UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Home

Milwaukee Neighborhood Maps

Interactive Milwaukee Neighborhoods Map
Adapted from the Milwaukee Neighborhoods Identification Project Map. Works best in the Mozilla Firefox browser

Digital Sanborn Maps , 1867-1970: Wisconsin
Digital Sanborn Maps provide access to large-scale plans containing data that can be used to estimate the potential risk for urban structures. This includes information such as the outline of each building, the size, shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures, location of windows and doors. The maps also give street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers.
Digital Sanborn Maps of Milwaukee 1894 and 1910
The Digital Sanborn Maps of Milwaukee 1894 and 1910 collection includes two atlases of the fire insurance maps of Milwaukee produced by the Sanborn Map Company. [Open Access; no login required]

American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection
Currently contains over 700 maps, including historical maps of Wisconsin and Milwaukee, and other American cities, states, and national parks. The digital collection is under continuing development. [no login required]

Milwaukee Photos

Access to Food in Milwaukee Neighborhoods

USDA Food Access Research Atlas
A spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility;
Provides food access data for populations within census tracts; and
Offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.

Data Axle Reference Solutions
U.S Businesses provides profiles for over 14 million U.S. businesses, including GROCERY and CONVENIENCE STORES.

The database also includes data such as home-based businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Each profile includes contact information, business description, corporate linkage/subsidiaries (if applicable), management listing, news reports, and more.

NEIGHBORHOOD-LEVEL DATA is available! Select Advanced Search > Geography > Neighborhood

Combine with a NAICS code to search for a specific business type.
NAICS: 445110 - Supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores
NAICS Code 445120 – Convenience Stores or food marts (except those with fuel pumps).
NAICS: 447110 - Gasoline stations with convenience stores
NAICS Code 447190: Gasoline stations alone (NO convenience stores)

Welcome!

Thank you for using the UWM Libraries' Milwaukee Neighborhood Guide. This guide was originally created to benefit UWM Urban Studies Program research but has been expanded to meet the needs of several courses. The information in this guide is not meant to be authoritative and comprehensive but rather a reference and starting point for those researching Milwaukee neighborhoods.

If you find information that you believe to be incorrect, would like to see a specific additional neighborhood listed (including historic place names), or have additional information to share, please let us know!

Tips

Click on the tabs on the top of the guide to navigate through the various pages
If neighborhoods are not being clearly displayed in the "Larger Map" feature, try zooming in and out
Sample Census Tract and Block information was obtained by checking a central address for each neighborhood. Neighborhoods may have muiltiple Tract and Block numbers that are not listed in this guide; this information is intended as a starting point.
Newspaper searches point to Newspaper SourcePlus (EBSCOhost) and LexisNexis Academic, and require on-campus access or remote login via current UWM ePanther ID. Community researchers are welcome to visit the UWM Libraries' Golda Meir Library at 2311 E. Hartford Avenue for unrestricted access.

Encyclopedia of Milwaukee

Encyclopedia of Milwaukee
The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee project aims to provide comprehensive coverage of the history of Milwaukee. With a projected 740 entries, hundreds of illustrations, historical and contemporary maps, bibliographic materials, and the opportunity to interact with readers, the EMKE will be a first stop for researchers ranging from students to journalists to scholars and the general public.

The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee covers the four-county Milwaukee area, as recognized by the United States government: Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, and Waukesha County.

Urban Anthropology, Inc (UrbAn)

Urban Anthropology, Inc.
Urban Anthropology, Inc (UrbAn) is a community based membership association dedicated to the celebration of cultural diversity and holistic approach to urban problem-solving.
UrbAn Neighborhood Website
A fantastic local resource, this web site details more than 190 Milwaukee neighborhoods (more will be added).
Each neighborhood has information about appearance (including photos), a brief population-focused history, lists of businesses in the neighborhoods’ history, oral histories (where available), resident quotes, current demographics, special neighborhood features, and low-cost nearby outings for families.
Over 70 volunteers worked on parts of this enormous project, and some facts and characteristics may have changed. Be sure to fact-check for accuracy!

Citation Tip:

Last, F. M. (Date Published or n.d. for No Date). Web page title. Retrieved from Homepage URL

Urban Anthropology Inc. (n.d.) Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Historic Mitchell Street. Retrieved from http://www.neighborhoodsinmilwaukee.org/Historic%20Mitchell.pdf

Milwaukee Neighborhood Data Sources

City of Milwaukee, Neighborhood Development Plans & Studies
Official city plans and area studies created by or for the Milwaukee Department of City Development.
Digital Spatial Data for Milwaukee County
Catalog of spatial data for Milwaukee, and Wisconsin in general, provided by the American Geographical Society Library, located at UWM.
Find Census Tract and Other Information with Census Data Address Search
Allows you to search addresses for census tract and other information
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
"NNS covers stories that are important to the people who live, work and serve in city neighborhoods, on topics such as education, public safety, economic development, health and wellness, environment, recreation, employment, youth development and housing."
Milwaukee Neighborhood Webpage Links
More links for neighborhood groups and associations
Milwaukee Police Districts
Clickable map of Milwaukee Police Districts
Neighborhood Groups in Milwaukee
List of neighborhood groups and associations in Milwaukee
Neighborhood Website (Urban Anthropology Inc.)
An ever-growing resource detailing Milwaukee neighborhoods, each entry including information about appearance (including photos), a brief population-focused history, lists of businesses in the neighborhoods’ history, oral histories (where available), resident quotes, current demographics, special neighborhood features, and low-cost nearby outings for families.
Map Applications from the City of Milwaukee
Helpful tools from the City of Milwaukee. Includes a variety of statistical data and mapping applications.

Research Help

If you have questions not answered here, there are several ways to get additional assistance.You can contact the UWM Libraries in a variety of ways, including in person at our Research Help Desk in the Learning Commons:

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ask-consult Research Consultation

Research Help Desk (Research Help Desk hours)

Acknowledgements

Chris Langer, former Research & Instructional Support (RIS) Intern, developed this library guide in 2009, under the project guidance of Linda Kopecky.

Jia He, RIS Diversity Services Intern, contributed updates in 2013.

Steven Frets, SOIS Graduate Fieldwork student, contributed updates in 2014.

Linda Kopecky, Head of Research Services, curated this guide until her retirement in 2020.