Milwaukee comparable to which midwestern city? (Cleveland, Buffalo: neighborhood, buying, live in)

[Fishtacos]

Well, I've lived in Milwaukee, Chicago and St. Louis (among other non-Midwest places) and Milwaukee does have some similarities to Chicago and to St. Louis. They also have some differences.

I would agree that there are some "Upper Midwest" Great Lakes similarities of those cities minus St. Louis, some of those similarities mentioned(lots of Irish too).

St. Louis is definitely not a place I'd call Southern in any way. It is definitely a Northern, Eastern City/Metro. There are outskirts towns and parts that may suggest otherwise, but not St. Louis itself. I'd call St. Louis very Midwestern, definitely not Great Lakes and definitely not Southern. Downstate and Southern IL for instance doesn't have a whole lot in common with St. Louis besides some being Stl sports fans.

The biggest difference between Milwaukee and St. Louis is size. If you isolated Milwaukee away from Chicago, the same way St. Louis is, or swapped them, the size difference is noticeable. Obviously there are others too, weather is very different(seasons, sunshine, precipitation), Milwaukee has a 15% Spanish population that St. Louis does not have yet. St. Louis has a lot more amentities and conveniences because of its bigger size. St. Louis has more of a white collar historical reputation than Milwaukee despite some similarities and both being rust belt cities. St. Louis is a city of neighborhoods, tons of small pockets of different urban neighborhoods combined with lots of suburban sprawl. Milwaukee is easier to get around(though Stl isn't that bad) and more compact and strings together a few more urban neighborhoods East and Northeast.

St. Louis is very different from the rest of Missouri, which has more of a Southern tinge in several parts.

[city414]

Originally Posted by city414

cleveland? NO! cleveland has a el train we dont id say we comparable to maybe columbus

CLEVELAND IS ACTUALLY A MINI CHICAGO, AS THEY SAY CHICAGO HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EAST COAST CITIES, CLEVELAND HAS THOSE OF CHICAGO

since the pics didnt show heres the web
Cleveland Transit Links
Jon Bell's (Mostly) Rail Transit Pages

pic1
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transi...d/Transfer.jpg

pic2
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transi...ntralYard1.jpg


pic3
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transi...indermere2.jpg

[city414]

Originally Posted by Fishtacos

St. Louis is definitely not a place I'd call Southern in any way..

agree stl is the midwest, missouri itself is a midwest state with a southern feel though

[Snowflake0108]

I was born and raised in/just outside of Milwaukee. I have lived outside of Wisconsin for the last 8 years, but my family still lives there. I would have to say that Milwaukee is like... MILWAUKEE. As for the friend in South Carolina... I could say the same thing about his home state - why on Earth would anyone want to go there? Isn't it all swamps and oppressive heat?? *insert sarcastic eye-roll here*
Milwaukee can be a great city. The festivals are a blast all summer long - especially SummerFest, there are some great Malls (I know, I'm a girl), they have some wonderful hospitals, universities, eateries, bars, performing arts center, museums, a decent zoo (I would like to see more natural habitats in there), and Miller Park (where the Brewer's play) is beautiful. The lakefront is a pretty place to just hang out and have a picnic. Anyway - I think Milwaukee is a fine place to visit - it's even better if you have friends there.
As for the original comparison question I have lived in or near in the USA Seattle, Tacoma, San Antonio, Richmond, Nashville, Kansas City, Topeka, and Columbus (GA). None of them have been really comparable to each other. They are the same in the way that all American cities are the same, but each has it's own unique "flavor".

[makossa]

Cleveland hands down!!! Chicago?? Nada Nada NADA, but nice try...LOL

[Avengerfire]

Indy.

[#Littledog]

No, not like Indy. I agree, Milwaukee has it's own feel but probably closest to Cleveland IMO.

[RingOutAhoya]

I see why some compare Milwaukee to Cleveland, and there are certainly some comparable aspects of the cities. I do, however, think that there are a lot of differences.

To give you some background , I live in Milwaukee and travel to Cleveland for work at least 4 times per year. I've gotten to know Cleveland pretty well, and I talk at length with many who live in Cleveland and have been to Milwaukee.

First, my own observations are that Milwaukee is MUCH cleaner and more appealing than Cleveland. Milwaukee offers a beautiful lakefront, a developing riverfront, and much to do downtown. Cleveland offers a not so beautiful lakefront, a not so great riverfront, and not as much to do downtown. Cleveland is all about the suburbs (some fantastic ones, by the way), Milwaukee has both a beautiful city and some great suburbs.

Cleveland is MUCH more spread out than Milwaukee. It takes a long time to get from one part of "Cleveland" to another, unless you are east of the river or west of the river. People don't like traveling outside their region of Cleveland much. In Milwaukee, it is relatively easy to get anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less. Even driving out to Waukesha, which is obviously a relatively far suburb is comparatively much easier than most of Cleveland driving, both in distance and in traffic.

The Clevelanders I have spoken with who have been to Milwaukee have referred to Milwaukee as "Cleveland done right" and point out some of the same things I just did. I think traditionally, these were very similar cities, but Milwaukee just developed its city much, much better, and in the end, they are now quite different.

That said, the people in Cleveland are really, really great. They remind me of the people in Milwaukee. They are just wonderful, salt of the Earth type folks, and that is what I like most about Cleveland.


I always refer to Milwaukee as a "smaller Chicago." In my opinion, this is a better comparison than Cleveland.

[pirate_lafitte]

Milwaukee doesn't have alot of equivalents in the USA, or even the Midwest. Apart from being a Midwestern city with an industrial/rust belt history, it doesn't have alot in common with alot of other cities. Milwaukee is a city with a heritage steeped in mainly German and Polish roots. You have a city known for beer breweries(why do you think Milwaukee's MLB team is called the Brewers?), sausage factories(Usinger), motorcycles(Harley-Davidson is here), a history of having socialist mayors, and being a city that is known for parties(in the summertime the city comes alive with Summerfest and other stuff). Alot of Midwestern cities have bits and pieces of these characteristics. Chicago and Cleveland are both and lakes and do have a large constituency steeped in Polish heritage. St. Louis is also a city known for parties(2nd largest Mardi Gras party in the USA), and beer(Budweiser). Cincinnati is known for its German heritage. Detroit is home to a famous manufacturer(Ford and GM). Milwaukee has all of these characteristics combined. And Milwaukee is the only city I known of that has elected socialist mayors. The city was known for having a balanced budget and squeaky clean honesty in government, at least from its beginning to the last Zeidler administration.. Milwaukee is unique.

[Andrea_Mamie]

Its unfortunate that alot of the things Milwaukee is known for Miller, Manufacturing, the nightlife/drinking, Summerfest and the other festivals, etc... are going away or having a bad stigma attached to them.

While I am not a fan of Milwaukee, or Wisconsin in general (just a personal preference and opinion) its still sad to see it falling apart. But I suppose with the economy in the shape it is, all cities are not lookin to fabulous.

And p.s. someone mentioned the malls and shopping in Milwaukee... Remind me again what is unique, special or noteworthy about it?