Milwaukee is a very energetic city along the shores of Lake Michigan in Southeast Wisconsin. It is best known for the Major League Brewers and famous breweries. However, there’s more to Milwaukee than baseball and beer. It is very rich in cultural and historical attractions; making it a perfect place for a weekend of exploring.

From the Bronzeville Center for the Arts, the iconic Harley-Davidson Museum, and the classic Wisconsin State fare, Around MKE will help show off Milwaukee as the ever growing and dynamic city that we all know it to be.

History:

The City of Milwaukee arose on a site familiar to the Native American tribes from a collection of scattered settlements in what is now eastern Wisconsin. Local historians attribute the name to a word derived from the Potawatomi Tribe. The Potawatomi pronounced it Mahn-ah-wauk, meaning council grounds. By the early 20th century, Milwaukee had developed a national reputation based on three related hallmarks: Germanism, Socialism and beer.

Ethnic History:

Milwaukee has been a stronghold of cultural diversity since long before it became a city. The Menominee and Ho-Chunk were the dominant tribes in the region until the 1600s, when a wave of newcomers migrated from the east: Fox, Sauk, Ottawa, and Ojibwe — and most numerous of all—Potawatomi. During the second wave of the Great Migration, Milwaukee’s black population went from 22,000 in 1950 to 109,000 in 1970. In 2020 the black population in Milwaukee was 229,893.
Milwaukee has always been a city of ethnic enclaves, with Germans clustering on the North Side, Poles on the South, and Italians in the Third Ward.

Walkers Point:

Walker’s Point is Milwaukee’s oldest neighborhood. Of the three settlements that made up pioneer Milwaukee, it is the only one that has retained both its name and key aspects of its original appearance.

Industries:

Greater Milwaukee’s key industries include mechanical manufacturing; energy, power & controls; food & beverage; water technology; and medical technology.

Fun Facts:

• Milwaukee is home to over 150 state and county parks, 1,500 acres of beaches and over 150 miles of bike trails.
• There are more than 100 public and private golf courses in Southeast Wisconsin, 22 in Milwaukee County alone.
• There are over 15 museums in downtown Milwaukee and 30 museums in the metro area.