Downtown/East Side

It is perhaps no coincidence Milwaukee’s founders saw great promise on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Travel and commerce by water was already extremely popular in the 1830s, when settlers flowed in to the area.

Before the end of the century, manufacturing would become Milwaukee’s lifeblood and bring great prosperity here. Several national breweries, Miller and Pabst among the largest, as well as Harley-Davidson Motor Company were born not far away. With Milwaukee’s early stratospheric growth, the population surged, making the downtown and east side the state’s most densely populated communities.

The beautiful Lake Michigan and its beaches continue to be a main attraction for visitors and residents alike. This area is home to the state’s world-class festivals, restaurants and markets, cultural destinations, universities and a flourishing nightlife.

Highlights of Milwaukee’s Downtown and East Side

• Discover an incredible park system. Includes Lake Park and the gorgeous Lake Park Bistro; serene bridges spanning deep ravines; the Henry Maier festival park, home to several ethnic festivals and the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest; Cathedral Square Park, home to Jazz in the Park; Riverwalk; Urban Ecology Center; Red Arrow Park with seasonal ice skating; the Mitchell Park Domes and more.
• Vast trails for bikers, joggers and walkers. The continuously expanding and branching Oak Leaf Trail connects this area to northern and southern communities alike.
• All types of building styles, from condos to duplexes, single-family homes of all architectural types to large commercial and industrial building conversions. Downtown condos offer a wide variety of amenities and architectural styles, and some deliver spectacular views of the lakefront or the downtown skyline.
• The Lower East Side is made up of condos, single-family homes and duplexes – all turn-of-the-century architecture, from roughly Juneau Avenue to North Avenue including fashionable Brady Street.
• The Upper East Side and UW-Milwaukee campus area offer mainly single-family homes and duplexes, a mix of long-term residents and student housing. Investment opportunities abound.
• Entertainment never ends. Downtown is home to the Performing Arts Center, Riverside Theater, Summerfest, the Pabst Theater, Panther Arena, BMO Harris Center, Potawatomi Casino, Grand Avenue Mall, Old World Third Street (beer, cheese and sausage), museums and more.
• Five different college campuses call downtown/east side home.
• Bradford Beach runs along Lincoln Memorial Drive, where residents can play volleyball or catch some rays on its sandy beaches; rent a kite, bike; paddleboat or jet ski; take the dog or, of course, jump in for a swim.
• Along the area’s illustrious Lake Drive, home prices range from $150,000 condos to $5,000,000 mansions.

Please click below for homes available in Downtown and the East Side of Milwaukee.