illwauk's definitions
Wisconsin's largest city, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. A chronically underrated city that is experiencing something of a revival after spending almost three decades in a rebuilding phase due to the loss of blue-collar jobs. None the less, it still struggles with the misconceptions of outsiders stemming from historically-inaccurate 70's sitcoms and sensationalistic media reports (for example: health care, not brewing is Milwaukee's biggest industry and the city is home to a number of integrated neighborhoods such as Riverwest, Washington Heights and Northwest Side).
Nowadays, Milwaukee is home to beautiful architecture, revitalized neighborhoods (such as Bronzeville/MLK Drive, Riverwest, Bay View (aka Gay View), Third Ward and Walker's Point), GOOD hip hop music (Black Elephant, Taste Emcees, Growing Nation, etc.), progressive politics, diverse ethnic restaurants, a great park system, and more theaters per capita than any other city in the U.S.
Unfortunatley, Milwaukee still struggles with a notoriously racist and trigger-happy police force, corrupt politicians, and an underfunded public school system. There's also not many higher education opportunities for people of color. That's because Milwaukee's two biggest universities (UWM and Marquette) are lily-white and recruit students who come from Northern Wisconsin or the Chicago suburbs rather than the city.
If you come to Milwaukee, DON'T listen to the brochures. Water Street and Summerfest are lame, touristy and shells of their former selves. Instead, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (even if you don't like art, it's THAT cool of a building), the Riverwalk, the Allen-Bradley Clock (which is bigger than Big Ben), Miller Park, Brady Street and Bronzeville aka MLK Drive.
Nowadays, Milwaukee is home to beautiful architecture, revitalized neighborhoods (such as Bronzeville/MLK Drive, Riverwest, Bay View (aka Gay View), Third Ward and Walker's Point), GOOD hip hop music (Black Elephant, Taste Emcees, Growing Nation, etc.), progressive politics, diverse ethnic restaurants, a great park system, and more theaters per capita than any other city in the U.S.
Unfortunatley, Milwaukee still struggles with a notoriously racist and trigger-happy police force, corrupt politicians, and an underfunded public school system. There's also not many higher education opportunities for people of color. That's because Milwaukee's two biggest universities (UWM and Marquette) are lily-white and recruit students who come from Northern Wisconsin or the Chicago suburbs rather than the city.
If you come to Milwaukee, DON'T listen to the brochures. Water Street and Summerfest are lame, touristy and shells of their former selves. Instead, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (even if you don't like art, it's THAT cool of a building), the Riverwalk, the Allen-Bradley Clock (which is bigger than Big Ben), Miller Park, Brady Street and Bronzeville aka MLK Drive.
by illwauk October 24, 2007
Get the Milwaukeemug. Third Coast is a term to describe the highly urbanized stretch of U.S. cities and large towns along the Great Lakes shoreline. This area is generally considered to be bordered by Southeast Wisconsin on the West and Upstate New York on the East.
It is referred to as the Third Coast because politically and socially, it aligns more with coastal states than the rest of so-called "Middle America." It also shares a lot of physical similarities (such as beaches) which are commonly thought to only exist on the coasts.
Recently, residents of Chicago have tried to claim their city alone is synonymous with Third Coast. However, it actually refers to the entire Great Lakes region as there are a number of entities in the business and entertainment world outside of Chicago (especially in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio) that identify themselves as "Third Coast."
Some of the major cities in this region are Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
(Please note that similar to how Philadelphia is considered East Coast even though it's not actually on the ocean, a city does not actually have to be on the Great Lakes to be considered part of the Third Coast.)
See Also: North Coast
It is referred to as the Third Coast because politically and socially, it aligns more with coastal states than the rest of so-called "Middle America." It also shares a lot of physical similarities (such as beaches) which are commonly thought to only exist on the coasts.
Recently, residents of Chicago have tried to claim their city alone is synonymous with Third Coast. However, it actually refers to the entire Great Lakes region as there are a number of entities in the business and entertainment world outside of Chicago (especially in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio) that identify themselves as "Third Coast."
Some of the major cities in this region are Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
(Please note that similar to how Philadelphia is considered East Coast even though it's not actually on the ocean, a city does not actually have to be on the Great Lakes to be considered part of the Third Coast.)
See Also: North Coast
by illwauk October 30, 2007
Get the Third Coastmug. An allegedly world-class city with a nice skyline and not much else. Claims to be progressive even though it has a shrinking minority population (due to gentrification) and a notoriously corrupt government. Tries to compete with actual world-class cities such as New York and London, but fails miserably giving it an inferirotiy complex. This causes Chicago residents to lash out at other nearby cities such as Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Louis to justify its existence.
by illwauk May 22, 2007
Get the Chicagomug.