South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose of serving as a rival industrial suburb of the City of Milwaukee, and was named from its location south of Milwaukee. South Milwaukee was incorporated as a village in 1892. South Milwaukee has a rich immigrant history, as immigrants from England and Germany made up a large portion of the population in the early 1900s.,
Geography
South Milwaukee is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 21,156 people, 9,043 households, and 5,475 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 91.6% White, 2.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. There were 9,043 households of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,256 people, 8,694 households, and 5,616 families living in the city. The population density was 4,447.5 people per square mile. There were 9,122 housing units at an average density of 1,908.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94.81% White, 1.04% African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.01% of the population. There were 8,694 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,197, and the median income for a family was $54,474. Males had a median income of $38,146 versus $27,121 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,925. About 4.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
South Milwaukee was 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. In November 2012 Caterpillar Mining bought Bucyrus International for $8.6 billion and will make a goal to become a "one-stop shop" for mining companies worldwide.
