Milwaukee comparable to which midwestern city? (Mequon, Clayton: stores, safest, stadium)

[quijote]

I agree that MKE shares characteristics with many midwestern cities.

In terms of physical geography, city/suburb layout, climate, downtown/fringe revitalization, ethnic/racial distributions (neighborhoods, segregation/integration), and basic architectural features, I think Milwaukee most closely resembles Chicago.

In terms of street names, educational levels, white collar/blue collar presence, and socioeconomic profiles of city versus suburbs, Milwaukee has many similarities with Cleveland.

In terms of defining cultural quirks (fish fries, custard, retro architecture, sports fanaticism, Olmsted parks, local "accent", etc.), I see many similarities with Buffalo, NY.

[quijote]

Originally Posted by 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.

I live in Mke, and didn't realize that all of these things carry a stigma. It's true that Miller has been absorbed into a larger company now based in Chicago, but the brewery operations and physical plant are still here. And it's true that manufacturing here--like most places in the U.S.--has declined, but new stuff (telecommunications, health care tech, etc.) has filled some of the void. I'm not sure that drinking/nightlife and the festivals are viewed any more or less favorably than similar things in most other places.

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.

I don't think it's "falling apart," but it is certainly going through some major changes. It isn't exactly the "Old Milwaukee" that many people have a nostalgia for, so perhaps that's what you mean? From what I hear, the city was in pretty bad shape in the 1980s, and things have improved quite a bit since then. It could even be argued that it's on the upswing, though it would be a slow and choppy upswing. I've lived in less prosperous places such as Buffalo, NY, which could be said to be "falling apart" economically and demographically, but it, too, has survived and will continue to do so.

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

I don't know what the OP had in mind, but Milwaukee is one of the few cities in North America I'm aware of where you can shop at a Polish market, a Mexican market, an Indian/Pakistani market, a Thai market, a spice shop, and a gourmet (wine, cheese, etc.) market without having to drive more than a couple of miles. In other words, there's a good confluence here of ethnic traditions and upscale novelty in a comparatively dense and easy-to-navigate cityscape. This is not a trait that most U.S. cities have.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by 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.

I don't really understand this at all. Going away or have a bad stigma? What?

Do people dislike beer now? The industry continues to grow, and I believe there is a beer rennaissance going on in America right now. The Milwaukee brewery will expand about 33% in the next couple of years. There are close to 100 breweries in WI, serving many different kinds of beer now (BTW, there are over 300 in CA).

Do people dislike festivals now? Do people not like going out at night now? Man, I hate going to festivals to have fun and listen to music. It is doubly bad if we have to go out with our friends afterwards.

Will people stop driving motorcycles or stop buying mining equipment?
Are industries not interested in building efficiency now?
Are electric cars now a thing of the past?
Is healthcare now important to baby boomers anymore?
Is water technology out of favor?

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Drover

Maybe, but the cultural similarities are a lot closer between Milwaukee and Cleveland than between Milwaukee and Chicago. There's more of a southern tinge to St. Louis that makes it a little different from Great Lakes-region cities.

Such as? Other than the fact that its weather is different, I honestly can't really say there is much of a cultural difference at all between St. Louis and Milwaukee. Both cities are culturally Midwestern, both cities were as GraniteStater said heavily German influenced and big on breweries, both were major manufacturing cities, etc. There may be a slight cultural difference between them given St. Louis is on the Mississippi and further south, but both are without a doubt Midwestern cities...they have about 90% in common. Cleveland also has a slight Northeastern tinge to it. I personally think St. Louis is the most like Milwaukee although Chicago is arguably the most like it since it is only 90 miles away and their metro areas practically overlap.

[stlsmoore]

Originally Posted by ajf131

Such as? Other than the fact that its weather is different, I honestly can't really say there is much of a cultural difference at all between St. Louis and Milwaukee. Both cities are culturally Midwestern, both cities were as GraniteStater said heavily German influenced and big on breweries, both were major manufacturing cities, etc. There may be a slight cultural difference between them given St. Louis is on the Mississippi and further south, but both are without a doubt Midwestern cities...they have about 90% in common. Cleveland also has a slight Northeastern tinge to it. I personally think St. Louis is the most like Milwaukee although Chicago is arguably the most like it since it is only 90 miles away and their metro areas practically overlap.

Milwaukee is 3 times more diverse than STL though

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by stlsmoore

Milwaukee is 3 times more diverse than STL though

Umm...explain how? St. Louis' diversity is about that of the average Midwestern city. Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City. and Cincinnati are no more diverse than St. Louis.

[stlsmoore]

Originally Posted by ajf131

Umm...explain how? St. Louis' diversity is about that of the average Midwestern city. Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City. and Cincinnati are no more diverse than St. Louis.

Yea STL is average for a Midwestern city but Milwaukee has a decent sized hispanic and asian population compared to all those other cities. I'm guessing due to it's very close proximity to Chicago. In all honesty I've never really travelled out of the midwest or up by the Chicago area. So when I was staying up there with a friend (Puerto Rican) it was a lil bit of a culture shock to see so many different ethnic groups just out and about together at stores and things like that.

[Lookout Kid]

In terms of physical appearance, Milwaukee's neighborhoods look most like Detroit's neighborhoods (before Detroit's urban appocalypse). Detroit is so much further down the route of poverty, despair, and abandonment. But the housing stock is surprisingly similar.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by stlsmoore

Yea STL is average for a Midwestern city but Milwaukee has a decent sized hispanic and asian population compared to all those other cities. I'm guessing due to it's very close proximity to Chicago. In all honesty I've never really travelled out of the midwest or up by the Chicago area. So when I was staying up there with a friend (Puerto Rican) it was a lil bit of a culture shock to see so many different ethnic groups just out and about together at stores and things like that.

Milwaukee has no where near the ethnic diversity that Detroit has with its huge Polish, Italian, Hispanic and Arab communities.

Cleveland has a hispanic community that is as large if not larger than Milwaukee.

Personally, Milwaukee reminds me of St. Louis and Cincinnati more than the other cities, including Chicago.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Milwaukee has no where near the ethnic diversity that Detroit has with its huge Polish, Italian, Hispanic and Arab communities.

Is this a joke? How can a city that is 85% of one ethnicity be considered diverse in even the most generous interpretation of the word? There are probably as many Polish people in Milwaukee as there are people of every white ethnicity combined in Detroit, much less Polish. And huge Arab population? In Detroit? Dearborn and Hamtramck maybe... but Detroit? C'mon.