Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area

The Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha metropolitan area (also known as "Greater Milwaukee") is an urban area that the U.S. Census Bureau defines as a Combined Statistical Area centered around the cities of Milwaukee, Racine, and Waukesha. Five counties in southeastern Wisconsin — Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Washington and Ozaukee — make up the area. The region's total population was 1,671,770 at the 2000 census.GR|2

The Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined Statistical Area is made up of the Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis Metropolitan Statistical Area (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties) and the Racine Metropolitan Statistical Area (Racine County), according to the U.S. Census. _{[http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/List6.txt]}

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the hub of the metropolitan area. The northern and eastern parts of Racine County, eastern parts of Waukesha County, southern part of Ozaukee County, southeastern part of Washington County, and remainder of Milwaukee County are the most urbanized parts of the outlying counties.

The character of the area varies widely. Mequon, Brookfield, and the North Shore (Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, River Hills, Shorewood, Glendale, and Bayside) are more prosperous while West Milwaukee, West Allis, and St. Francis are more blue-collar.

Counties

There are five counties within the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha metropolitan area by the U.S. Census as of the latest definition. ^{[http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro_general/List1.txt]}
* Milwaukee
* Ozaukee
* Racine
* Washington
* Waukesha

Cities

Primary

* Milwaukee

Other principal cities

* Racine
* Waukesha

Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants

Suburbs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Debate over metropolitan government

Although each county and its various municipalities are self-governing, there is some cooperation in the metropolitan area. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is a state-chartered government agency which serves 28 municipalities in the five counties.

At the same time, some in the area see the need for more consolidation in government services. The Kettl Commission and former Wisconsin Governor McCallum have supported initiatives to do this. However, full consolidation has been criticized as a means of diluting minority voting power.

References

External links

* [http://www.wpri.org/WIInterest/Vol12no1/Hein12.1.pdf 2003 article on consolidation of area governments]