Milwaukee, Wis. is originally inhabited by Native American tribes such as Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk Potawatomi Ojibwe and Ho-Chunk. In the early 1800’s, the first white settlers composed of fur traders, French missionaries and German immigrants arrived and influenced the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the place. It is sometimes referred to as the Deutsch-Athen or German Athens because of the high German population in Milwaukee, Wis. Now, it ranks 23rd largest population in the United States with almost a total of 700,000 people in the year 2008.
The origin of its name is still disputed. Some would claim that it came from Potawatomi word “Mahn-ah-wauk” which means council grounds while others say that it came from the Algonquian word “Milo-aki” which means beautiful land.
Milwaukee, Wis. lies along the shores of Lake Michigan at the convergence of the three rivers: Menomonee, Kinnickinnic and Milwaukee. Because of the massive body of water which surrounds the place, Milwaukee, Wis. became the largest Great Lakes ports in the country.
This contributed greatly to its economic development. Economic development may also be attributed to its high production of medical diagnostic instruments, small gasoline engines, iron and steel forgings, mining machinery and robotics. Malt beverage production is also quite popular in this place this is why it was once known as the “beer town.”
