Entertainment Impact On Urban Geog. In Milwaukee Essay, Research Paper

Entertainment in Milwaukee

and its Effect on Urban Areas

Summerfest. German Fest. The Great Circus Parade. Not

just these, but, Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, Pearl Jam

and many others. These are just a few of the exciting

entertainment events that one can enjoy in the great city of

Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a city that is known for its great

festivals and its variety of entertainment spectacles.

Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin. Its

population is 628,088 and has a population density of 6,543

persons per square mile. In 1995 the population growth of

the was 1.3%. Milwaukee covers an area of 96 square miles.

Milwaukee began as a Native American trading post in 1674,

and settlement began as early as 1835. The city was

incorporated in 1848 and has been growing ever since.

Economically, there are nearly 275,000 people employed in

Milwaukee, with an unemployment rate of 6.2% and a per

capita income of $21,797 (1995 World Almanac).

Milwaukee is predominately dominated by the ethnics of

Germany. Milwaukee is currently the largest German

dominated city in the United States. This settlement by

German immigrants has led to great prosperity for the city

of Milwaukee as shown by the boom in the beer industry.

Pabst, Schlitz, Miller all are directly related to the

influx of Germans into this area we call Milwaukee. The

beer industry has built Milwaukee into a well-known city.

The contributions the German immigrants made to this city

have led to great events in the recent past and that will

continue forever. One event, that just happened in May, was

the visit by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Kohl’s visit to

Milwaukee embraced the entire city. Chancellor Kohl and

President Clinton met in Milwaukee and the German people

celebrated as they do at German Fest.

German Fest is a festival to recognize people of German

descent and to celebrate just being German. This event

takes place by the lakefront at the Summerfest grounds.

German Fest is held in the end of July, and is known for its

tuba playing contests, polka concerts, fireworks, cafes, and

of course German food: bratwurst, sauerkraut, and lots of

beer. German Fest is one of the most popular festivals in

Wisconsin, and its entertainment is unparalleled. People

from all over Wisconsin and the United States come to the

German Fest, and for this, Milwaukee is glad to be the

sponsor.

Another great entertainment event in the city of

Milwaukee is the Great Circus Parade. This parade is held

in July and is the largest circus parade in the world. The

parade features circus wagons pulled by horses, with various

exotic animals, clowns, acrobats, and many other fun circus

characters. Thousands of people line the street for this

parade and children from all over Wisconsin, adults too,

have seen this spectacular parade and continue to revisit it

each year.

Just when you thought you had your fill of

entertainment, the largest festival in the state of

Wisconsin has not even been mentioned. Summerfest.

Summerfest is and eleven day celebration that starts in late

June and goes through early July (this year’s dates were

June 27-July 7). Summerfest is famous for its variety of

stage acts which range from rock to rap, alternative to

jazz, and blues to classical. Summerfest is truly a concert

and entertainment extravaganza for all ages. The event is

also famous for its huge Fourth of July parade and its great

fireworks display. Summerfest annually attracts over one

million people. This event is the biggest in Wisconsin, and

seems to be getting more and more popular.

One may wonder how these events affect the Milwaukee

urban area. First of all, the events are held at the

Milwaukee lakefront and the Great Circus Parade goes through

downtown Milwaukee. This draws a lot of people into the

city itself. Economically, the central business district is

a thriving industry because of these events, especially the

Great Circus Parade. The people line the streets to watch

the parade and many decide to browse in the numerous shops

and restaurants that dot the Milwaukee central business

district.

Other events that draw people to the central business

district are Summerfest and music concerts held at the

Bradley Center. Although the Summerfest grounds are located

at the waterfront, the hotels that people are in search of

are generally located in downtown Milwaukee. There are

hotels near the interstates outside the CBD, but the nicer

hotels with their amenities and proximity to events make the

downtown hotels more popular.

With Summerfest drawing over one million people

annually, Milwaukee becomes even busier than normal. Its

international airport, Mitchell Field, is busier than

normal, along with its major highways and interstates.

Milwaukee is fortunate because of its accessibility on the

interstate from the north (I-43), west (I-94), southwest (I-

43), and south (I-90, and I-94). Milwaukee’s urban

system is very well appropriated, with the only real lacking

notion of an urban transit system, except for the city’s

public buses. Transportation can cause a problem during

these busy events, but as in all urban areas, this problem

is ever present and the people using these systems have

become somewhat immune to them.

The entertainment industry, especially in stadiums and

arenas located in central business districts have literally

rejuvenated many cities. For example, Camden Yards in

Baltimore has blended its stadium into the downtown district

and all around the stadium are stores and restaurants.

Another good example is The Skydome in Toronto. This

stadium is not only for sports but many concerts and

conventions. Located in The Skydome itself is a hotel,

restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe, and many stores.

The economic impact on urban areas that entertainment has

provided is evident in these cities as well as in Milwaukee.

For example, the Bradley Center is one of the newest

arenas in the United States and supports not only hockey and

basketball, but also music concerts, conventions, and

expositions. This has led to much investment around the

Bradley Center whether it be new bars and restaurants, or

new or renovated hotels. The popularity of entertainment

arenas located in the downtown area is so great that just in

the last nine months huge debate was occurring as to where

to construct the new Miller Park for the Brewers and other

entertainment spectacles. Many businesses lobbied for the

stadium to be built in the central business district, hoping

it would boost the downtown economies, but the stadium

commission decided to build the stadium next to County

Stadium. This desire by business owners shows the impact

that entertainment has on urban economic centers.

As a metropolitan area, Milwaukee if fairly small. It

basically has all the things that major world cities have,

but in some degree to a smaller scale. But with all of it s

festivals and great entertainment options, Milwaukee’s

Summerfest and German Fest make Milwaukee one of the world’s

fun time destinations.

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