South Milwaukee is a city in

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely ...

, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census. Situated on the western shore of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

, South Milwaukee developed as a

streetcar suburb A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...

located south of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

History

South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Oak Creek, with the purpose of serving as a rival

industrial suburb An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban ...

of the

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

, and was named from its location south of Milwaukee. South Milwaukee was incorporated as a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in 1892, then as a city in 1897. South Milwaukee has a rich immigrant history, as immigrants from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

made up a large portion of the population in the early 1900s.

Geography

South Milwaukee is located at (42.911016, −87.864030). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 21,156 people, 9,043 households, and 5,475 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.8% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. There were 9,043 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 21,256 people, 8,694 households, and 5,616 families living in the city. The

was 4,447.5 people per square mile (1,716.9/km²). There were 9,122 housing units at an average density of 1,908.6 per square mile (736.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.81%

, 1.04%

, 0.58% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.36% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.01% of the population. There were 8,694 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,197, and the median income for a family was $54,474. Males had a median income of $38,146 versus $27,121 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,925. About 4.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

South Milwaukee was the headquarters of

Bucyrus International Bucyrus-Erie was an American surface and underground mining equipment company. It was founded as Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1880. Bucyrus moved its headquarters to South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1893. In 1927, ...

, formerly Bucyrus-Erie, which is known for constructing large shovels and dragline excavators, including Big Muskie, the world's largest mobile earth-moving machine. Bucyrus shovels were used in the construction of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. In November 2012 Caterpillar Mining bought

for $8.6 billion and will make a goal to become a "one-stop shop" for mining companies worldwide."Cat will acquire mining equipment company for 8.6 billion"
Journal Star. Retrieved December 10, 2015

Parks and recreation

Within South Milwaukee's borders is Grant Park, part of the Milwaukee County Park System. Grant Park features the Oak Leaf Bike trail, tennis courts, a swimming beach, an 18-hole golf course and the Seven Bridges Hiking Trail along the shore of Lake Michigan. In 2005, the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center was built adjacent to the new South Milwaukee High School. This Performing Arts Center, which is open to the public, hosts a variety of entertainment.

Transportation

The city lies on the southern end of Milwaukee County Transit System Route 15. South Milwaukee was served by passenger rail until 1971, via the South Milwaukee Passenger Station. Today, the former depot is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Freight railroad services are provided by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

Notable people

* William P. Atkinson, member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

* Greg Brower, member of the

Nevada State Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from sin ...

and former U.S. Attorney, born in South Milwaukee * Jerry Dreva, avant-garde artist and leader of 1970s glam-rock group Les Petite Bon Bons * John W. Grobschmidt, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Richard Grobschmidt, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

, lived in South Milwaukee, graduated from South Milwaukee High School * Roger Sherman Hoar,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

State Senator and author who lived in South Milwaukee * Jackie Kashian, comedian born in South Milwaukee and graduated from South Milwaukee High School * Reginald Lisowski, American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "The Crusher" *

Kurt Nimphius Kurt Nimphius (born March 13, 1958) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nimphius played nine seasons in the NBA after his collegiate career at Arizona State University. Early life Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, N ...

, NBA player born in South Milwaukee and graduated from South Milwaukee High School * Jeff Plale, Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner and former legislator * Phil Sobocinski, NFL player, was born in South Milwaukee * George Sokolowski, Wisconsin State Representative, was born in South Milwaukee * Gary George Wetzel,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient, was born in South Milwaukee * Chester Yorton, former Mr. America and Mr. Universe, grew up in South Milwaukee * Chuck Zehner, former host of the PBS series '' Tracks Ahead'', lived in South Milwaukee

References

External links

City of South Milwaukee
{{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Articles containing video clips Wisconsin populated places on Lake Michigan 1891 establishments in Wisconsin