The Milwaukee area was originally inhabited by the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago Indian tribes. Milwaukee received its name from the Indian word Millioke which is thought to have meant "The Good Land", or "gathering place by the water". French missionaries and traders passed through the area in the late 1600s and 1700s. In 1818, Frenchman Solomon Juneau settled in the area. Juneau bought out his father-in-law's trading business, and in 1833 he founded a town on the east side of the Milwaukee River.

Although most people associate Milwaukee's reputation with its breweries, today companies like Miller Brewing employ less than one percent of the city's workers. Milwaukee's reputation as a blue collar town is more accurate, however, with 22 percent of the workforce involved in manufacturing -- second only to San Jose, CA and far higher than the national average of 16.5%. Service and managerial jobs are the fastest growing segments of the Milwaukee economy, and healthcare makes up 27% of all service jobs in the city.

Milwaukee is headquarters to six Fortune 1000 manufacturers and six Fortune 1000 service companies. Among these are Briggs & Stratton, Harley-Davidson, Johnson Controls, Manpower Inc., M&I, Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell Automation, Roundy's and Wisconsin Energy,. Milwaukee also has a large number of financial service firms, and a disproportionate number of publishing and printing companies for a city of its size.

Milwaukee's most visually prominent cultural attraction is the Milwaukee Art Museum, and especially its new $100 million wing designed by Santiago Calatrava in his first American commission. The museum includes a "brise soleil," a moving sunscreen that quite literally unfolds like the wing of a bird. The Milwaukee Public Museum and Milwaukee County Zoo are also notable public attractions.

like the wing of a bird. The Milwaukee Public Museum and Milwaukee County Zoo are also notable public attractions. Milwaukee is home to the Florentine Opera, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre, and a number of other arts organizations.

It is also home to a number of professional sports teams including:
Milwaukee Brewers (Baseball—MLB) playing at the new Miller Park
Milwaukee Bucks (Basketball—NBA) playing at the Bradley Center
Milwaukee Admirals (Ice hockey) playing at the Bradley Center
Milwaukee Wave (Indoor Soccer) playing at the U.S. Cellular Arena
Milwaukee Wave United (Outdoor Soccer)

Milwaukee has advertised itself as the "City of Festivals," especially emphasizing an annual fair along the lakefront called Summerfest. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest music festival in the world, Summerfest attracts around 900,000 visitors a year to its twelve stages. Smaller festivals throughout the year celebrate the city's German, Native American, African-American, Italian, Irish, Asian, French and Polish heritage.

Annual Events

• Milwaukee Boat Show
  Feb. 16-20, 2005
  See all things aquatic.
• Ghost Ships Festival
  Feb. 18-19, 2005
  Dive into shipwrecks.
• J-S Sports Show
  Mar. 11-20, 2005
  It's outdoor sports paradise.
• RiverSplash!
  June 3-5, 2005
  Have a ball by the river.
• PrideFest
  June 11-12, 2005
  Show your gay pride.
• Summerfest
  June 30-July 10, 2005
  Party like a rock star.
• Bastille Days
  July 14-17, 2005
  A taste of Paris in Wisconsin
• U.S. Bank Championship
  July 18-24, 2005
  The PGA Tour makes a stop.
• German Fest
  July 28-31, 2005
  Brew City throws a beer bash.
• Wisconsin State Fair
  Aug. 4-14, 2005
  Corn dogs and cool tunes
• Irish Fest
  August 18-21, 2005
  Bond over pints of Guinness.
• Journal Sentinel a la Carte
  August 18-21, 2005
  Tame your tummy with eats.