Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a metropolitan area of more than 1.6 million people. The U.S. Census defines this area as the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which had a population of 1,689,572 as of January 2004. By this definition, the area encompasses Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha counties in the state of Wisconsin.

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the hub of the metropolitan area. The eastern part of Waukesha and Racine counties, southern part of Ozaukee County, and southwestern part of Washington County are the most urbanized parts of the outlying counties.

The character of the area varies widely. Mequon, Brookfield, and the North Shore (Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, River Hills, Glendale, and Bayside) are seen as more upscale while West Milwaukee, West Allis, and St. Francis have more of a blue-collar reputation. Waukesha and Racine are urban centers in their own right, although they are somewhat eclipsed in importance by the size of the city of Milwaukee.

Debate over metropolitan government

Although each county and its various municipalities are self-governing, there is some cooperation in the metropolitan area. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is a state-chartered government agency which serves 28 municipalities in the five counties.

At the same time, some in the area see the need for more consolidation in government services. The Kettl Commission and former Wisconsin Governor McCallum have supported initiatives to do this.

Debate over Kenosha's inclusion into metropolitan Milwaukee

Kenosha County, to the south, is defined as being a part of the Chicago metropolitan area, or Chicagoland, even though many of its residents also commute to Milwaukee. In reality, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Kenosha, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; and Gary, Indiana, form one large metropolitan corridor, with the division between Chicagoland and the Milwaukee metropolitan area being rather arbitrary.

The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball District , a tax district created to fund the building of Miller Park for the Milwaukee Brewers, is coterminous with the census definition of the metropolitan area, helping to support the claim that Racine County is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area while Kenosha is not.

List of communities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area

(Communities with more than 10,000 people in bold.) Addison - Barton - Bayside- Belgium - Big Bend - Bohners Lake - Brookfield - Brown Deer - Browns Lake - Burlington - Butler - Caledonia - Cedarburg - Chenequa - Cudahy - Delafield - Dousman - Dover - Eagle - Eagle Lake - Elm Grove - Elmwood Park - Erin - Farmington - Fox Point - Franklin - Franksville - Fredonia - Genesee - Germantown - Glendale - Grafton - Greendale - Greenfield - Hales Corners - Hartford - Hartland - Jackson - Kewaskum - Lac La Belle - Lannon - Lisbon - Menomonee Falls - Mequon - Merton - Milwaukee - Mount Pleasant - Mukwonago - Muskego - Nashotah - New Berlin - Newburg - North Bay - North Prairie - Norway - Oak Creek - Oconomowoc - Oconomowoc Lake - Okauchee Lake - Ottawa - Pewaukee - Polk - Port Washington - Racine - Raymond - Richfield - River Hills - Rochester - Saukville - Shorewood - Slinger - South Milwaukee - St. Francis - Sturtevant - Summit - Sussex - Thiensville - Trenton - Union Grove - Vernon - Wales - Waterford - Waukesha - Wauwatosa - Wayne - West Allis - West Bend - West Milwaukee - Whitefish Bay - Wind Lake - Wind Point - Yorkville

External links

Article on consolidation of area government