32 Facts About Milwaukee

1. Name "Milwaukee" comes from the Algonquian word, meaning "good", "beautiful", and "pleasant land" or "gathering place [by the water]" (Potawatomi: manwaking, Ojibwe: omaniwakiing).

2. Milwaukee ensured the roads running toward the river did not join with those on the east side.

3. Milwaukee claimed land to the south of the Milwaukee River, along with Juneautown, where he built a log house in 1834.

4. Milwaukee began to grow as a city as high numbers of immigrants, mainly German, made their way to Wisconsin during the 1840s and 1850s.

5. Milwaukee gained its reputation as the most German of American cities not just from the large number of German immigrants it received, but for the sense of community which the immigrants established here.

6. The American Serb Hall in Milwaukee is known for its Friday fish fries and popular events.

7. 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.

8. Milwaukee is crossed by Interstate 43 and Interstate 94, which come together downtown at the Marquette Interchange.

9. In 2009 the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee established the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, the first graduate school of limnology in the United States.

10. Milwaukee is the 31st most populous city in the United States, and anchors the 39th most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States.

11. In 2012, Milwaukee was listed as a gamma global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

12. In 2015, Milwaukee was rated as the "worst city for black Americans" based on disparities in employment and income levels.

13. St Joan of Arc Chapel, the oldest church in Milwaukee, is on the Marquette University campus.

14. St Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral is a landmark of the Serbian community in Milwaukee, located by the American Serb hall, which the congregation operated until putting it up for sale in January 2021 due to financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

15. Milwaukee's founding fathers had a vision for the city: they knew it was perfectly situated as a port city, a center for collecting and distributing produce.

16. Early in the 20th century, Milwaukee was home to several pioneer brass era automobile makers, including Ogren.

17. Milwaukee became synonymous with Germans and beer beginning in the 1840s.

18. Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest beer breweries, and was the number one beer producing city in the world for many years.

19. MillerCoors is a joint venture formed in 2008 by Milwaukee-based Miller Brewing Co.

20. Milwaukee is the home to the international headquarters of five Fortune 500 companies: Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual, Manpower, Rockwell Automation, and Harley-Davidson.

21. Milwaukee is a popular location for sailing, boating, and kayaking on Lake Michigan, ethnic dining, and cultural festivals.

22. Black Cat Alley is a well-known arts destination in a one-block alleyway in the East Side neighborhood of Milwaukee, recognized for its street art mural installations.

23. The Packers' longtime flagship station is Milwaukee-based WTMJ AM 620.

24. Milwaukee was the host city of the International Cycling Classic, which included the men's and women's Superweek Pro Tour races, featuring professional and amateur cyclists and teams from across the US and more than 20 foreign countries.

25. Milwaukee makes up the overwhelming majority of Wisconsin's 4th congressional district.

26. In 2001 and 2007, Milwaukee ranked among the ten most dangerous large cities in the United States.

27. In 2018, Milwaukee was ranked the eighth most dangerous city in the US.

28. Milwaukee is home to over two dozen private or parochial high schools, such as Marquette University High School, and many private and parochial middle and elementary schools.

29. The stretch of I-94 from Seven Mile Road to the Marquette Interchange in Downtown Milwaukee is known as the North-South Freeway.

30. In 2006, Milwaukee obtained bronze-level status from the League of American Bicyclists, a rarity for a city its size.

31. The City of Milwaukee installed another ten Bublr Bikes stations in October 2016, and the adjacent suburb of Wauwatosa installed eight stations in September 2016, which will bring the system size to 58 stations by the end of 2016.

32. Milwaukee averaged 1.3 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.