39th largest metro area??? (Milwaukee, Kenosha: house, wages, taxes)

[Rob702]

What's the big deal? Milwaukee is a nice city with plenty of things to do, no matter if it's number 39, 50, 100 or 10. Of course, it is not in the same league as Chicago or New York but it doesn't have to be. Its relative position to other cities doesn't change a thing about the city itself. Also, I'm not sure I would like to see a Milwaukee with twice the population. I like it for what it is. Obviously, the viewpoint changes once we grow up, so we see things in perspective. As a child, Madison would've felt like a huge metropolis to me.

[43north87west]

Quality and quantity are not connected. There isn't much distinction in size, if that size doesn't offer anything special over any other place.

I live in Phoenix, and while it's a very nice city to live in, it's also spread out like a giant pancake and I wouldn't miss half of the city if it fell off the map entirely. A lot of it is totally forgettable.

The same goes for a lot of the newer suburban areas of the metro area in Milwaukee. Might as well be Atlanta or Charlotte or Boston, or anywhere else that has basic eastern type vegetation and geography, and a lot of ugly houses with too many gables, faux brick, vinyl siding, and asphalt shingle. Big deal.

[RatKing216]

Originally Posted by sconnielove

Sad that Milwaukee is only the 39th largest metro area in the U.S!!! Being from a small town in western Wisconsin, Milwaukee seemed like the biggest place in the world when going to state tournaments and traveling to the east side of the state! We'd obviously been to Minneapolis and St. Paul a billion times but Madison and Milwaukee are the two biggest cities in OUR state! To find out the area is smaller than PROVIDENCE, RI, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, PORTLAND, OR and other crappy areas like that is depressing! Why isn't the Milwaukee area growing at all? It's on the same fricken lake as Chicago, the climate isn't any different, traffic is better and there's WAY less people! So why isn't Milwaukee growing? I don't get it. I understand that people in Milwaukee don't want the same hassles as people in Chicago and can't stand if a building blocks the view of the prescious lake but God forbid people move to our biggest city and make it relevant.

People don't move into Milwaukee due to crime mostly. I've known a good number of people that left Milwaukee to go back to Chicago because it was safer!!! Milwaukee has TWICE the crime as Chicago per capita. Also, there is a very high number of African Americans. This tends to keep people out of the city as well. People tend to have this idea that the higher the blacks, the more the crime.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by RatKing216

People don't move into Milwaukee due to crime mostly. I've known a good number of people that left Milwaukee to go back to Chicago because it was safer!!! Milwaukee has TWICE the crime as Chicago per capita. Also, there is a very high number of African Americans. This tends to keep people out of the city as well. People tend to have this idea that the higher the blacks, the more the crime.

Do you really expect anyone to believe that especially after the year Chicago is having and after last year in Chicago. Milwaukee does not have twice the crime that is just plain wrong, Milwaukee is safer than Chicago, Chicago has about a million more blacks than we do and yet areas all over Chicago and Milwaukee are gentrifying at a rapid pace. Milwaukee was last ranked at 41st-47th in most dangerous city depending what list you go by. Milwaukee in numerous safety list is either one city ahead or behind Minneapolis. I don't know how you are not aware of the crime explosion in Chicago, it's a national news story.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by RatKing216

People don't move into Milwaukee due to crime mostly. I've known a good number of people that left Milwaukee to go back to Chicago because it was safer!!! Milwaukee has TWICE the crime as Chicago per capita. Also, there is a very high number of African Americans. This tends to keep people out of the city as well. People tend to have this idea that the higher the blacks, the more the crime.

Stop making crap up.

Milwaukee has a higher percentage of white people to black people than does Chicago. The difference is primarily the lack of Hispanic people in Milwaukee compared to Chicago. Chicago is 31% black and Milwaukee is 39% black. Chicago is 32% white and Milwaukee is 37% white.

Chances of being a victim of violent crime in Chicago is 1 in 94... Milwaukee is 1 in 93. That's not "twice the crime". Both cities are better than about 5% of the cities in the US. Not saying much for either. Chicago is (or was) a bit better, but after this year, Chicago may lose its tiny edge over Milwaukee for violent crimes.

[sholomar]

it's nice to have a big city nearby like Chicago without having to live there. To each their own, but that's too many people and too much traffic for me. Let the unwashed masses continue to crowd together tighter and tighter because they are 'bored' .. it keeps the rural areas more peaceful.

[FromMilwaukeeInSeattle]

This is like two years late but anyways it has to do a lot with sprawling. Milwaukee's a big city that is only 96.8 sq miles. We are one of the densest cities over 300,000 people. The suburbs aren't very far outside of Milwaukee. The Walworth county shouldn't be included in Milwaukee's metro because frankly nobody comes to Milwaukee from Walworth to work. They work in the small cities, there. Kenosha is more influenced by Chicago and has many people working in the Chicago suburbs. We are a big metro, just open your eyes a little more.

[MKEastsider]

I'd say Kenosha County is about 50/50 when it comes to looking north (Milwaukee) or south (Chicago), and both cities have some form of public transit to and from Kenosha. I'd compare it to New Jersey and how certain parts are more within New York's sphere of influence, of Phily's.

Either way, it doesn't exactly surprise me that Milwaukee has a low metro population... the outer-ring suburbs don't offer anything but isolation. I can't imagine what would cause someone with the money to do so to buy a home in, say, Mequon when they could have one on Lake Drive, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, or somewhere a lot warmer.

[mbradleyc]

I'd say Kenosha County is about 50/50 when it comes to looking north (Milwaukee) or south (Chicago), and both cities have some form of public transit to and from Kenosha.

CoachUSA runs a couple of buses to Kenosha, but I wouldn't call that public transit. That's all there is.

Either way, it doesn't exactly surprise me that Milwaukee has a low metro population... the outer-ring suburbs don't offer anything but isolation. I can't imagine what would cause someone with the money to do so to buy a home in, say, Mequon when they could have one on Lake Drive, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, or somewhere a lot warmer.

I'd rather have a house and some land in the country than any of that.

[HyperionGap]

What's really sad is the brain drain. Most of the top tier graduates from UW or Marquette are going out of state to Chicago, LA, NYC, etc. For the most part, Milwaukee does not have the amenities and job market to retain the majority of its top talent.