German culture areas/neighborhoods (Milwaukee, New Berlin: school, to live in, restaurant)

[SIJ95]

Milwaukee is famous for Germans and my impression is that Germans are to Milwaukee what Poles are to Chicago, Irish are to Boston, and Jews and Italians are to NYC...

I like european culture and I am a big fan of the Germans. Any areas in or around Milwaukee with lots of genuine German culture. Not disneyfied/gentrified but an actual neighborhood with european culture. Particularly German but if there is a polish area tell me about it as well. I looked and together Germans and Poles are 40% of Milwaukee county.

[MKEastsider]

Originally Posted by SIJ95

Milwaukee is famous for Germans and my impression is that Germans are to Milwaukee what Poles are to Chicago, Irish are to Boston, and Jews and Italians are to NYC...

You'd be correct about this. Unfortunatley, the only German culture you'll find here is (as you put it) Dinseyfied/gentrified because of the anti-German hysteria wrought by the two world wars. Amongst other things, it's why the Deutscher Club is now called the Wisconsin Club, and why the emphasis on "New Berlin" is on the second syllable rather than the third.

I do think there are some places on the southside where you might find authentic Polish culture, but someone who's more familiar with the southside could probably tell you better than me.

[Hans Bueller]

Germans are so intermixed having been in the US so long,that it's hard to find much German culture.

[SIJ95]

Oh okay. Germans are one of the most "American" ethnicities of the Ellis Island immigrants. I think they are the single largest white ancestry, larger than Englush/WASP etc. I remember reading an article about how well integrated German Americans are, it was called "German Americans, the silent majority".


Is there any European culture or ethnic neighborhoods left at all? The first answer on this thread was Polish and since Poles still come to the United States so I figure that their neighborhoods stay intact for more generations.



What's the Milwaukee Polish neighborhood? I will be honest I am not too familiar with the Poles (even though the factory where I work is majority Polish immigrants) as compared to the Getmans, the Irish and of course Italian (my ethnic background) but I would like to learn and it would be cool to live in a Polish ethnic enclave.

[mizzou65201]

Milwaukee doesn't have much in the way of ethnic enclaves or neighborhoods the way that, say, New York does. The european immigrants have essentially assimilated into the larger culture. Historically most of the Polish immigrants to Milwaukee settled on the south side. St. Stanislaus was the main Polish Catholic church. Now this area of the city is predominantly Hispanic. I believe the St. Francis/Cudahy/South Milwaukee area now has the city's last remaining Polish restaurant (Polonez) and church that does a Polish mass (in South Milwaukee.) But it's nothing like a NYC ethnic neighborhood where you go down the street and there is nothing but Polish shops.

As far as German, I think the closest thing you are going to get is the suburb Germantown. On the surface it looks much like any generic suburb, but many of the "old school" long-time German & Austrian families live in that area, and there are several German cultural groups based out of that side of town.

[fritos56]

My dad lived in Milwaukee. He was born there,and then later in the 1920s they moved to Hot Springs so grandpa could manage a couple of stores his father had. Later on in the early 30s they moved back as grandma thought things might be better back home. My grandfather got a job working the meat counter at Goldman's Department store which was mainly patronized by poles. Think it was near St.Stanislaus. My dad lived on 16th street. The neighborhood was composed of germans,czechs and poles. Where my great aunt Erica lived(grandma's sister) that's now a black neighborhood,when it used to be german and eastern european. I don't think there are any parts of the city that are exclusively german anymore. New Braunfels , and Fredricksburg Texas still preserve their german heritage, but i think over the years Milwaukee has lots its german flavour.