Milwaukee, WI

I used to live in Milwaukee and I have to agree with most of the negative comments expressed here in this board. People there are extremely rude, uncultured and vile, yet they seem to wear this like a badge of honor, like it makes them tough or authentic or something. The race problem is horrendous, but the whole population, black and white continue to deal with this issue in a very childish and immature manner. There is little in the way of culture or natural beauty, and the enitre city is surrounded by suburban outliers who are even more ignorant and backward than the city-dwellers, if you can believe that is possible. The basic problem comes from a lack of self-awareness of the population. It is not uncommon to hear a Milwaukeean answer a criticsm of their town with "yeah? well it's the same everywhere you go." If the whole world were the same as Milwaukee, a lot of us would have committed suicide a long time ago. What this statement truly reveals is a profound pafochialism and... Read more

I have lived in DC, Tucson, Dallas, San Francisco, and Hong Kong. The past three months in Milwaukee have been BY FAR the most painful, horrible and miserable I've experienced due to geography in my entire life. This town (it's not worthy of being called a "city") lacks a single redeeming quality other than the world-class museum, which may as well have well been built on Mars. People are largely rude and most of the architecture consists of washed out rust belt era dilapidation. The cafes, coffee bars, and even the handful of sushi restaurants all seem to favor music genres and design concepts that tend to inspire thoughts of suicide. There is really nothing to do here other than eat over-sized portions of mediocre and overpriced restaurant food, drink copious amounts of beer, and sit on your ass. The lack of parking is insane (anyone staying for even one night is required to have a "night parking permit"), the drivers are beyond terrible, poverty and crime are rampant, and people gen... Read more

I love this city! Small town feel with plenty of opportunities for fun and work.

Beer, Brats, Brewers, Germans, great Mexican food, parks, lakefront, architecture, massive amounts of growth, tons of bars, easy to drive, culture, arts, SUMMERFEST (world's largest and most underrated music festival, also cheaper than most by far), huge college student population, high tech, headquarters of several fortune 500 companies, Miller Park, Milwaukee river, Lake Michigan, rowing, miles of trails Milwaukee is a great city and will always be my home. It is also the most underrated and unappreciated gem in the Midwest. Haters are nothing but jealous. Give it a real chance before you review it poorly. Side note: I too have also been to cities all over the world...Rome, London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Pisa, Palermo, New York, Chicago, Austin and so on and so forth. The only city that comes close to Milwaukee's distinct character is Austin, which just so happens to be one of the only other cities I could consider living in. New York is not really the center of... Read more

I've been to cities all over the world. New york, San Fran, Shanghai, Paris, Rome, etc. This is by far the worst place in the world I've ever been to. The people are rude (odd for a 'small town'), the food is terrible (see: cheese & brats and even those arent good), the accents are unbearable (see: 'eh'?), it'd be more fun and I've had more fun in Canada. Ottawa & Montreal are both great cities. This place is horrific. Never going back, ever. I was even there for Summerfest and their lineup was just OK at best.

WOW!!! Milwaukee has to be one of the most horrible places i've ever been. Random construction that lays there for months on out, krappy downtown(only 3 semi-tall buildings) downtown is virtually dead by 10:00p.m with the exception of drunks and thugs from the delapadated neighborhoods down the street. Bars close at 2:00am. THE MOST AND I MEAN THE MOST HORRIFIC DRIVERS IN THE U.S IF NOT THE WORLD. Slow,very indesisive, and everyone follows in a single fill line its terrible! If u want a high class city with lots of fun and exciting things to do i suggest New york,Chicago,L.A,Boston,Miami,Atlanta or mabey even minniapolis yea minniaoplis!! Milwaukee cant hang with a big city it tries but it cant..u might like it if ur 35 years old like beer,cheese,the brewers and brats. I lived in milwaukee for five years and im not surprized to see it at the bottem of this list. And what is the issues with the public school system its like the worst in the country i hear,its bad u really dont see any s... Read more

where to begin. well ive lived her for 4 years now. umm im miserable here. i do music and film and im just distraught here. good luck finding actors and good luck finding venues to play your music unless its rap or metal or rock and it better be by the book! one other revue here said "milwaukee will sniff out a fake" or something to that effect and sadly everyone ive met is very fine lined as to who and what they are. bikers gangsters 70's hipsters gays preppies and tons of white trash and ghetto people and everyone plays their role to a T. like carbon copies out of movies. im from a smaller town and im about all sorts of shit and everyone i meet is about 1 or 2 things and thats the end of it. -nobody has money -everyone is jobless, -no one will swim in the lake because of pollution, -i know more people robbed by black men than milwaukee bucks fans, -segregated-you can literally drive from black (north side) to white (east side) to mexican (south) -a lot of hit and run deaths -a ... Read more

I work for a large company that helps the sick and mentally disabled as well as a major part of the alcohol problems in Milwaukee and surrounding area. Being the IT, you see alot of trends. Milwaukee's trends as far as I see, is improving. The trend to need help and remain homeless is still in an upward momentum. Drinking and driving is definately a problem for any large city, and this one is up there. I have lived here for a little over 3 years. I am from a backwater city so moving here has been a challenge. But I have also traveled west alot so i would consider this a good starting point if you plan on seeing things. After a few years though everything starts to look the same, the housing district is in turmoil, the ghetto is increasing despite UW Marquette buying property to try and drive out the crime. There is alot of students that party and overdose so beware when sending your student to any University in this area. Schooling on the otherhand is great, lots of classes you can... Read more

It is very boring in the winter. Lacks culture. the people aren't very friendly and horrible drivers. The Brewers and the State Fair are worth it. Stay away from Summerfest, unless you like a lot of drunk people with bad bands.

Milwaukee is segregated... but not any more segregated than Chicago, Detroit, or Cleveland. Jet Magazine published an article years ago claiming Milwaukee was the "most segregated city" in the US, but they used an antiquated 1950s rating system to make that determination. So who is REALLY living in the 50s? A recent university study showed that Milwaukee is actually far more integrated and assimilated than was previously claimed. So there! Milwaukee on a whole is a very progressive minded city, not unlike Madison, even though Milwaukee city officials continue to cater to elitist Democrats rather than work towards a real vision for the city and its citizens. Many native Milwaukeeans and visiting college students enjoy the proximity to Chicago, which is a great world class city just 90 miles to the south. There is a lot of commuting between the two citites, and alot of cultural overlap. There is also a healthy, although maybe a bit one-sided rivalry between the two cities. Milwau... Read more

i have lived all over this country (except for new england) and while milwaukee is not the worst place you could live, you could do much better without trying hard. the weather for the greatest majority of the year is awful. the people are extremely provincial and backward-seemingly stuck either in the fifties or the seventies and, as many have stated already, are very racist. this has got to be one of the most segregated and racist places i've ever been though to be balanced and fair, the blacks here don't do themselves any favors. they seem not to have any leadership or direction. AVOID THE NW SIDE OF THIS TOWN!!! all this being said, if milwaukee could make the leap into the 21st century, this wouldn't be that bad a place to live-but until they do' i'd look elsewhere.

I am from the beautiful state of Oregon and I have to say I cannot wait to move back! I have been here only 8 mos and am very disappointed. When I first arrived , I was excited to be in a new region of the country and thought Wisconsin was quite pretty (as far as the midwest goes --although not comparable to most parts of Oregon). Besides for the job market being horrible here--what really was the kicker for me was the attitude of the people here. I have lived and visited several regions of the U.S., and Milwaukee , Wisconsin wins the contest for some of the rudest, most vile people you will ever meet. I had an easier time crossing the street in SanFrancisco than I do here (and trust me there is a lot more to do in SanFrancisco--it has a much better music , art, and a nature scene--among other things). Most Milwaukeeans love to speed up when pedestrians are trying to cross the street and they are some of the worst drivers I have encountered (besides for Southern California--which is... Read more

I like Milwaukee, I lived on the East Side for years and it was very enjoyable. You get all the amenities of a big city with that small town feel. The bars, clubs, coffee shops, shopping are all very good. And you are able to walk all over the place, which to me is a big plus. I like that almost anywhere you go you will run into someone you know. But once we had kids it was time to go- the problems with the crime rate and the schools outweighed the pluses. The public schools are terrible and the violence on the streets is overwhelming.

My family is from Milwaukee and it's okay...not the worst place in the world but certainly not a place that I'd ever want to live. All of the comments on here are true about the racism. I live in Atlanta now and I have never seen the type of racism that I've seen in Milwaukee. A friend of mine was in Oprah's class at Nicolet High School and when I was excited and asked if she knew her, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, no, we didn't talk to N***ers. I wanted to throw up. Beyond that, when I think of Milwaukee the words that come to mind are gray, cold, boredom, unemployment, violence, backwards. AND, the people have an inferiority complex since their little hamlet that they like of think of as a large important city is 30 minutes away from a metropolitan area of 10 Million people...Chicago...which continues to inch closer to the Milwaukee city limits. Kenosha County Wisconsin has been counted as part of the Chicago Metro area since 1990 and it will soon include Racine ... Read more

Milwaukee is in a precarious position: it has the potential to rebound and be one of America's good large cities or it could easily become the dregs of American cities.

I tried to like Milwaukee, I really did but it just isn't worth it. It's an incredibly violent, segregated city with absolutely no vision for the future. The city has massive potential in terms of location, natural resources, etc but both the local government and the residents (generally speaking) have a major lack of drive to change a city stuck somewhere in the past.

Milwaukee gets overshadowed by Chicago, and to a lesser degree Minneapolis. But this is a fine place with everything you would want in a city, except milder winters.  Great park system, several beaches.Affordable, Not overly congested, lots of history  but also several upscale neighborhoods. Several musuems and theater groups.  Nightlife to suit most any tastes.

Not worth visiting.

Milwaukee has a lot more going for it than the general public believes. It has great cultural attractions like the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Pabst Theater, the Mitchell Park Conservatory and the Milwaukee Public Museum. ( A new Discovery World scientifically themed museum has opened along the lakeshore this year.)It has great modern stadiums for basketball and hockey(the Bradley Center) and baseball (Miller Park), not to mention one of only two US Olympic Committee sanctioned speed skating training facilities in the US. It has about 10 miles of lakefront. The downtown, while not immense, has some really cool looking architecture, specifically the courthouse, the library, and one of Northwestern Mutual's office buildings. For a  fairly large city ( 1.7 million in the metro area), it is quite clean and well manicured. Surprising number and variety of trees, too. Milwaukee has 4 distinct entertatinment districts (Brady St, North Ave, Downtown and Walkers Point) , all with a different flav... Read more

I've been here three times, and I don't think it's as bad as it's rated on this list. Sure, they gave the world Jeff Dahmer, and oceans of flaccid beer, but it's an interesting place. I had good times when I was there, I enjoyed the people, and it has way more depth than, say, Denver.

I spent most of my life in Milwaukee, and still visit family and friends there yearly. It has a lot going for it - growing downtown, festivals, many bars and clubs, down to earth people, short commutes. It has a lot of issues too. The economy there is miserable. If you have a technical degree there's few if any jobs, and the ones there are pay poorly (as expected, more workers than jobs equal low salaries). It lacks a real university to generate high tech startups like GTRI does in Atlanta. Also the housing costs are high relative to salaries so Forbes ranks MKE just outside the top 10 overpriced cities.

I'd give it three and a half stars if I could. There is alot to like: the lake, the friendly people, the low cost of living, and the spectacular East Side. (If you are visiting, don't miss Brady Street and the Riverwest area) But Milwauke loses points for having terrible weather most of the year, and for lack of culture. The East side is nice with sushi, thai and indian food, and excellent cafes, but the rest of the city is mostly strip malls.

Why, I can get cheese at the local supermarket.

The most racist city in the midwest. The people here are stil living in the 1800's.

It is somewhat niceer than some ther cities that are mediocre, but truly this city is improving, but not by much. somehow after seeing the southside, it looks a little shanty. The only area that is good to be in is the downtown. The bus system is excellent (that saves them from being 2 stars), Miller Park is attractive, and the lake walk with the museum is quite goreous. A huge problem is the segregation and the airport- this is a big city with a small airport with little connecting fights.

Been there when my Navy ship visited during a Great Lakes Cruise back in 1987. Went golfing one day. Saw the circus parade and went to the Safe House (a Bar with a novel secret agent motif) the other). Don't recall eating anything memorable. Also don't recall meeting anybody particularly memorable. The most interesting thing that happened was on my duty day when a good looking newswoman visited our ship with a camera crew. She asked if she could interview me which I dumbly consented to. She throws me a softball, How do you like Milwaukee? Then, out of nowhere, she asks, What do you think of the Ollie North hearings? 'Oh double s--t,' I thought to myself. First off, we weren't really getting any news on the hearings on the ship, so I honestly didn't know what the hell was going on with the hearings. I also knew if I blurted out something stupid, the liberal fishraps in Milwaukee would be coming out with headlines with something like, Senior Navy Official [Me] says North is a Fin... Read more

I love Milwaukee, WI. The only other place I would rather live is Green Bay, WI. You can probably guess why.

All Great Lakes cities are great places to live, Milwaukee is no exception. The only reason for its segregation is because all of the white people live in the southern part of the city, and all of the Black people live in the Northern part. They are both at fault for it being segregated because neither side will budge. But other than that, great place, just like all Great Lakes cities (except detroit & cleveland)

I'll argue this is the most underrated city in the U.S. Unpretentious, but cultured; superb architecture downtown; excellent public schools (at least they were once); fine park system. I'm always impressed when I visit, which I do every couple years.

A great American City. Lots of sports, lots of beer and lots of good people. This city may not be jammed packed with museums and other cultural attractions but it's still a fun place to visit and a great place to live. By the way the way browngirl saying that Milwaukee is more racist than the south is laugable. Where exactly did you live in the south, NEVERLAND?

Milwaukee honestly is one of the worst places to live in the US. Number one, it's in Wisconsin, the state that's known for CHEESE and BEER and is probably the fattest state in the whole country. It's segregated as hell and all the white people use the N-word on a regular basis. The racism there is worse than in the south, believe me I know. I've lived in the south and Milwaukee. Not too much to do for minorities. If you want to move to Wisconsin your best bet would be Madison. Madison was voted the best place to live in the US. If you want to move to the midwest then you are better off moving to Chicago, Il. Milwaukee does not have my vote. It really does suck.

What Browngirl said is absolutely ridiculous. To whip out some stats: ON WEIGHT: -Milwaukee was rated the 24th fattest city in the US. -Mississippi and mostly other southern states filled the top 10. (Texas was 2nd) -Chicago was rated 4th. -Wisconsin was rated the 35th fattest state in the US. -Illinois was ranked 5th. Milwaukee is very segregated, but honestly, what big city isnt to a certain degree? And also: No one uses the N word here. This person is just an immature hater.

Improving. Milwaukee has this odd problem, it seems, in deciding whether or not to move forward. Every time a building is suggested or a modern proposal made, people get concerned that the city won't look exactly like it did in 1894. When I lived there in the late 1990's, I would have rated this city a 3 for OK. Now it's a 4 - a few years ago, the Midwest Express center opened, a new, stunning art museum arrived on the lakefront, the intrusive downtown interstate was torn down, and the city suddenly began to improve dramatically - the downtown is now booming, condominiums are appearing along the previously abandoned Wisconsin Avenue, the newly built Riverwalk is very pretty, and the lakefront makes for a pleasant walk. There's also a nice system of parks and bike trails throughout the city. There is unfortunately still a very dull industrial element to a large portion of the city, however, lots of abandoned factories and buildings, far too many bars, and not enough restaurants. ... Read more

1*Wheather: made for polar bears to enjoy. 2*City: redneck heaven (if you like beer and motorcycles), nothing else worthy of mentioning. 3*Job market: very poor especially for high tech jobs. 4*people: cold (mostly). 5*.scenery: sucks, the only descent spot was the lake front which stink from seweage in summer time. 6*.other: very few direct flights to any distant major city. 7*positive side: best thing about Milwaukee is Chicago (close by)...!!

a nice, hardworking, blue collar city, its a shame it is so close to Chicago though, not that Chicago is a bad city, but it kind of casts a shadow over Milwaukee. HAPPY DAYS!

I live in the suburb of Milwaukee but I still spent 2/3 of my life in the city. The city is great. Milwaukee has one of the the best lakefronts I've seen. The only problem that prevents tourists to the lake this year is the raw sewage dumpage. The city has been great to me.

good town ruined by racial problems

Decent bars....some funky neighborhoods...great restaurants...but the triple threat of segregation/poverty/rust belt conservatism gets old after awhile. Glad I left.

one word: summerfest

Well I have lived here my entire life (actually I lived 4 months in Philly at 18 and 1 year in Atlanta recently) and I must say that this city is the pitts for minorities. I heard from some older folks that in the 70's there were nice places to go have fun but since the Reagan administration and the rush of crack cocaine in the inners cities those places have been closed down. In my few years experience in the work force (I do administrative support) I rarely saw a black male in any of the offices I have either been a temp at or worked full time. This city sucks. But still it's better than the south because I could not stand the heat down there. This is a working town as my grandmother always said. To me, even SummerFest is dull. Downtown is just now starting to liven up with all the new stores being added on to the Grand Avenue Mall but still, I can't stand living here.

Summerfest!

This is a town that doesn't bull$hit. If you are a phony then this city will expose you in a minute and you will likely leave and tell your friends that Milwaukee sucks. When in reality you just got schooled by an American city that rejects pretension and embraces authenticity. I have been to large cities all over the US and Milwaukee is able to compete with just about any of them. Over the past several years the city has experienced a rebirth of its downtown with many people moving back to new apartments and renovated loft condos. The city always had thousands more bars and clubs than most and live entertainment is cheap. With 2 major outdoor music venues a variety of national act visit yearly. As a city that once had the tallest office building in the world, icon Milwaukee City Hall 1895-1897, Milwaukee has maintained its classic architecture and traditions and is a legit American City.

I stayed in Milwaukee once and enjoyed it. The town seems to be very prosperous and just the right size.

visiting here and living here are two different things, no movie theaters, no shopping, no nothing to do, people living in 1950 and running away from minorites, its like the bizzaro world of america..go 90 miles south and though its not nyc, at least theres things to do and you can get around..milwaukee is good if you want to drink, have no interests, actually if you want to be like al bundy or rosanne its the perfect place

Milwaukee is tiresome.

If America needed an enema, Milwaukee is where they would plug it in.

I have to say that going to Milwaukee is always an interesting experience! I love Milwaukee for it's constant festivals, concerts and parades. My favorite place in downtown Milwaukee is Brady Street. If you love coffee, vintage shops, and boutiques, Brady Street is the place to go! Whenever I go to Milwaukee, I visit Brady Street and get excellent mochas at their trendy coffee shops. There's great shopping in the area and everyone is very hospitable. I definitely recommend Milwaukee as a vacation destination!

Milwaukee is a barrel of fun! Lots of great festivals, right on Lake Michigan! Great culture, lots of excellent authentic restaurants, and nice sights. Some say racism is very bad there; this would be a negative aspect. But don't let it keep you away! Let's break down those barriers!

A beer drinkers town, for better or for worse. Whatever you do, don't ask for a Budweiser here.