Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods

Geography matters in Milwaukee. From the very beginning, rivers and railroads divided the city into distinct “Sides”—North, South, East, and West—with dramatically different characters. Within those districts dozens of smaller communities developed—places like Bay View, Layton Park, Pigsville, Washington Heights, Rufus King, Riverwest, and North Point. The result is a mosaic of small-scale hometowns that make the city both intelligible and approachable. Join local historian John Gurda for a lively illustrated look at the patterns that have made Milwaukee pre-eminently a city of neighborhoods. A book sale and signing will follow the program.