South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 21,256 at the 2000 census.

South Milwaukee, located about fifteen minutes away from the City of Milwaukee along the shores of Lake Michigan, has a proud ethnic past and a promising future for growth. This community of some 21,000 people is rightly proud of its accomplishments, heritages and hopes to bring memories of the past and continue a bright outlook to a promising future.

This area before the 1800's was known as the Northwest Territory, visited by traders, trappers, and Native Americans, who came to better hunting and fishing grounds. The only means of travel was by foot or horseback, oxen or horse drawn vehicle. There were only rough trails which followed the lake shore from Fort Dearborn (now known as Chicago) to Fort Howard (now known as Green Bay), known as the Military Road which led around stumps of cut trees, through swamps, over ravines and hills; slow tedious travel at best. The Potowatami and Menomonee tribes had moved freely from the lakeshore to the inland depending on weather and food supply. In later decades, as the Erie Canal was built connecting Lake Erie to Lake Huron, water travel opened up considerably, becoming faster than land travel by foot, ox teams or horses.

In 1838, the federal government opened land in the Northwest Territory under the Pre- emption Act. This rich, fertile ground, prairie-like and forested in part with good water supply prompted determined men to leave their families out east to scout the region for affordable land for homes, farms and businesses. A few such men were Elihu Higgins, John Fowle and family, Dibley and family and the McCreedy family. Elihu sent word back to his father-in-law, Oliver Rawson, to bring his family of eleven. These pioneers claimed great areas of land along the creek and along the lakeshore and built homes, cleared land to farm and began foundations of a settlement. Population grew at a tremendous rate in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the 1840's and 1850's.

By the end of the Civil War, Milwaukee and the surrounding area was rapidly developing in the industrial age. The rumors interested the farmers who had more acres than they could farm selling the farmland, at the huge prices that were offered. The war was over and those men returning in later years became some of the most prominent citizens of the community. In the spring of 1890, William M. Williams and his brother-in-law Fred E. Mansfield began securing options on acreage in the territory with a view to starting a new town. After securing several land options, Williams and Mansfield soon interested others in development of the area and South Milwaukee Company was incorporated on June 20, 1891. This group of energetic, well directed real estate promoters with realistic enterprising business methods and financial backing, organized a group to stage a “land boom” to entice industries into the area.

Today, South Milwaukee is a growing center of commerce, boasting the headquarters of Bucyrus International, formerly Bucyrus-Erie, which is known for constructing large shovels and dragline excavators, including Big Muskie, the world's largest mobile earth-moving machine. Bucyrus shovels were used in the construction of the Panama Canal. The community's proximity to the benefits and transportation options offered by Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis and other prominent globally-active commerce centers, coupled with the pleasant setting near Lake Michigan, year-round outdoor activities and festivals, major sporting venues, and great cultural attractions make South Milwaukee an attractive, family-friendly community for relocators.

South Milwaukee Homes, Properties and Special Feature Real Estate