People who grew up in Milwaukee proper have seen a lot of changes in the city during the past decades, but those who grew up outside of the city have arguably seen even more. Many watched their neighborhoods transform, for better or worse, from wide-open spaces to a collection of subdivisions, big box stores and strip malls.

In this ongoing series, natives of Milwaukee's outskirts recall what it was like to grow up in these areas and how they've changed. For the first segment of "Then and now," the focus is on New Berlin.

"There's been a lot of progress and growth in New Berlin. Some of it welcome, some not," says New Berlin Mayor Jack F. Chiovatero.

Today, the city of New Berlin -- located in Waukesha County -- is 39.6 square miles and has a current population of around 40,000. According to the 2000 census, the racial makeup is 95.84 percent white, 2.31 percent Asian, 1.56 percent Hispanic and .44 percent African American. The median household income is $67,576.

Chiovatero says the population boom and increase in household income began in the '60s with the development of the New Berlin Industrial Park, which employed thousands of people.

"(The industrial park) put New Berlin on the map. It became an incubator for a lot of companies," he says.

The success of the New Berlin Industrial Park triggered the construction of the West Ridge Business Park, which brought even more workers -- and their families -- to the New Berlin area. The new corporate park offered more white-collar jobs, and, consequently, the demographic and housing stock changed considerably in New Berlin.

"Houses have gone from the smaller, blue-collar type home to the much larger, white-collar, professional home," says Chiovatero.

New Berlin native Renee Bebeau, 38, has a similar sentiment. "There were more rednecks then suburbanites when I was growing up," she says.

Because of its incredible growth, has New Berlin reached it capacity? Chiovatero says not yet.

"There's still lots of room for development of residencies," he says. "And some room for new business on the south end of the city."

Chiovatero, who was elected as New Berlin's alderman in 1999 and became the mayor in 2005, says the development of National Avenue is perhaps the most prominent example of the city's growth.

"It went from a two-lane country road to a four-lane, urban road," he says.

Bebeau lived in New Berlin in the early '70s and again in the late '80s for her final year of high school.

"I lived in New Berlin the first time when I was just going into kindergarten. My family lived in the Brittany Apartments on Calhoun Road, across from the fire station, and then we moved into a big, scary, old house on the corner of Cleveland and Calhoun," says Bebeau.

The "big, scary, old house" Bebeau refers to was transformed into a public haunted house after her family moved out and eventually burned down.

"My family was living in Texas at the time the house burned down, but my grandma sent us the clipping from the newspaper," she says.

 Page 1 of 2 (view all on one page)

Next >>

3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Murphy on Jan. 7, 2008 at 3:23 p.m. (report)

Yes, I can remember the good old days when New Berlin was a semi-suburban community, full of strip malls and ranch homes, it was an utter haven for white-flight. It has come so far in the last 30 years, hardly recognizable...

Posted by naturekid1 on Jan. 6, 2008 at 2:55 p.m. (report)

I lived in new berlin from 2yrs old to 22yrs. I can't begin to tell you how much the city has changed. I remeber the goodyear on moorland being built, working there for 2yrs, and now it's a walgreens. That makes me feel old. Heck my high school (N.B. west) looks NOTHING like the school I graduated from in 96'. and yeah the fields we to hang out in are now condos(sunnyslope & Cleverland0, The crick we used to catch frogs in, is now a road leading to a new subdivision. My grandparents have lived in the city since 1955, when they were the only house for miles. However there has been so much development in the last 8 years, every time I drive through, It just doesn't feel like like the city I grew up in.

Posted by dukefame on Jan. 6, 2008 at 12:12 p.m. (report)

Chumley's defined culture in New Berlin in the early to late 80's. While safe and nurturing for a child it offers little for an adult in search of diversity and reality.