Is Milwaukee a mini Chicago? (Oakland, Cleveland: transplants, neighborhoods, to live in)

[WildWestDude]

When I lived in the tri state of the Chicagoland area, I had a chance to visit Milwaukee a few times. I was surprised to see at how close it resembled Chicago. That is in appearance at least. What do the locals have to say?

Do you think Milwaukee is a mini Chicago? Why or why not?

[WildWestDude]

some good info on Milwaukee

Milwaukee: Information from Answers.com

and on Chicago

Chicago city, United States: Information from Answers.com

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I think in many ways Milwaukee is like a mini-Chicago. The two cities share a lot in common. The one thing that they don't share in common is size. Chicago is colossal, while Milwaukee is merely big.

The one obvious similarity is both cities share the same Lake Michigan shoreline. Both cities have miles of unbroken parkland running up and down their shorelines, which stands in contrast to other Great Lakes cities, such as Cleveland, where the lakefront is almos all industrialized and/or privately owned. Both cities have downtowns that are clustered along a river that runs from the interior and empties out into Lake Michigan. Both cities are comprised of a patchwork of fiercely independent neighborhoods. The demographics of both cities are remarkably similar. Both Milwaukee and Chicago have a strong blue-collar identity but have a lot of professional white-collar jobs and the wealth that comes along with those kinds of companies.

One major difference is in the area of transportation. Milwaukee is very easy to get around in by car, while Chicago is not. Milwaukee has only a bus transit system while Chicago's transit is much more comprehensive and extensive.

Another major difference is that Chicago has a lot of transplants. Milwaukee, not so much. As a result Milwaukee tends to be somewhat more insular than Chicago.

[Drover]

In physical appearance only, at the ground level. Otherwise you could barely find to demographically dissimilar cities right next to each other.

BTW, the Chicago River does not empty into Lake Michigan. It used to until ACoE reversed it with locks and by connecting it to the Des Plaines river, which itself is a tributary to the Illinois River, which in turn is a tributary to the Mississippi.

[EnjoyEP]

Can't add much more than what Milwaukee Ronnie said - his post was pretty much spot-on.

Some people here in Milwaukee hate hearing the whole "mini Chicago" type analogy, but I think that is unfounded. Surely it is a complement to be compared to a world class city.

I think in many ways Milwaukee is mini Chicago of sorts. Its architecture and "views" have so many similarities, although of course, there are 10-times the amounts of those in Chicago due to sheer size.

Very similar cities outside of size and the accompanying things that go with size (such as traffic, quantity of skyscrapers, etc.).

[WildWestDude]

If I had to choose between the two to live in, I might choose Milwaukee.
However, MKE's weather being that one bit worse of something being already bad enough will make me reconsider...

[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.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Drover

Otherwise you could barely find to demographically dissimilar cities right next to each other.

US Census, 2006 estimates:

Milwaukee

43% White
39% Black
15% Latino

Chicago:

36% White
35% Black
28% Latino

Somewhat different demographics, to be sure. Twice the percentage of Latinos in Chicago vs. Milwaukee. But I could easily find two cities more demographically dissimilar so close to one another. San Francisco and Oakland, for instance.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

Some people here in Milwaukee hate hearing the whole "mini Chicago" type analogy, but I think that is unfounded. Surely it is a complement to be compared to a world class city.

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.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie

US Census, 2006 estimates:

Milwaukee

43% White
39% Black
15% Latino

Chicago:

36% White
35% Black
28% Latino

Somewhat different demographics, to be sure. Twice the percentage of Latinos in Chicago vs. Milwaukee. But I could easily find two cities more demographically dissimilar so close to one another. San Francisco and Oakland, for instance.

I'll give you Oakland and San Fran. But the Black/White/Hispanic breakdown is a little to facile to capture the many shades that exist in between. Chicago still receives immigrants at a pace that Milwaukee hasn't in quite a while, save for Mexican immigrants. Unless I'm missing something, Milwaukee does not have a Little Saigon, a Chinatown, a Koreatown, a Little India (with its own sub-Little Pakistan), a MASSIVE Polish immigrant population (no, I'm not talking about Polish descendents -- yes there are plenty of those in Milwaukee -- I'm talking people who got off a plane from Warsaw 3 months ago), a huge Puerto Rican neighborhood, a notable Cuban population, and the like; or if it does, not nearly to the extent that Chicago does, even par capita. It seems to be a lot more strictly black native-born, white native-born, and Mexican immigrant with a fair dose of Mexican native-born.