Milwaukee County, WI Real Estate

There is always something to do in Milwaukee County! To get to know the County a little better, try out a combination river and brewery tour in downtown Milwaukee. Riverwalk Boat Tours offers this tour featuring stops at Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Ale House and Rock Bottom Brewery. If you are more interested in what is under the water, check out Pirate’s Cove Diving to see some of Lake Michigan’s shipwrecks.

For even more history, check out the Milwaukee Public Museum in downtown Milwaukee. Their permanent exhibit “The Streets of Old Milwaukee” is a quaint visit back to the earlier days of the city of Milwaukee. Be sure to grab some rock candy from the candy shop! Downtown Milwaukee is replete with cultural opportunities including the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Boerner Botanical Gardens and Discovery World.

Perhaps the most well known activities in Milwaukee County are the many annual festivals the communities enjoy. Oak Creek has the Labor Day LionsFest, which includes grilled food, carnival rides and live music. Downtown Milwaukee is famous for Summerfest, The Guinness Book of World Records’ “World’s Largest Music Festival.” With over 700 bands and nearly one million guests each year, Summerfest is a staple summertime activity for all Milwaukee County residents.

Aside from the many festivals in Milwaukee County, residents also enjoy the many cultural opportunities the area offers. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performs a wide variety of classical music in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts throughout the year. Another resident of the Marcus Center, the Milwaukee Ballet performs your favorite shows throughout the year. Be sure to get tickets to their annual performance of The Nutcracker when the holidays roll around! For even more performing arts, pass over the Milwaukee River and a few blocks down Kilbourn Avenue to The Milwaukee Theatre. There you’ll find performances of all different kinds — from Broadway musicals to plays the whole family will enjoy.

If you prefer sports, Milwaukee County will keep you occupied year-round! Crowds gather in Miller Park to see the Milwaukee Brewers take on opponents during baseball season. Milwaukee Bucks’ fans chant, “Fear the Deer!” during basketball games at the Bradley Center. For ice hockey fanatics, get tickets to see the American Hockey League Milwaukee Admirals. Double check your tickets before you buy — many Admirals’ games are followed by a live concert out on the ice!

Downtown Milwaukee has one of the highest students-per-capita ratios in the United States. It is home to Marquette University, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Additionally, Milwaukee Public Schools create exceptional primary schooling options for residents of Milwaukee County. MPS is Wisconsin’s largest school district and is home to Rufus King International School and Ronald Reagan International Baccalaureate High School, two of the best high schools in the Milwaukee region according to The Washington Post.

Outside of downtown Milwaukee, the Shorewood School District, also in Milwaukee County, contains a Blue Ribbon High School, Shorewood High School. Recently, U.S. News ranked Shorewood High School as the best high school in the entire state!

Originally, most of Milwaukee County’s economy was focused on the production of beer through companies based in Milwaukee such as Miller, Pabst and Blatz. As time progressed, Milwaukee County began to attract major employers such as Johnson Controls, Briggs & Stratton and Harley-Davidson. Additionally, many of the Milwaukee County cities outside of downtown Milwaukee have proved to be the perfect home for flourishing small businesses.

In 1674, Father Jacques Marquette visited what would become the city of Milwaukee, but it wasn’t until 1794 that Milwaukee became the headquarters for a chain of trading posts through the Northwest Company. At the time, the Potawatomi, Wauk, Fox and Winnebago Indians were living in the area that would become Milwaukee County. Settlers began moving into Milwaukee County in 1834 and on August 24, 1835, Milwaukee County was organized, although the land was a part of Michigan’s territory at the time.

Milwaukee is the largest city in Milwaukee County, as well as the entire state of Wisconsin. The city gained its name from a Potawatomi word meaning “council ground,” pronounced Mahn-ah-wauk. Milwaukee was established as a city on January 31, 1846, only 11 years after Milwaukee County was formed. Additionally, the 1840s saw a large influx of German immigrants into Milwaukee. The German influence spread quickly, establishing Milwaukee as the number one beer-producing city in the world for a number of years.