West Allis 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. A suburb 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 ...

, it is part of the

Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeastern Wisconsin, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding area. There are several defini ...

. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census, making it the eleventh-most populous city in Wisconsin.

History

The name West Allis derives from Edward P. Allis, whose Edward P. Allis Company was a large Milwaukee-area manufacturing firm in the late 19th century. In 1901, the Allis company became

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a United States, U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various Industry (economics), industries. Its business lines included list of agricultural machinery, agricultural equipment, heavy equipment, construction equipment, electric ...

. In 1902, the company built a large new manufacturing plant west of its existing plant. The locale in which the new plant was constructed was at the time called North Greenfield; prior to the 1880s, the area had been called Honey Creek. With the building of the western Allis plant, the area was incorporated as the Village of West Allis, and it became the City of West Allis in 1906. With the presence of Allis-Chalmers, the largest manufacturer in the area, West Allis became the largest suburb of Milwaukee in the early 20th century. After that, West Allis grew quickly. Between 1910 and 1930, its population grew fivefold. After 1965, the Allis-Chalmers company's fortunes had turned. By 1985, Allis-Chalmers' global workforce had shrunk to 13,000 from its peak of 31,000. Allis-Chalmers would then declare bankruptcy in 1987, closing their last Milwaukee office in 1999. Since then, West Allis has had some success attracting other employers, such as Quad Graphics.

Geography

West Allis is located at (43.00, −88.02). The upper courses of the

Root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

and Kinnickinnic Rivers flow through the city. 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.

Climate

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 60,411 people, 27,454 households, and 14,601 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 29,353 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87%

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 ...

, 3.3%

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 ...

, 1.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 3.6% from other races, and 2.9% 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 9.6% of the population. There were 27,454 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% 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, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 37.7 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% 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 61,254 people, 27,604 households, and 15,375 families living in the city. The

was 5,397.6 people per square mile (2,083.7/km²). There were 28,708 housing units at an average density of 2,529.7 per square mile (976.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.03%

, 1.34%

, 0.70% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 1.18% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.52% of the population. There were 27,604 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,394, and the median income for a family was $50,732. Males had a median income of $36,926 versus $26,190 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 $20,914. About 4.6% of families and 6.5% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Wisconsin State Fair Park, which includes the Milwaukee Mile and is the site of the annual Wisconsin State Fair, is located in West Allis. The West Allis Post Office contains two oil on canvas murals, ''Wisconsin Wild Flowers – Spring'' and ''Wisconsin Wild Flowers – Autumn'', painted in 1943 by Frances Foy. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the

Section of Painting and Sculpture Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section s ...

, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. Candy Cane Lane runs through Oklahoma and Montana Avenues and 92nd to 96th Street. Residents have been creating elaborate Christmas display since 1984, bringing bumper-to-bumper traffic through the streets on December nights. The festive event has raised over $2.2 million for the MACC Fund. On June 15, 2006, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary. The celebration included a parade, fireworks and a family festival.

Sports

Pettit National Ice Center is one of only two indoor speed skating rinks in the United States. West Allis is also the location of the Milwaukee Mile, the world's oldest racing facility.

Transportation

West Allis is served by MCTS Routes 18, 28, 44U, 51, 53, 54, 56, 64, 76, and 92. Interstate 94 and Interstate 41/ Interstate 894 also run through the city. Portions of the Hank Aaron State Trail run through the city near its northern border. Since 2021, the city has a complete streets policy, requiring new road projects to be designed to meet the needs of all users—pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, motorists, and others—whenever possible. The

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a 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 States after BNSF, ...

Waukesha Subdivision (former Chicago & North Western) runs through West Allis.The line once extended to Lancaster on the southwest corner of Wisconsin. The line has since been abandoned in sections. The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company had lines running concurrently through West Allis along the right of way of present day Interstate 894. They split at St. Martins Junction and went south to Burlington and west to East Troy.

Education

The schools in the West Allis – West Milwaukee School District: * Franklin Elementary School * Hoover Elementary School * Horace Mann Elementary School * Irving Elementary School * Jefferson Elementary School * Longfellow Elementary School * Madison Elementary School * Mitchell Elementary School * Pershing Elementary School * Walker Elementary School * Wilson Elementary School * Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School *Lane Intermediate School * West Milwaukee Intermediate School * West Allis Central High School * Nathan Hale High School * James E. Dottke High School The

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

has two grade school in West Allis: * Good Shepherd Lutheran School * Lamb of God Lutheran School

Government

West Allis is represented by Scott L. Fitzgerald (R) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and by Ron Johnson (R) and

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

(D) in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Tim Carpenter (D) and Dale P. Kooyenga (R) represent West Allis in the

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 ...

, and Daniel Riemer (D), Tom Michalski (R), and Joe Sanfelippo (R) represent West Allis in 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 ...

. Parts of northern West Allis are represented by Rob Hutton (R) in Senate District 5 and Robyn Vining (D) in Assembly District 14, districts traditionally associated with the cities of Brookfield and Wauwatosa.

Notable businesses

, since closed * Siemens Power Corporation, now on former Allis-Chalmers grounds * Quad Graphics, printer * WDJT-TV (Channel 58, CBS), WMLW-TV (Channel 49,

IND Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

), WBME-CD (Channel 41, Me-TV) and WYTU-LD (Channel 63,

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

Weigel Broadcasting Weigel Broadcasting Co. is an American television broadcasting company based in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV (Channel 26), at 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown, Chicago, Greektown neighborhood. It cur ...

stations with studios located on South 60th Street in a former Allis-Chalmers building * West Allis Speedskating Club

Notable people

* Jared Abbrederis (born 1990),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

player * Arthur J. Balzer (1895–1962), Wisconsin state representative * Gary J. Barczak (born 1939), Wisconsin state representative * Jeannette Bell (born 1941), former mayor of West Allis and legislator * Dave Cieslewicz (born 1959), former mayor of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys b ...

(1960–1994), serial killer * Terry A. Davis (1969–2018), computer programmer and creator of TempleOS * Tighe Dombrowski (born 1982), professional soccer player * Julius Fiege (1861–1918), Wisconsin state representative * Michael Gableman (born 1966), lawyer and former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice * Jerry Golsteyn (born 1954), NFL player * Jaida Essence Hall, drag queen * George C. Hinkley (1862–1936), Wisconsin state representative * Martin F. Howard (1892–1969), Wisconsin state representative * Robert T. Huber (1920–1991), Wisconsin legislator * Donald J. Hying (born 1963), Roman Catholic bishop * Jeff Jagodzinski (born 1963), NFL assistant coach * Dan Jansen (born 1965), world champion speedskater, Olympic gold medalist * Richard A. Knobloch (1918–2001), U.S. Air Force general * Mehryn Kraker (born 1994), Former WNBA player * Mike Krsnich (1931–2011),

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Rocky Krsnich (1927–2019),

player * Harvey Kuenn (1930–1988),

player and manager * Liberace (1919–1987), entertainer and pianist * Alex McRae, professional Baseball Pitcher for The

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

* Chellsie Memmel (born 1988), world champion gymnast, 2008 Olympic silver medalist * James Melka (born 1962), NFL player * Dawn Miceli,

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

host, and member of

Rasputina (band) Rasputina is an American rock band based in New York City, known for an unconventional music style, as well as a fascination with historical allegories and fashion, especially those pertaining to the Victorian era. The group is fronted by cel ...

* Delbert Miller, Wisconsin legislator *

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

(1879–1936), distinguished U.S. Army general * Nick Pearson (born 1979), Olympic athlete, national champion speedskater * Eugene A. Phalen (1876–1940), Wisconsin legislator * Tony Staskunas (born 1961), Wisconsin legislator * Owen Turtenwald (born 1989), Hall of Fame "Magic the Gathering" player * Ricky Wagner (born 1989), Wisconsin Badgers, NFL player *

Jane Wiedlin Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The Go-Go's. She voices Dusk, the drummer and ba ...

(born 1958), rhythm guitarist of

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

, actress * Tony Willman (1907–1941), professional race car driver * Jerry L. Wing (1923–1994), Wisconsin businessman and politician * Gabriel Zophy (1869–1947), Wisconsin politician

References

External links

City of West Allis
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 1902 establishments in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1902