Does Milwaukee have a lot of beautiful areas? Nice parks? Historic neighborhoods? Or is it all pretty much ugly? Thanks (earthquake, live in)

[patrickmich]

"just like any other city"

why do people feel the need to qualify their statements with this extra bit of information?

[#Littledog]

What I meant is that anyone could describe any mid to larger-size city as being "ugly and crime-ridden." So to say it's exclusively a Milwaukee issue is false.

[Twoaday]

The point of that is that all cities have some issue... For example the shanty town just across the freeway from the BOB in Phoenix... I never thought I would see one of those in the U.S.

As far as Milwaukee I agree with most of the posters we have a great city with many many parks, a huge lake front, and some good bike trails. In addition we have a world class nightlife scene, world class art museum, wonderful neighborhoods and believe it or not but you can afford to live in the city.

[mmcgirk3]

There are pockets of run down properties in every city in America. Look at Denver, Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Baltimore, Atlanta, Boston, Miami etc. etc. Some parts of these cities make inner city Milwaukee look like Beverly Hills CA.

That doesn't mean I think that Milwaukee couldn't stand some improvements in it's quality of neighborhoods. Major improvements.

Milwaukee has some absolutely gorgeous areas just west and north. Whitefish Bay, Delefield, Brookfield,Shorewood, Fox Point, River Hills, Oconomowoc, Mequon, Cedarburg, Hartland, St. Francis, Port Washington, Glendale, Menomonee Falls, Elm Grove, Sussex, Lannon, New Berlin, Muskego, Jackson, Franklin, Waukesha, Germantown, Grafton. All very nice green areas that are still growing, but not extremely overcrowded. Therefore, traffic headaches are very minimal in Milwaukee. Taxes in Wisonsin are high, however for the last few years, the city of Milwaukee has held the line on taxes. The downtown is in a transitional phase. You will find there are many who don't like the fact that Milwaukee is spending money on revitalizing it's downtown and some of it's inner city neighborhoods, through the 'Main Street Milwaukee Plan' and other initiatives. Others realize that the first step to attracting good jobs to the area is to provide safe and thriving business districts. In order for this to happen, you have to make your city visually attractive...and safe. I think the citizens of Milwaukee, as well as the elected officials, need to step it up a notch and begin to make Milwaukee a community that will lure good companies to the region.

Start small. Clean up your trash for one thing. Keep your homes, buildings, and storefronts looking decent and not trashy and delapidated. It was encouraging to see that the city recently passed a strict regulation on business owners to keep their storefronts looking more asthetically attractive. Business owners need to do their share to keep their neighborhoods looking professional and classy. That element, combined with tax breaks for big businesses and better transportation options for Milwaukee's poor, would go a long way towards a better city.

The downtown Riverwalk is still being "improved"...instead of old burned out factories and junk yards, new condos are going up along the Milwaukee River. This is a good move, because it keeps up with other more attactive cities, such as Austin Texas. I think that the success of the downtown starts with better jobs though. In order to get that done, you need to lower crime. Milwaukee just hired a new top cop, and so far, he's doing a fine job. Milwaukee might be on it's way, but citizens will make the difference. They need to take far more pride in their community...making it cleaner and safer.

One last thing. This perception of Milwaukee as a segregated community.
This has to be one of the most overblown notions about Milwaukee. I am an African American and lived on the near north side for most of my life. There are people on the south side, west side, east side, you name it--from all walks of life.
ALL CITIES ARE "SEGREGATED" TO SOME EXTENT. Hispanics moving up from Mexico are not going to afford a house in the country right away...and they tend to move into communities near other Hispanics. It's not like the city tells them, "this is where you must live!". They too need to do their part, to attract better jobs to Milwaukee. Also, being a self educated black man of nearly 45 years, there is one thing that I cannot stand for. Inner city youths in Milwaukee need to put on some pants that fit their behinds, lose the orange Philidelphia Phillies ballcap, and stop waiting for around for employers to cater to their "dress codes" In other words, LOSE the thug image Milwaukee! Do you actually WANT to be like Detroit or South Chicago? I don't think you do. Instead, lets spend more time at the library or working toward an honest legitimate living. Let's get our minds focused on improving ourselves, and our community, instead of complaining how bad we have it.

[Twoaday]

I'd say Milwaukee has some "absolutely gorgeous" parts right downtown. East Town and the East Side have very attractive neighborhoods, parks, architecture, and of course the lake front.

[Tnmke]

I just saw a statistic on TV that stated Milwaukee has more parks and greenspace than any other city in the entire country. And anyone who lives here would not be suprised to hear it.

[ffknight918]

Well the ENTIRE East Side on the Lake is pretty much a park alone. It's awesome being over there in the summer. If I'm lucky enough to land a full-time fire job soon, I'm hoping to move as close to that as possible.(depending on the residency requirements and pay of my job)

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I'm a bicyclist, and I can honestly think of no other better place to ride anywhere than the Lakeshore bike paths in Milwaukee. You can ride pretty much the entire length of the city, north to south along green, well maintained bike paths. When you're downtown along the lakeshore you do have to share the paths with joggers and roller bladers, but that's because when the weather's nice, the downtown lakefront is hoppin'!

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by Tnmke

I just saw a statistic on TV that stated Milwaukee has more parks and greenspace than any other city in the entire country. And anyone who lives here would not be suprised to hear it.

Milwaukee's long line of Socialist mayors (yes really, Socialists), who ruled the city in from the early to mid 20th Century, created one of the most expansive park systems in the country in order to give the working class an ample amount of space for recreation and relaxation. Milwaukee has some truly amazing parks throughout the entire city. The lakefront is also very green and is protected from development. IMO, Milwaukee's lakefront is much more pristine and green than Chicago's. There are also a lot of greenways and trails that run along most rivers and creeks in the city.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

I currently live in Denver. I want to live in a greener city. Something more
lush, with water and bike trails. But nothing butt ugly, either.

No Milwaukee is pretty much all ugly. Everyone who lives or lived there comes to this forum because Milwaukee has zero redeeming qualities and is an awful place. 100% of it is awful.

Is Denver all pretty much ugly? (question was rhetorical)