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Essay Name       : 1184.txt 
Uploader         : Jason Johnson
Email Address    : john9871@uwwvax.uww.edu
Language         : English
Subject          : Geography
Title            : Entertainment impact on Urban Geog. in Milwaukee
Grade            : 80%
School System    : American
Country          : USA
Author Comments  : 
Teacher Comments : very well written, good specifics
Date             : 
Site found at    : friend
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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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