Milwaukee

This article is about the city within Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. For the county itself, see Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. For other uses, see Milwaukee (disambiguation).
"Milwaukee, Wisconsin" redirects here. For the former town, see Milwaukee (town), Wisconsin.

Milwaukee
City
Downtown Milwaukee
Hilton Milwaukee City Center
Milwaukee City Hall
Milwaukee Riverwalk
Milwaukee Art Museum
American Family Field
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory
Flag of Milwaukee
Flag
Official seal of Milwaukee
Seal
Official logo of Milwaukee
Logo
Nickname(s): 
Cream City,[1] Brew City,[2] Beer Capital of the World,[3] Miltown,[4] The Mil, MKE, The City of Festivals,[5] The German Athens of America,[6] The 414[7]
Map
Interactive map of Milwaukee
Milwaukee is located in Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is located in the United States
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Coordinates: 43°03′N 87°57′W / 43.05°N 87.95°W / 43.05; -87.95
CountryUnited States
StateWisconsin
CountiesMilwaukee, Washington, Waukesha
IncorporatedJanuary 31, 1846; 178 years ago (1846-01-31)
Founded bySolomon Juneau, Byron Kilbourn, and George H. Walker
Named forPotawatomi for "gathering place by the water"
Government
 • TypeStrong mayor-council
 • BodyMilwaukee Common Council
 • MayorCavalier Johnson (D)
Area
[8]
 • City
96.81 sq mi (250.75 km2)
 • Land96.18 sq mi (249.12 km2)
 • Water0.63 sq mi (1.63 km2)
Elevation
617 ft (188 m)
Population
 (2020)[10]
 • City
577,222
 • Estimate 
(2024)[11]
577,385[9]
 • Rank80th in North America
31st in the United States
1st in Wisconsin
 • Density6,000/sq mi (2,300/km2)
 • Urban
1,306,795 (US: 38th)
 • Urban density2,818.3/sq mi (1,088.2/km2)
 • Metro
[12]
1,574,731 (US: 40th)
 • CSA
2,049,805 (US: 33rd)
DemonymMilwaukeean
GDP
[13]
 • Metro$120.563 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
53172, 532XX
Area code414
FIPS code55-53000[14]
GNIS feature ID1577901[15]
Websitecity.milwaukee.gov

Milwaukee (/mɪlˈwɔːki/ ⓘ mil-WAW-kee) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County.[16] With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is the 31st-most populous city in the United States and the fifth-most populous city in the Midwest.[17][18][19] It is the central city of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, the 40th-most populous metro area in the U.S. with 1.57 million residents.[20]

Milwaukee is an ethnically and culturally diverse city.[21] However, it continues to be one of the most racially segregated cities, largely as a result of early-20th-century redlining.[22] Its history was heavily influenced by German immigrants in the 19th century, and it continues to be a center for German-American culture,[23] specifically becoming well known for its brewing industry. In recent years, Milwaukee has undergone several development projects.[24] Major additions to the city since the turn of the 21st century include the Wisconsin Center, American Family Field, The Hop streetcar system, an expansion to the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the Bradley Symphony Center,[25] and Discovery World, as well as major renovations to the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena. Fiserv Forum opened in late 2018, and hosts sporting events and concerts.

Milwaukee is categorized as a "Gamma minus" city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network,[26] with a regional GDP of over $102 billion in 2020.[27] Since 1968, Milwaukee has been home to Summerfest, a large music festival.[28] Milwaukee is home to the Fortune 500 companies of Northwestern Mutual, Fiserv, WEC Energy Group, Rockwell Automation, and Harley-Davidson.[29] It is also home to several colleges, including Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. The city is represented in two of the four major professional sports leagues—the Bucks of the NBA and the Brewers of MLB.

  1. ^ Henzl, Ann-Elise (December 27, 2019). "How Milwaukee Got The Nickname 'Cream City'". wuwm.com. WUWM. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Official Brew City Map". visitmilwaukee.org. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "Milwaukee: Beer Capital of the World". beerhistory.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Snyder, Molly (August 30, 2008). "Nicknames for Milwaukee and Wisconsin". onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "The City of Festivals". visitmilwaukee.org. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Tolzmann, Don Heinrich. "A Center of German Culture, Milwaukee, Wisconsin". gamhof.org. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Tarnoff, Andy (April 14, 2021). "The 411 on the 414 area code". onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Demographic Services Center's 2024 Population Estimates" (PDF). State of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Department of Administration. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "QuickFacts: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  12. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. ^ "The Counties". Wisconsin Counties Association. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  19. ^ "The Largest Cities In The Midwest". worldatlas.com. January 4, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  20. ^ "Population Change for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas". Census.gov.
  21. ^ Mak, Adrian (June 24, 2020). "Most Diverse Cities in the U.S." advisorsmith.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Foltman, Leah; Jones, Malia (February 28, 2019). "How Redlining Continues To Shape Racial Segregation In Milwaukee". Wiscontext. PBS Wisconsin/Wisconsin Public Radio.
  23. ^ "Germans". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Extraordinary building boom is reshaping Milwaukee's skyline". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  25. ^ "First Look: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Bradley Symphony Center". OnMilwaukee. March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  26. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC – Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  27. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org. January 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Yu, Isaac. "Is Summerfest in Milwaukee really the world's largest music festival? Here's how it stacks up against Coachella, Lollapalooza and others". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  29. ^ Dill, Molly (May 21, 2018). "Wisconsin has 9 companies on 2018 Fortune 500 list". biztimes.com. Milwaukee Business News. Retrieved March 7, 2021.