Is Milwaukee a mini Chicago? (Marquette: houses, neighborhood, theatre)

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Milwaukee has had plently of incoming non-Mexican immigrants over the past decade. The Hmong community in this city has exploded, to the point where there is now a bilingual Hmong-English school, and a growing selection of Hmong-owned restaurants. And, yes, there are European immigrants here, including a healthy Serb and Russian population.

You are absolutely correct in pointing out that Milwaukee does not have the Little India, Chinatown or Koreatown that Chicago has. But I think that has more to do with sheer numbers. In Milwaukee, if .5% of the population is of Indian decent, that's 3,000 people. Enough to support a community center of some kind, one or two Indian grocery stores and a handful of restaurants. In Chicago, if .2% of the population is of Indian decent, you've got an Indian community of 15,000 people, which is enough to support a whole Indian district like you have on Devon Street.

According to the US Census, 3.4% of people in Milwaukee count themselves as Asian, and 4.9% of people in Chicago count themselves as Asian. This means that Chicago has an Asian population numbering in the 100,000s while Milwaukee's is far more modest.

In Milwaukee, 18.7% of the population reports they speak a language other than English at home. In Chicago, the percentage is twice as high -- 36.5%. Note that Chicago also has twice the percentage of Latinos as Milwaukee.

[WildWestDude]

I believe in some ten years the Greater Tri-state area, including Milwaukee, Chicago and NW Indiana, will be considered as one metro area statistically.
This will make it again a strong third contender population wise and therefore widening the gap from fourth place competitors like Houston

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by Drover

Coming from south Texas and/or Vegas as your supplied info indicates, you really wouldn't feel the 2 or 3 degrees difference compared to what you're used to. If you're used to 75 to 80 degrees in winter, trust me, 20 degrees doesn't feel any better than 17 degrees.

Is that all? I remember cold fronts getting stuck in Milwaukee and the Chicaoland area being much warmer....

[Drover]

Originally Posted by WildWestDude

Is that all? I remember cold fronts getting stuck in Milwaukee and the Chicaoland area being much warmer....

We've had days this year that never made it out of the single digits. Last year we had a cold snap or two with a couple days where the temperature never got above zero.

[Chelito23]

Sometimes fronts get hung up, especially in the summer, but that usually makes Chicago steamy and Milwakee cloudy humid and just warm.

In the winter this rarely happens...and as a general rule I think Milwaukee is only 2 or 3 degrees cooler, and would only be noticeable to the extremely aware people.

[Fishtacos]

Milwaukee and Chicago have many similarities, ...more so than differences. And there are some differences. No doubt that every time this comes up, one or some Chicago posters will come to that or this thread and say no Milwaukee is nothing like Chicago. Many others however disagree with that notion.

Weather is the same in both places. There isn't any significant weather difference.

The biggest difference is size, and that one is a big one, as well as the things that come with that, but there are more differences too.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by WildWestDude

Is that all? I remember cold fronts getting stuck in Milwaukee and the Chicaoland area being much warmer....

Here's a cold front for you: between this afternoon and now, the temperature has dropped over 50 degrees. I went to class without a jacket this afternoon. And now it's below zero out.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie

I've got no problem with being called a "mini Chicago." In fact, I don't even mind if Milwaukee comes to be considered as a "satellite" of Chicago. Association with Chicago could only be to Milwaukee's benefit.

I agree wholeheartedly. And I don't get why that bothers so many Milwaukeeans so very much.

I think it has to do with largely the non-transitory nature of many Milwaukeeans. They were born, raised, and only lived here, and travel really only maybe "up north" or to warm/tropical destination-type winter getaways (eg: Vegas, a Mexican beach that caters to American tourists), so they have more of that mentality of my world / the world is what I know in Milwaukee. Thus, they were born and raised to "hate FIBs" or to "hate Chicago" because of the Bears (which goes beyond just playful sports rivalry into legitimate animosity)...and they build up a silly regional rivalry that actually does spill over into possible economic ties, as mind boggling as that is.

I am not in any way bashing the non-transitory folks...it just is what it is. There are many aspects of that quality that make Milwaukee a unique, charming city. However, it offers real drawbacks as well at times.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by WildWestDude

Is that all? I remember cold fronts getting stuck in Milwaukee and the Chicaoland area being much warmer....

That would be a pretty freak / rare weather event. It can happen, but it isn't the norm by any means. Generally Chicago is a few ticks on the thermometer higher, but really it is fairly insignificant. Surely in the summer Chicago's "heat island" effect from just being so much bigger probably adds a .5 a degree or something more too, even though they do a good job at trying to mix plant life / grass in and not just be a big sprawled concrete mass.

Good example of this: In Albuquerque, I could actually recall a few times after a huge summer monsoon in 2006 when ABQ was one of the coolest spots in the entire nation. Raton would be 15 degrees warmer for that few hours! That surely though wasn't resemblant of the norm in any way or anything close to it.

WWDude, if you don't mind me asking, why are you considering moving to Chicago / Milwaukee from EP? Family? If you are used to Chicago from having lived there previously, that'll help with the weather acclimation. But it is an enormous difference from EP to CHI / MKE, even in the summers with the hotter temps in EP but lack of humidity to the cooler temps up here but much higher humidity. Just curious. Good luck!!

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

WWDude, if you don't mind me asking, why are you considering moving to Chicago / Milwaukee from EP? Family? If you are used to Chicago from having lived there previously, that'll help with the weather acclimation. But it is an enormous difference from EP to CHI / MKE, even in the summers with the hotter temps in EP but lack of humidity to the cooler temps up here but much higher humidity. Just curious. Good luck!!

I used to live in the Chicagoland area, NW Indiana specifically.
I have a degree in geography and matters like this interest me and are a nice conversation topic.
I am not looking to move anywhere else.

Anyway, I too fiind these rivarlies silly especially the sports related ones.
If one looks at these two cities from a national perspective, they are indeed very similar.