Situated on Lake Michigan, the fifth largest lake in the world, Milwaukee has come a long way since its beginnings as an Indian settlement. The city has become a national center of industry serving as home to a large immigrant population, and Milwaukee in the early 20th century was known for Germanism, socialism and beer. The latter still remains a Milwaukee buzz word, as the city is home to Miller and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The area was first settled by Solomon Juneau in 1818, but wasn't incorporated as the City of Milwaukee until 1846, when it joined two former rival towns founded to the west and south of the river by Byron Kilbourn and George Walker. Milwaukee today can trace its large number of angled bridges to the fact that Byron Kilbourn made sure that the streets in Kilbourntown (west of the river) running toward the river did not match up with the streets in Juneautown on the other side.

All three "founding fathers" saw potential in the region as a Great Lakes port city. The city remains an international seaport today. After the Civil War, the need for more workers in the industrialized city brought immigrants from countries including Germany, Poland, Ireland and Russia. This influx of residents with different ethnic backgrounds laid the foundation for the diverse city Milwaukee is today.

Toward the end of the 19th century, Milwaukee enjoyed worldwide notoriety when it built its City Hall in 1895. At 15 stories, the hall stood as the world's tallest skyscraper for the next four years until the Park Row tower in New York City was completed in 1899. Milwaukee remains one of only three cities in the United States and four in the world which can claim to have ever been home to the world's tallest building.

Milwaukee has also held claim to being considered one of the largest cities in the United States. After a period of urban renewal, the 1960s brought preservationists as well as a brand new system for driving known as the freeway. In 1966, France's historic St. Joan of Arc Chapel was moved from New York to Milwaukee's Marquette University campus. Milwaukee is home to Harley Davidson, and boasts famous natives including rocker Steve Miller, actress Heather Graham and actor Gene Wilder. Today, the city balances its commercial and industrial success without losing its small-town charm.