Welcome to West Allis!

On behalf of the West Allis Chamber of Commerce, we are proud to bring you this Community Resource Guide.

West Allis is a community of diverse industry, affordable housing and excellent government services. We are the home of the Wisconsin State Fair, the Milwaukee Mile and West Allis Western Days. Over one million dollars has been turned back into the community and local charities since the inception of Western Days, 32 years ago.

The story of West Allis is a story of industry. Our early history was formed as heavy manufacturing firms led by Allis Chalmers moved into our area. As the industry moved out in the 70's and 80's, many predicted the decline of our city.

West Allis, however, has proven to be a city that refuses to give up. Through insight, vision and an excellent redevelopment program, we are witnessing a growth pattern that promises to continue for a long time.

The West Allis Chamber of Commerce is happy to be a partner in the prosperity of our community. We encourage you to share in our success. So, please visit our many fine restaurants and shop in our many diverse retail establishments. You will find the current listing of Chamber Members in the back of this publication for your use.

Sincerely,

James D. Mejchar
President,
West Allis Chamber of Commerce

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If the City of West Allis, Wisconsin, can be described in a word, that word is community.... a group of people, with strong feelings, living and working together with a common interest. As a community, West Allis has retained its small town flavor, where the majority of the residents live in their own homes; where elected officials are on a first-name basis with their constituents. Yet this is a robust community too. The summers bring The Wisconsin State Fair, with all its glitter and activity and the Annual Western Days, a foot-stomping celebration in its own right.

Activities don't stop when the visitors have left. West Allis is a community rich in its own recreation, with a wide variety of special interest groups from professional organizations to clubs for just getting together for fun. Local shops combine with surrounding Greater Milwaukee stores to fit the tastes from the quaint to the cosmopolitan. It is a dynamic community, busy providing the residential and commercial infrastructure needed for its future prosperity.

West Allis has a vigorous program of development of its vacant land in the eastern and western portions of the city, as well as revitalization and redevelopment of its downtown central business district. It is actively reclaiming its old and dilapidated industrial sites for new residential and commercial use. New apartment complexes are located close to places of work, shopping and play. [Top of Page]

West Allis traces its roots back to the 1830s as New Englanders began to discover the region's fertile lands ideally suited for farming. The first settlement that grew up became known as the Honey Creek area, with its own post office, sawmill, and blacksmith shop. The one school served also as a church for both the Methodist and Baptist congregations.

This rapid growth also made it necessary for the community to expand its government. On June 28, 1902, North Greenfield was incorporated as the Village of West Allis (later as a city, on April 2, 1906), encompassing 2,400 acres of land and boasting a population of 1,018.

West Allis grew steadily over the next half century to a population of 42,000. In 1954, it annexed an additional 6.4 square miles to the west, more than doubling its size and increasing its population to 63,000.

Today West Allis is the second largest city in Milwaukee County and the seventh largest city in the state. Older firms, including Allis-Chalmers, the community's namesake, have since closed their doors. New, cleaner, service-oriented businesses have taken their place; Siemens Power Corporation, Quad/Graphics, First Data Processing, Sullivan Dental, Poblocki and Sons Inc., C&H Distributors, Inc. all represent successful, dynamic and growing industries that have established a corporate residence in West Allis. [Top of Page]

West Allis is a city within a city, located in the virtual center of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area. It is bounded on the north by the city of Wauwatosa; on the west by New Berlin; on the south by Greenfield and on the east by Milwaukee. West Allis is served by the Milwaukee County Expressway/Freeway System and several local bus routes, making area travel fast and convenient.

West Allis is served centrally by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and Soo Line Railroad along its northern border for easy access to downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan. [Top of Page]

In June, West Allis sponsors Western Days at the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds. The four-day celebration, the second largest event held at the fairgrounds, attracts 150,000 people and starts with a parade of 500 horses plus antique carriages and marching bands. In fact, this parade is the largest non-motorized parade in the world! Western Days also features plenty of lively country-western music, plus contests, displays, and free parking to boot!

State Fair Park is also the home of the West Allis Expo, sponsored by the West Allis Chamber of Commerce. The event gives local businesses the opportunity to show their goods and services and for the city to attract new businesses. The Expo is yet another way the community is brought together for mutual appreciation and a better quality of life.

West Allis has its quieter, cultural side too. For those favoring more sedate amusements, City Hall Gallery exhibits local, state, national and internationally renowned artists' works. The gallery operates eight months a year and admission is free to the public.

For those who seek the excitement of big city life, it is all around West Allis. There is Milwaukee, with it's fine restaurants, art galleries, museums and other cultural attractions; and the Milwaukee County Zoo, one of the finest in the country. The area is rich, too, in ethnic festivals such as Summerfest, Winterfest, Festa Italiana, Irish Fest, and Indian Summer featuring an array of cuisines, music and cultural events.

For the sports-minded, there are major league sports: Milwaukee Bucks basketball, Milwaukee Brewers baseball, Milwaukee Wave Soccer, and of course, Green Bay Packers football. And if your pleasures run to the more athletic - participating rather than watching - golf courses, swimming pools, ski areas, skating rinks, and tennis courts abound in and around the area.

And then there is the lake the Great Lake. Outstanding sport fishing and boating are only minutes away from West Allis. Lake Michigan is recognized as one of the country's best inland salmon and lake trout fisheries. This is truly deep water sport fishing, considered by many to be the best in the Great Lakes area.[Top of Page]

West Allis shopping offers the best of all worlds. Locally owned and operated main street-type small shops and services run by friendly, service-oriented merchants reflect the community's small town ambiance, while easy proximity to Greater Milwaukee stores offers cosmopolitan shopping.

West Allis is bisected by a major regional shopping corridor cutting through the central business district and providing access to various local businesses throughout the city. [Top of Page]

Nearly 98 percent of West Allis available land has been developed. Development through 1989 was principally commercial and industrial with only limited residential. In 1990 the balance began to change and in 1991, a comprehensive land use plan was approved by the Common Council which designates future growth to be heavily residential.

Approximately 40 areas have been targeted for development and/or redevelopment. The Community Development Authority has set up four redevelopment areas, and has focused on several neighborhoods, targeted for various community improvements. The CDA also administers programs to assist area improvement through housing rehabilitation and housing rental assistance programs.

West Allis has a high percentage of single family and duplex homeowners, with almost 60 percent of the 30,000 housing units owner-occupied. The trend is changing, however. Because of the limited available land and less than 3 percent vacancy rate, most residential construction in recent years has been multi-family development. [Top of Page]