Editing Milwaukee (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Milwaukee aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view from the north – the [[Menomonee River]], [[Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River tributary)|Kinnickinnic River]], and [[Milwaukee River]] are visible in the foreground; [[Wind Point]] in the background.]]
Milwaukee lies along the shores and bluffs of [[Lake Michigan]] at the [[confluence]] of three rivers: the [[Menomonee River|Menomonee]], the [[Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River)|Kinnickinnic]], and the [[Milwaukee River|Milwaukee]]. Smaller rivers, such as the [[Root River (Wisconsin)|Root River]] and Lincoln Creek, also flow through the city.

Milwaukee's terrain is sculpted by the glacier path and includes steep bluffs along Lake Michigan that begin about a mile (1.6&nbsp;km) north of downtown. In addition, {{convert|30|mi|km}} southwest of Milwaukee is the Kettle Moraine and lake country that provides an industrial landscape combined with inland lakes.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|96.80|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|96.12|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.68|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref> The city is overwhelmingly (99.89% of its area) in [[Milwaukee County]], but there are two tiny unpopulated portions that extend into neighboring counties.<ref name="foran-counties">{{Cite news|last=Foran|first=Chris|date=January 10, 2023|title=Parts of the city of Milwaukee are in Waukesha and Washington counties. How'd that happen?|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2023/01/10/why-parts-of-city-of-milwaukee-are-in-waukesha-washington-counties/8015388001/|access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>{{efn-ua|The part in [[Washington County, Wisconsin|Washington County]] is bordered by the southeast corner of [[Germantown, Wisconsin|Germantown]], while the part in [[Waukesha County]] is bordered by the southeast corner of [[Menomonee Falls]], north of the village of [[Butler, Waukesha County, Wisconsin|Butler]]. Both areas were annexed to Milwaukee for industrial reasons; the Waukesha County portion contains a [[Cargill]] plant for Ambrosia Chocolate (known as "the Ambrosia triangle"), while the Washington County portion contains a [[Waste Management (corporation)|Waste Management]] facility.<ref name="foran-counties" />}}

===Cityscape===
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in Milwaukee|Neighborhoods of Milwaukee}}
[[File:Milwaukee Boat Line tour July 2022 50 (Historic Third Ward).jpg|thumb|The [[Historic Third Ward (Milwaukee)|Historic Third Ward]] from the Milwaukee River]]

North–south streets are numbered, and east–west streets are named. However, north–south streets east of 1st Street are named, like east–west streets. The north–south numbering line is along the Menomonee River (east of Hawley Road) and Fairview Avenue/Golfview Parkway (west of Hawley Road), with the east–west numbering line defined along 1st Street (north of Oklahoma Avenue) and Chase/Howell Avenue (south of Oklahoma Avenue). This numbering system is also used to the north by [[Mequon]] in [[Ozaukee County]], and by some [[Waukesha County]] communities.

Milwaukee is crossed by [[Interstate 43]] and [[Interstate 94]], which come together [[Downtown Milwaukee|downtown]] at the [[Marquette Interchange]]. The [[Interstate 894]] bypass (which as of May 2015 also contains [[Interstate 41]]) runs through portions of the city's southwest side, and [[Interstate 794]] comes out of the Marquette interchange eastbound, bends south along the lakefront and crosses the harbor over the [[Hoan Bridge]], then ends near the [[Bay View, Milwaukee|Bay View]] [[Neighborhoods of Milwaukee|neighborhood]] and becomes the "Lake Parkway" ([[Wisconsin Highway 794|WIS-794]]).

One of the distinctive traits of Milwaukee's residential areas are the neighborhoods full of so-called [[Polish flat]]s. These are two-[[family]] [[home]]s with separate entrances, but with the units stacked one on top of another instead of side-by-side. This arrangement enables a family of limited means to purchase both a home and a modestly priced [[rental]] [[apartment]] unit. Since [[Polish-American]] immigrants to the area prized land ownership, this solution, which was prominent in their areas of settlement within the city, came to be associated with them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cross|first=John A.|title=Ethnic Landscapes of America|publisher=Springer|year=2017|isbn=978-3-319-54009-2|location=Cham, Switzerland|pages=310}}</ref>

The tallest building in the city is the [[U.S. Bank Center (Milwaukee)|U.S. Bank Center]], completed in 1973. In 2024 ''[[Architectural Digest]]'', a prominent design publication, rated Milwaukee's skyline as the 15th most beautiful skyline in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McLaughlin|first=Katherine|date=June 26, 2024|title=The 17 Most Beautiful Skylines in the World|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/the-most-beautiful-skylines-in-the-world|access-date=July 3, 2024|website=Architectural Digest|language=en-US}}</ref>

{{wide image|CityscapeMilwaukee2023.jpg|650px|align-cap=center|[[Downtown Milwaukee]]}}

===Climate===
{{see also|Climate change in Wisconsin}}
{{multiple image
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 | image1 = Milwaukee February 2025 26 (Veterans Park).jpg
 | caption1 = Veterans Park in winter
 | image2 = Milwaukee November 2022 17 (W. Wisconsin Avenue from Milwaukee Skywalk).jpg
 | caption2 = West Wisconsin Avenue from the [[Milwaukee Skywalk]]
}}

Milwaukee's location in the [[Great Lakes Region]] often has rapidly changing weather, producing a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfa''), with cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with a mean temperature of {{convert|73.3|F|1}}, while January is the coldest month, with a mean temperature of {{convert|24.0|F|1}}.

Because of Milwaukee's proximity to Lake Michigan, a convection current forms around mid-afternoon in light wind, resulting in the so-called "lake breeze" – a smaller scale version of the more common [[sea breeze]]. The lake breeze is most common between March and July. This onshore flow causes cooler temperatures to move inland usually {{convert|5|to|15|mi|0}}, with much warmer conditions persisting further inland. Because Milwaukee's official climate site, [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]], is only {{convert|3|mi}} from the lake, seasonal temperature variations are less extreme than in many other locations of the [[Milwaukee metropolitan area]].

As the sun sets, the convection current reverses and an offshore flow ensues causing a land breeze. After a land breeze develops, warmer temperatures flow east toward the lakeshore, sometimes causing high temperatures during the late evening. The lake breeze is not a daily occurrence and will not usually form if a southwest, west, or northwest wind generally exceeds {{convert|15|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. The lake moderates cold air outbreaks along the lakeshore during winter months.

Aside from the lake's influence, overnight lows in downtown Milwaukee year-round are often much warmer than suburban locations because of the [[urban heat island effect]]. Onshore winds elevate daytime [[relative humidity]] levels in Milwaukee as compared to inland locations nearby.

Thunderstorms in the region can be dangerous and damaging, bringing [[hail]] and high winds. In rare instances, they can bring a [[tornado]]. However, almost all summer rainfall in the city is brought by these storms. In spring and fall, longer events of prolonged, lighter rain bring most of the [[precipitation]]. A moderate snow cover can be seen on or linger for many winter days, but even during meteorological winter, on average, over 40% of days see less than {{convert|1|in|cm|1}} on the ground.<ref name="NOAA txt"/>

Milwaukee tends to experience highs that are {{convert|90|°F|0}} or above on about nine days per year, and lows at or below {{convert|0|°F|0}} on six to seven nights.<ref name="NOAA txt" /> Extremes range from {{convert|105|F|C|abbr=on}} set on July 24, 1934, down to {{convert|−26|F|0}} on both January 17, 1982, and February 4, 1996.<ref name = NOAA >
{{cite web
  |url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/?n=norm-extreme
  |title = Normals and Extremes for Milwaukee and Madison
  |publisher = [[National Weather Service]]
  |accessdate = January 9, 2012}}</ref> The 1982 event, also known as [[Cold Sunday]], featured temperatures as low as {{convert|−40|°F|0}} in some of the [[suburb]]s as little as {{convert|10|mi}} to the north of Milwaukee.

{{Milwaukee weatherbox}}

====Climate change====
According to the United States' [[Environmental Protection Agency]], Milwaukee is threatened by ongoing [[climate change]] which is warming the planet. These risks include worsened heat waves because many of its residents do not possess [[air conditioner]]s, concerns about the water quality of Lake Michigan, and increased chances of flooding from intense rainstorms.<ref name="EPA">{{cite web|url=https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-wi.pdf|title=What Climate Change Means for Wisconsin|publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]|date=August 2016}}</ref> In 2018, Milwaukee mayor [[Tom Barrett (Wisconsin politician)|Tom Barrett]] announced that the city would uphold its obligations under the [[Paris Agreement]], despite the United States' withdrawal, and set a goal moving a quarter of the city's electricity sources to renewable energy by 2025. These have included expansions in the city's solar power-generating capacity and a [[wind turbine]]'s installation near the Port of Milwaukee. Other actions being taken include local incentives for energy-saving upgrades to homes and businesses.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Henderson|first=Alison|url=https://shepherdexpress.com/news/features/milwaukee-remains-committed-to-the-paris-climate-agreement/|title=Milwaukee Remains Committed to the Paris Climate Agreement|date=April 17, 2020|work=[[Shepherd Express]]|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804010205/https://shepherdexpress.com/news/features/milwaukee-remains-committed-to-the-paris-climate-agreement/}}</ref>

===Water===
In the 1990s and 2000s, Lake Michigan experienced large [[algae blooms]], which can threaten aquatic life. Responding to this problem, in 2009 the city became an "Innovating City" in the [[United Nations Global Compact|Global Compact]] Cities Program. The Milwaukee Water Council was also formed in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewatercouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/Our_History_Web_4-19-19.pdf|title=Our History|publisher=Milwaukee Water Council|website=Thewatercouncil.com}}</ref> Its objectives were to "better understand the processes related to freshwater systems dynamics" and to develop "a policy and management program aimed at balancing the protection and utilization of freshwater". The strategy used the [[Circles of Sustainability]] method. Instead of treating the water quality problem as a single environmental issue, the Water Council draws on the Circles method to analyze the interconnection among ecological, economic, political and cultural factors.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170702212539/http://citiesprogramme.com/aboutus/our-approach/circles-of-sustainability Circles of Sustainability]}}. The Cities Programme. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref> This holistic water treatment helped Milwaukee win the US Water Alliance's 2012 US Water Prize.<ref>[http://www.uswateralliance.org/u-s-water-prize/2012-prize-winners/ 2012 Prize Winners] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211170937/http://uswateralliance.org/u-s-water-prize/2012-prize-winners/ |date=December 11, 2015 }}. U.S. Water Alliance. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.</ref> In 2009 the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also established the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences]], the first graduate school of [[limnology]] in the United States.

{{As of|2021}}, there are more than 3,000 drinking fountains in the Milwaukee Public School District; 183 had lead levels above 15 parts per billion (ppb). 15 ppb is the federal action level in which effort needs to be taken to lower these lead levels.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MPS: Milwaukee Public Schools releases results of water quality testing|url=https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/News/Milwaukee-Public-Schools-releases-results-of-water-quality-testing.htm|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us}}</ref> In the city, more than 10% of children test positive for dangerous lead levels in their blood {{as of|2019|lc=yes}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Files|first=Emily|title=What Milwaukee's Lead Problem Means For Children|url=https://www.wuwm.com/post/what-milwaukees-lead-problem-means-children|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=www.wuwm.com|date=May 7, 2019|language=en}}</ref>