Downtown Milwaukee is the heart of Wisconsin. In celebration of OnMilwaukee.com's first 15 years, here are 15 things I think that you may not know about Downtown.
- It's home to a restaurant that's situated in a basement, Shah Jee's. And, it's great.
- It's easy to find parking and to park in Downtown. Easier than it often is at a busy Mayfair Mall.
- Milwaukee's most historic hotels are located in Downtown Milwaukee.
- There's a secret men's clothing store here.
- There are at least six day care/child care providers in greater Downtown.
- The skywalk system is the only one of its kind in America that spans a river.
- You can sit very comfortably now as you take photos of the Bronze Fonz.
- There's more live music than anywhere else in Wisconsin in Downtown Milwaukee.
- It's the corporate home to four Fortune 500 headquarters.
- It's 15th most walkable large city in the U.S., with a Walk Score of 61 out of 100. The East Town and Westown neighborhoods rank third and fifth, respectively, out of all of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. (Walkscore.com, 2013)
- Between 2005 and early 2012, nearly $545 million in residential and/or mixed use development investment has occurred in Downtown. Much more is on the way, including big changes at the Lakefront.
- The median age of Downtown residents is 29.9 years old.
- It's home to one of the oldest farmers markets in the state, the Westown Farmer's Market on Wednesdays.
- While the trolley is done for the summer, it's only $1 to ride.
- Downtown Milwaukee doesn't have a McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC or any drive-through restaurants.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
