Museums, beaches and brewery tours are all close together in Milwaukee, a city that runs on a big lake, beer and brats, thanks to the Germans who came to make both. The lakefront is the heart of it, with the sweeping Milwaukee Art Museum, Bradford Beach, and a RiverWalk lined with restaurants. The Harley-Davidson Museum, brewery tours and the Public Market in the Third Ward round out a good weekend, and Summerfest in late June and July is one of the biggest music festivals anywhere.
About 560,000 people live here, and it is a friendly, unfussy place where living costs are a little below the national average. Housing is affordable, with neighborhoods like Bay View, Riverwest and the East Side offering plenty of local flavor. Winters are long, cold and icy, and the lake keeps spring chilly. Violent crime is above average, especially on parts of the North Side, though it has declined since 2021. Car theft has been a real problem.
