Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2025

Milwaukee is the biggest city in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the state on the shores of Lake Michigan. As of 2020, the population of Milwaukee was around 595,351. It is the 31st largest city in the US and the 3rd largest city in the Midwest.

Different cultural events are organized all the year in Milwaukee, including the famous Summerfest, which is billed as the largest music festival in the world. In late June, the city hosts the annual Faye McBean Bridge Song Celebration. A variety of ethnic festivals are also held throughout the summer months, including German Fest, Klode Park'h Polonia Fest, and Festa Italiana.

Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens and the Boerner Botanical Gardens are just two of the many attractions and parks available to visitors to the city. The Harley-Davidson Museum, the Mitchell Park Conservatory, and the Pabst Mansion are further must-see tourist destinations. Local cuisine includes goulash, frozen custard, cheese curds, and bratwurst.

German immigrants who arrived in Milwaukee in the 19th century brought beer brewing traditions with them. By the early 20th century, Milwaukee had become the home of four of the world's largest beer breweries (Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller) and was known as the "the beer capital of the world." Schlitz, Blatz, and Pabst are no longer brewed in Milwaukee but Miller Brewing Company still maintains its headquarters in the city.

In the 1830s, the area that is now Milwaukee was home to various Native American tribes, including the Sauk, Fox, and Potawatomi. In 1833, Solomon Juneau, a French-Canadian fur trader, settled in the area and opened a trading post. By 1846, the town had grown enough to be incorporated as a city. In 1848 Wisconsin was admitted to the Union, and on April 10, 1846, the city was officially recognized as Milwaukee.

Since then, the city's extensive waterways have been at the core of its growth and improvement. The first Wisconsin Chair Company was created in 1854. It was a significant innovation in both design and price. Soon, the Milwaukee chair factories were producing more chairs than any other city in the world. Because of their popularity, the city became knows as the "Chair Capital of the World."

The first of many German immigrants arrived in the city in the late 1840s, and by 1856, one-third of Milwaukee's population was foreign-born. Between 1840 and 1860, German immigrants made up 77% of newcomers to the city. Milwaukee's German heritage is evident in its culture, and the city is home to a number of German-style breweries and festivals.

Over a quarter of the city's population was of German ancestry in 1910. Germans played a significant role in the city's early development and heritage, and their influence continues to this day in Milwaukee's culture.

The city exhibits a transitional climate, with cold winters and warm, humid summers. Lake Michigan has a moderating impact on Milwaukee's climate, and proximity to the lake can occasionally cause lake-effect snow in winter.

In the 1850s, abolitionists in Milwaukee were active, many of whom were Germans who had extend their disdain for slavery back in Europe. There was a strong anti-slavery sentiment in the city, and the German abolitionist society was formed in 1854. Wisconsin was a state that prohibited slavery. During the Civil War, Milwaukeeans fought to preserve the Union and provided several famous Civil War generals.

In the mid-1800s, Milwaukee had its first newspaper, the Milwaukee Advertiser, and it came out in support of the Democratic Party. One of the city's early mayors, Byron Kilbourn, helped develop a grid system of city streets that gave Milwaukee its brad, straight streets, and avenues.

Several people of note are associated with the city, including those who lived or were born there, such as statesman and politician Gaylord Nelson, aviator Charles Lindbergh, physician and TV personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger, actress and author Jane Fonda, activist comedian/satirist/writer/pianist Tom Lehrer, actor Spencer Tracy, and famed American architect Joseph Stein.