- The City of South Milwaukee is located in southern
Milwaukee County along the shore of Lake Michigan. It
is eight miles from downtown Milwaukee.
Incorporated as a village in 1892, it became a city in 1897, when George C. Bush was
elected the first mayor. Residents are proud of the fact that it is a city and not part of
the City of Milwaukee, like many people think. The city has always been under local
control with its own waste water treatment and water filtration facilities. South
Milwaukee has an excellent school system, with four elementary schools, one middle and one
senior high school, all of which are under the jurisdiction of the Board of
Education. The South Milwaukee Senior High has been recognized as " A School of
Excellence" by the US Dept. of Education.
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- Welcome to
- South Milwaukee
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- Proud Past ... Promising Future
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- The city has a strong economy, with many small business and larger
industries. The largest and most well known is Bucyrus International Inc.
( formerly the
Bucyrus-Erie Co.), which makes large mining equipment. The company came to prominence with
the building of the Panama Canal from 1904-1907. The most famous picture of Teddy
Roosevelt is of Teddy sitting at the controls of a Bucyrus shovel. Other long time
industrial residents are Cooper Power Systems, Est. 1939 as Kyle Corp. The Appleton
Electric Co. started in 1927, the Midwest Tanning Co
was founded in 1936, Everbrite Inc. in
1927 as the Everbrite Electric Sign Co. These industries, along with many others, both
large and small, help make South Milwaukee a viable force in the region's economy.
South Milwaukee is home to one of the best and largest parks in the
Milwaukee County Park System. At more than 350 acres Grant Park is an important part
of the community. There is a vast array of activities to be enjoyed within its
boundaries. There is hiking and cross-country skiing along its trails, fishing off the
shore, picnicking, sunbathing or swimming in the lake. One area of note is a place called
7 Bridges. Nestled in a ravine on the north end of the park, it is a series of stone+
walkways and bridges constructed by the WPA in the 1930's. Since then, 7 Bridges has
been a popular spot for nature lovers and photographers. In fact, it is so popular with
wedding parties that it is not uncommon for there to be two or more parties being
photographed on any given weekend in the summer.
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- The park is also home to one of the best
middle-handicap 18-hole Golf Courses in the County
System. The
 park is not the only activity in South Milwaukee. There is Heritage Days, a
week-long, city-wide celebration held each year in July. The Recreation Department, part
of the School District of South Milwaukee, offers a wide variety of leisure programs
tailored for each of the four seasons.
- South Milwaukee has
a variety of retail stores and services located within the city limits. There are five
shopping areas in the city. The city’s main street, Milwaukee Avenue, and side
street, South Chicago Avenue, make up the downtown area. Some of the businesses along
these streets are bakeries, clothing, musical equipment, sporting goods, trophies and
photography stores. Other businesses represented are beauty salons, barbershop, tailor
shops, realtor, carpeting, insurance, tax service, florist, liquor, automotive, locksmith,
printing, dry cleaning, restaurants, specialty shops, gift shop, jewelry stores, gas
stations and banks. Sunrise Shopping Center includes a hardware store, restaurant, two
banks, a pharmacy and a carpet/furniture store. Grant Park Plaza features a bank, food
store, sub, pizza and Chinese restaurants, a drug store, travel agency and a
card/gift shop. Marquette Plaza has a restaurant, beauty salon, realtor and automotive
store. The North Chicago shopping area contains restaurants, car repair shops, bowling
alley, insurance offices and other specialty stores.
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