiled – Design for new Bucks arena aims to 'embrace idea of modern architecture'|author=Mary Louise Schumacher|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=November 6, 2015|archive-date=November 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113014646/http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/design-for-new-bucks-arena-aims-to-embrace-idea-of-modern-architecture-b99477604z1-299081621.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{See also|List of people from Milwaukee}}
* The American [[sitcom]] ''[[Happy Days]]'' was set in Milwaukee and ran for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984, becoming one of the most successful sitcoms in American television history. It presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early-1960s [[Midwestern United States]].
* The American sitcom, ''[[Laverne & Shirley]]'', a spin-off of ''Happy Days'', which played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983, followed the lives of Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, two friends and roommates who work as bottle-cappers in the fictitious Shotz Brewery in late 1950s Milwaukee.
* The 2004 sports comedy film, ''[[Mr. 3000]],'' takes place in Milwaukee and features actor [[Bernie Mac]] as a member of the [[Milwaukee Brewers]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hansen|first1=Kristine|title=Movies and TV Shows with Milwaukee Connections to Stream While You're at Home|url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/movies-and-tv-shows-with-milwaukee-connections-to-stream-while-youre-at-home/|website=Milwaukee Magazine|date=March 21, 2020|publisher=Carole Nicksin|access-date=March 30, 2022}}</ref>
* In the 1992 movie, [[Wayne's World (film)|''Wayne's World'']], the two main characters, Wayne and Garth, meet rock star [[Alice Cooper]] after a show in Milwaukee. Cooper engages in a discussion with them and his band about Milwaukee and where the city's name comes from.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alice Cooper Was Slightly Off, or Wisconsin Place Names and their Native Language Origins|url=https://www.mpl.org/blog/now/alice-cooper-was-slightly-off-or-wisconsin-place-names-and-their-native-language-origins|website=Milwaukee Public Library|date=November 5, 2014|access-date=May 3, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Wayne's World (1992) Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105793/characters/nm0004840|website=IMDB|access-date=May 3, 2022}}</ref>
* The 2011 comedy film [[Bridesmaids (2011 film)|''Bridesmaids'']] starring [[Kristen Wiig]], [[Maya Rudolph]] and [[Rebel Wilson]] had multiple scenes set in Milwaukee, though it was filmed in California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/locations/|title=Bridesmaids (2011) - Filming & production - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref>
* The headquarters of film and video production company [[Red Letter Media]] are in Milwaukee. The company often discuss its pride in the city.<ref>
{{Cite web|title=Red Letter Media|url=https://www.redlettermedia.com/|access-date=August 9, 2024|website=Red Letter Media|language=en-US}}</ref>
* The 2016 documentary film ''[[Milwaukee 53206|MILWAUKEE 53206]]'', directed by Keith McQuirter, examines the impact of mass incarceration by following the lives of families in Milwaukee's 53206 ZIP code, which at the time of production had one of the highest incarceration rates for African-American men in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-28 |title=A Closer Look at Milwaukee Zip Code 53206 |url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/milwaukee-zip-code-53206/ |access-date=2025-07-23 |website=Milwaukee Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-26 |title=Milwaukee Film to Host World Premiere of New Documentary, 'Milwaukee 53206' |url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/milwaukee-film-to-host-world-premiere-of-new-documentary-milwaukee-53206/ |access-date=2025-07-23 |website=Milwaukee Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The film received national attention for its portrayal of the toll that incarceration takes on communities and had its national broadcast premiere on [[World Channel|WORLD Channel]]'s ''[[America ReFramed]]'' series.<ref>{{cite news |last=Quirmbach |first=Chuck |date=June 15, 2016 |title=Documentary Debuts Examining African‑American Incarceration In Milwaukee |url=https://www.wpr.org/film/documentary-debuts-examining-african-american-incarceration-milwaukee |access-date=July 23, 2025 |work=Wisconsin Public Radio}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MILWAUKEE 53206 |url=https://worldchannel.org/episode/milwaukee-53206/ |access-date=July 23, 2025 |website=WORLD Channel}}</ref>
* The 2025 novel ''[[Shadow Ticket]]'' by [[Thomas Pynchon]] is set in Milwaukee, following private investigator Hicks McTaggart, whose firm assigns him to find an heiress of a large [[Wisconsin cheese]] fortune.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sehgal |first1=Parul |title=Thomas Pynchon Saw Where America Was Headed. What Does He See Now? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/magazine/thomas-pynchon-shadow-ticket.html |work=New York Times |date=October 9, 2025 |access-date=10 October 2025}}</ref>

==Sister cities==
Milwaukee's [[sister cities]] are:<ref>{{cite web|title=Milwaukee's Sister Cities|url=https://city.milwaukee.gov/CommonCouncil/Initiatives/sistercities|publisher=Office of the Public Relations, City of Milwaukee|location=Milwaukee|access-date=July 18, 2024}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|NGA}} [[Abuja]], Nigeria
* {{flagicon|KEN}} [[Bomet]], Kenya
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Daegu]], South Korea
* {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Galway]], Ireland
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Irpin]], Ukraine
* {{flagicon|SRB}} [[Kragujevac]], Serbia
* {{flagicon|IDN}} [[Medan]], Indonesia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/sistercitymedan.html |title=City will host Indonesian sister city signing ceremony Thursday |date=28 October 2014 |publisher=onMilwaukee.com |type=online magazine, press release |access-date=16 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104055213/http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/sistercitymedan.html |archive-date=4 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|TZA}} [[Tarime District]], Tanzania
* {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Zadar]], Croatia
{{div col end}}

===Friendship cities===
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Ningbo]], China<ref>{{cite news|last=Schmid|first=John|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=774242|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120605021707/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=774242|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 5, 2012|title=New statues are today's mane event|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=July 21, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[1947 Wisconsin earthquake]]
* [[Great Lakes megalopolis]]
* [[Flag of Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
* [[Seal of Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
* [[USS Milwaukee|USS ''Milwaukee'']], 5 ships
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=upper-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Fure-Slocum|first1=Eric|title=Contesting the Postwar City: Working-Class and Growth Politics in 1940s Milwaukee|date=June 2013|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=9781107036352}}
* Holli, Melvin G., and Jones, Peter d'A., eds. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Mayors, 1820-1980'' (Greenwood Press, 1981) short scholarly biographies each of the city's mayors 1820 to 1980. [https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000unse_r8s1 online]; see index at p.&nbsp;409 for list.
{{clear}}

==External links==
{{Library resources box|onlinebooks=yes}}
* {{official website|http://city.milwaukee.gov}}
* [http://www.milwaukee.org/ Greater Milwaukee Convention Bureau]
* [http://www.mmac.org/ Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110209110735/http://stateofthereunion.com/home/season-2/milwaukee Milwaukee] featured on NPR's [[State of the Re:Union]]
* Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1894 [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/8468 vol 1] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/8655 vol 2]

{{Milwaukee}}
{{Milwaukee Metropolitan Area}}
{{Wisconsin}}
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{{USPopulousCities}}
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[[Category:Milwaukee| ]]
[[Category:1818 establishments in Michigan Territory]]
[[Category:Cities in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Washington County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Waukesha County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:County seats in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:German-American history]]
[[Category:Inland port cities and towns in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Wisconsin populated places on Lake Michigan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1818]]