With port access to Lake Michigan, Milwaukee developed in the nineteenth century as a major Midwestern producer of metals, machinery capital goods and beer (Miller, Pabst).

German immigration in the mid-1800s, followed by Poles and Italians in the late 1800s, provided labor for emerging industries. Milwaukee was a hotbed for unionism, including many strikes. City government was dominated by socialist reformers from the turn of the nineteenth century until 1960.

A strong philanthropic spirit supports performing arts, summer festivals and museums.

Recreation includes professional sports (baseball (Brewers), basketball (Bucks)) and lakefront activities. Milwaukee was the setting of popular television comedies Happy Days (1974–84) and Laverne and Shirley (1976–83). The 1998 population estimate was 571,364.