Discover Milwaukee: The Heart of Wisconsin
The land of bikes and brewskis and cream-colored bricks, Milwaukee gave us the Miller High Life, the Harley-Davidson and the typewriter. But this humble city in the Heartland is also poised for the future, proving itself to be a leader in the 21st century.
As the largest city in Wisconsin, Milwaukee is a hub of innovation and culture in the Midwest. The Brew City is home to diverse industries and businesses, from Milwaukee Tools to Northwestern Mutual, so those looking for a career change in a new city will find many options in this one.
With the youthful energy of students from the UW-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and a wealth of museums and attractions, the city’s urban scene is vibrant and alive. Districts like the Historic Third Ward have an infectious air of creativity, with public murals brightening city streets and art galleries, boutiques and restaurants keeping them hopping.
Although this city of 561,385 has shrunk a bit over the past decade, its friendly vibe, affordability and the richness of its resources give us many reasons to believe this northern metropolis is bound for better days. And there’s no more remarkable resource here than Lake Michigan. Visitors from the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the nation may balk when they hear terms like the “Third Coast,” but when you lay eyes on this sapphire inland seashore, it’s hard not to marvel.
That’s just what the media has been busy doing. Vogue named Milwaukee the Midwest’s most underrated city, and in 2023, National Geographic crowned it as one of the best places for travel. We couldn’t agree more.
Whether you call it the Brew City, the Cream City, the City of Festivals or the Home of Laverne & Shirley, Milwaukee can be a great place to call home. If you’re thinking of making it yours, read more below in our moving guide, where we’ll give you an insider’s look at Milwaukee’s neighborhoods, public transportation, job market and attractions.
Get a moving quote now for Milwaukee.
Weathering the Seasons: Milwaukee’s Climate
Milwaukee has four true seasons but one of them is extra-long and cold. It’s not so much about embracing this Siberian climatic shift but simply bracing for it. The lake effect snow. The icy winds. The feel of icicles forming in your eyelashes because that friendly neighbor always must stop and chat. (And why is he in shorts when you’re wearing a full cocoon parka and still shivering?) Though the lake effect is not as severe in Milwaukee as it is on the east side of Lake Michigan, you’ll still want to own a full complement of snow gear for your house and vehicle: shovels, a scraper and a brush for your car and some pet-safe ice melt for your driveway and walk. The average low in January is brisk, and the city receives about 49 inches of snow a year.
The upside is Milwaukee’s summer. The warmest months in the Brew City are reliably mild, with cool breezes off the lake and plenty of fun outdoor activities. Summer temperatures average in the low 70s, and apart from the occasional climate change-induced scorcher, highs usually peak in July at 82 F.
Like a teenager on a Monday morning, spring in Milwaukee is hard to get moving. The season begins to awaken in late March, but then hits the snooze button week after week until finally lumbering out of bed in late April. Once the threat of snow has passed, everything (grudgingly) awakens into bloom.
Fall comes early in Cream City. You’ll start pulling sweaters out of your closet by September, and you won’t get the smell of pumpkin spice out of them until late December when everything will be peppermint mocha-scented instead. Throughout autumn, you can enjoy apple-, pear-, and pumpkin picking, even though the official state fruit of Wisconsin is the cranberry. The unofficial state fruit is, of course, cheese.
Cost of Living: Affordability in Milwaukee
Lakeside living doesn’t often come cheap, but if you have your heart set on a home on the Third Coast, Milwaukee is one of the more affordable real estate markets to shop in. The median home value in Milwaukee is $157,800, compared to prices across the lake in Grand Rapids, now at $203,900, and down the coast in Chicago, which averaged $304,500 between 2018 and 2022. The median gross rent in Milwaukee is also hundreds less than any of these markets, averaging $982/mo.
Still, homeownership rates in the city are more than 20% lower than the national average, and poverty rates are twice as high. The average Milwaukee household earns only $49,733 a year – $25,000 less than the average U.S. household.
Household expenses, in general, are reliably cheaper in the Midwest than elsewhere in the nation, which is good news for Milwaukee residents’ budgets. In addition to housing, you can expect to pay less for transportation, food and miscellaneous expenses. Healthcare and personal insurance will both cost a bit more, though, but the overall cost of living in the city is still far below average.
Job Market Insights in Milwaukee
Between May 2023 and 2024, Milwaukee-area unemployment suffered mostly nominal declines. The information sector, which only employed 11,100 individuals here, had the largest loss, dropping 6.7% of its workforce over the twelve-month period. Likewise, professional and business services, which employed 116,600 area residents, and financial activities, which employed 48,100, both contracted during this period, but by less than 4%.
Milwaukee’s largest sector, education and health services expanded by 1.5%, adding 2,600 jobs to its already robust pool of 176,100. Trade, transportation and utilities, which employed147,000, largely held steady, as did manufacturing, which employed 113,300.
These small dips in the commercial and industrial sectors caused Milwaukee’s unemployment rate to jump from 3.2% to 3.4% in the city and from 3.7% to 3.8% in the county. Both rates are still near historic lows and in line with national trends.
Numerous companies make their home in Cream City. From homegrown heroes like Milwaukee Tools, Harley-Davidson and Northwestern Mutual to international mega-brands like GE. Of course, some of the largest area employers are Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension and Froedtert — three of Milwaukee’s biggest healthcare providers. The campuses of Marquette University, a private, Jesuit institution, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are critical resources for the region, drawing bright students and researchers from across the Midwest and, indeed, the entire globe.
If you’re moving to Milwaukee for your career, be aware that wages across Milwaukee County are below the rates for other cities on Lake Michigan, like Grand Rapids and Chicago.
See what workers in your field typically earn in Milwaukee in this report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Getting Around Cream City
With a well-connected airport and a broad network of highways, it’s easy to get around in Milwaukee. According to the U.S. Census, the commute time in this city of 500,000 is just 22 minutes. Officially, that’s 12 minutes faster than the average Chicagoan spends getting to work, though Chicagoans have all spent twice that amount just trying to get on the Edens during rush hour, which now starts at 2 p.m. and ends whenever Dunkin’ runs out of donuts.
While Milwaukee does have a fun, free streetcar service called the HOP, it only travels within city limits. Outside of that, the Milwaukee County Transit System’s (MCTS) primary vehicle for people-moving is BRT: bus rapid transit. Milwaukee’s BRT system already has 30 stations and counting, and while we still love the traffic-free simplicity of rail service, the MCTS makes buses easier and better to use. When you pay with a WisGo card, the standard fare is $2/ride, $4/day, $19.50/week, and $72.50/month.
Biking is getting more popular in the city, particularly in the warmer months. MKE’s e-bikeshare program Bublr makes it easy to try out commuting on two wheels, and the service only costs $30/month and $129/year. Combining bicycling with public transportation options can make the daily commute more fun and eliminate the nagging need to hit the gym before work.
Where to Live in Milwaukee
From the water’s edge to the woodland interior, there are loads of charming, fun and diverse areas to live in and visit in Cream City. Tidy Northeastern suburbs like Fox Point cater to growing families, while near-downtown districts like Bay View offer a cool city feel away from the in-town sights. Whether you’re looking for a neighborhood with old-school haunts like the cocktail lounge At Random, or lakefront acreage with a view, Milwaukee has friendly vibes and distinct styles to suit your needs.
Downtown Milwaukee is a walkable, approachable district where you’ll find many of the city’s hottest attractions, from the Milwaukee Public Museum to the UW-Milwaukee Panther’s Arena. Situated on the waterfront, downtown is a place to enjoy the best of urban life with the backdrop of the natural world. One of our favorite areas here is the Historic Third Ward, a tiny but mighty nook in Lake Michigan where the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers meet. You can see a performance of the Milwaukee Ballet, grab brunch at the Sweet Diner or stroll around Lakeshore State Park. You’ll find a mix of loft apartments and stylish condos to live in in this popular, artsy area. Most of the city’s major outdoor events are hosted at lakefront stages in the Third Ward, so you’ll quickly become acquainted with this fun, people-centric district unless you’re a hermit, that is.
The crowd-averse crowd will feel more at home in Shorewood, a first-ring suburb on the lake. This tony, Euro-esque village on the Milwaukee River Greenway is known for its good schools and great amenities. Trendy restaurants and bars like Cloud Red happily coexist with quintessential Wisconsin spots like Hubbard Park Lodge, which hosts a fish fry every Friday. Eat like a local and get the freshwater walleye instead of the cod. In the summertime, Atwater Beach will be your destination for fireworks on the 4th of July. On the weekends, the Shorewood Farmer’s Market awaits. Treat yourself to a whipped hazelnut latte from Coffee in a Cloud, a sambusa from Immy’s, or put together a de-stressing basket with a bouquet from Sunflower Ridge, some healing balms from Nourish and some all-important kombucha gummies from Soul Brew.
If your everyday life needn’t be on the lake, Wauwatosa may be the neighborhood you’ve been looking for. “Tosa” is a family-friendly suburb just 15 minutes west of downtown that pairs historic charm with modern amenities. The Milwaukee County Zoo draws animal fans from miles around and the American Family Field fills with throngs of Brewers Fans every summer. The Menomonee River wends its way across this district from corner to corner, with parks nestled all along its banks. Your kids can take a tree-climbing class while you take the afternoon off, shopping the mural-lined streets and treating yourself to an opera torte from La Rêve, a delightful French patisserie that is already calling your name.
Note: If you’re thinking of moving to Milwaukee, it’s important to thoroughly research neighborhoods or areas in the city you might be interested in living. Before you decide where you are going to live, make sure you understand the area’s cost of living, commute time, tax rates, safety statistics and schooling information.
Embracing Milwaukee’s Unique Lifestyle
Breweries and Beer Culture
It’s always Miller Time in Milwaukee, the birthplace of High Life, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Schlitz. The Brew City has been keeping it sudsy since the 1850s, and dozens of new breweries are ensuring Milwaukee a frothy future. You can tour haunts old and new, but keep your eyes peeled for the ghost of old Freddie at the Miller Brewing Company, who might steal a sip from your mug, otherwise.
The only spirits you’ll meet at Lakefront Brewery are of the drinkable variety in their Baltic porter, which is finished in brandy and bourbon barrels. But their Bog Goddess – a cranberry-orange lager – holds a special place in the state’s fruit-loving hearts. If you’re steady on two wheels, you can do the bike & brew tour that e-bike provider Bublr has assembled, which stops at some of Milwaukee’s best beer gardens, like Indeed, Broken Bat and MobCraft.
Festivals Galore: Celebrating Culture and Music
With all its lakefront glory, Milwaukee is made for outdoor entertainment, at least during the non-frozen parts of the calendar. And boy does the City of Festivals know how to party.
The biggest event of the year is Summerfest, which brings hundreds of artists to town for three weekends of fun. The carnival-like atmosphere at Henry Maier Festival Park wouldn’t be complete without the MKE sky glider and the Everlight Solar Wheel in the Sky, but the pickleball tourney is where Milwaukeeans show their true colors.
There are also plenty of international cultural events in the city. Milwaukee boasts the nation’s largest Polish festival, where you can learn how to make a chilled beet soup, craft perfect potato kopytka and drink a hearty amount of Sobieski vodka. The kielbasa competition is not for the faint of heart.
If this has not sated your soul’s desire for sausages, just wait a month for German Fest. Frankfurters and goulash and knoedels await, along with soft pretzels so jumbo small children could use them as a raft. And you might need a floatation device to handle the Jäger barrels you’ll be tempted to throw back. The best part of German Fest – worth the ticket price alone – is the Dachshund Derby, where local canines scramble to the finish line like bratwurst with feet, vying for the honor of top dog and being crowned this year’s wiener. We mean winner.
Not all of Milwaukee’s festivals are beer- and brat-centric. April’s Donut & Coffee Fest will test the limits of your sweet tooth. QWERTYFEST celebrates Milwaukee’s least drinkable invention – the typewriter. And Trainfest brings 170,000 square feet to life with model trains. All visitors must be HO-scale to ride the locomotives.
Other music festivals and not-to-be-missed events: the Caribbean & Latin American Festival, the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival, the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival and IndiaFest Wisconsin.
Cheering for Local Sports Teams
Of all the nicknames Milwaukee has got, it is astonishing – perhaps even unforgivable – that nary one is sports-related. Because of its hoppy, cream-colored-brick-lined soul, Milwaukee is undeniably a sports town. People are crazy for the Brewers (MLB), the Bucks (NBA) and certainly the Packers (NFL), and they aren’t even a Milwaukee team! How a town of 100,000 got the Packers is still a bit of a mystery to other larger Midwestern cities that always seem to be losing their footballers to LA and the like. (Sorry, St. Louis.)
In this tundra, ice hockey is also popular, and the Admirals games at UW-Milwaukee’s Panther’s Arena do not disappoint. This AHL team finished out the 2023-24 season second in the Western Conference and has already signed some exciting new talent for the 2024-25 season. The MASL team the Milwaukee Wave also plays at Panther’s Arena.
Lakefront Activities
Whether the weather is hot or bitterly cold, there’s always someone enjoying the great outdoors in Milwaukee in shorts. Some people will simply not wear full-length pants even in the snow and ice. The main attraction, naturally, is Lake Michigan, which beachcombers and boaters flock to in the summertime and ice fishers hit hard in the winter…like with a giant augur bit. The Lakefront Trail is a beautiful spot for a morning jog, but if you prefer to just kick back, take a picnic lunch to Bradford Beach or take in the sunset from Veteran’s Park.
Visiting the North Point Lighthouse is a must. This 1855 beauty in Lake Park has a great museum in what used to be the keeper’s quarters, where you can learn about the area’s rich maritime history and geek out on early lighthouse technology, like the Fresnel lens. Lake Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (yep, the same one who created NYC’s Central Park), and we can’t overstate the beauty of these 138 acres. Bluffs and waterfalls, charming bridges, the grand staircase – this place is so romantic it will make you get down on one knee and propose marriage to passersby. But, maybe it’s best to save that for someone you’re already involved with.
Beyond the Lake, Milwaukee still has plenty of natural wonders. Take your family kayaking on the Milwaukee River and see the city from the water. Or make a day trip to The Rock. No, not the one in the movie – the snow park! Unlike the fictionalized, occupied Alcatraz, everything at this rock is made for winter fun. Among The Rock’s many amenities, there’s a tubing hill that’s great for all ages and a terrain park for showing off tech skills and tricks. None involve halting a mutinous operation with a handsome, Scottish heartthrob. Sorry, ladies.
Must-See Attractions
Milwaukee’s indoor attractions are every bit as fun as those outside. When you hear the roar of Milwaukee thunder, you know you’re near the Harley-Davidson Museum. This homage to the hometown icon displays classics from 1903 to the hottest rides on the road today. The venue has a moto bar and restaurant for hungry hog riders and two stores, but there isn’t an on-site tattoo parlor…yet. We’re sure that’s just an oversight.
If you are interested in other feats of human engineering, pay a visit to the Grohmann Museum. Through artworks, documents and technical works, this institution at the Milwaukee School of Engineering tells the story of human ingenuity, from the development of electrical power to medical innovations.
The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is a paradise for the pint-sized, and the Milwaukee Public Museum gives visitors a glimpse at more than 4 million natural historic wonders. Take an imaginary dive into the virtual Silurian reef, where you can meet the original aquatic inhabitants of Wisconsin when it was covered in seawater. Or compare tusks with the Hebior Mammoth, who lived in nearby Kenosha County circa 12,500 B.C.E.
The Milwaukee Art Museum, which was established way back in 1888, has fabulous (and eclectic) permanent collections and terrific contemporary exhibitions. Milwaukee also has a great performing arts scene. You can take in a Broadway show at the Marcus Performing Arts Center or an indie play at the Milwaukee Rep, like Lumberjacks in Love, a hilarious, Northwoods musical written by Wisconsin native Fred Alley.
After all this activity, take the fam to the Milwaukee Public Market in the Historic Third Ward. This one-stop dining shop is perfect for museum-weary families who cannot agree on what or where to eat. You’ll find everything from street tacos to lobster, pizza, pita wraps and ribs in this cool, industrial space. And, if you still need a little help finding a good mood, grab a box of Freese’s chocolates – a show of hands for a s’more-on-a-stick?
Resources and Tips for Moving to Milwaukee
If you’re ready to move to MKE, let Mayflower’s team of trusted long-distance movers help you relocate to Milwaukee from anywhere in the U.S.
Get a moving quote now for Milwaukee.
As the nation’s most trusted mover, Mayflower® can help you understand every step of the moving process, from how to hire the best movers to the best way to pack your belongings.
Our trusted movers can handle your cross-country move to Milwaukee from anywhere city the country. We’ll provide you with a customized, full-service moving package, tailored to your needs. Let us handle the packing, unpacking, storage services, car shipping, debris removal and all the other details of your relocation.
Moving within the city of Milwaukee or another part of Wisconsin? Let Mayflower’s interstate Wisconsin movers help you. Our movers provide independent local moving services in Milwaukee under their businesses and brands.
Tips for a Smooth Relocation Process
Since 1927, Mayflower has helped millions of families move across the U.S. We are here to serve your needs, whether you have questions about the moving process or need advice about settling in.
Stay a step ahead of the game by using our step-by-step guide to moving. If you want to keep yourself sane during your move, we’ve got all the advice you’ll ever need on moving in our Welcome HOME magazine. Learn the best way to stay on budget, spiff up your home before you list it, and follow our guide on how to pack difficult items, like appliances, mirrors and even your wine collection.
Mayflower is here to guide you Every Step of the Way®. Get a quote on moving to Milwaukee today.
Other Moving Tips and Guides
- Loading...