Formerly a part of the Town of Wauwatosa and the Town of Greenfield, West Milwaukee became a village in 1906. The influx of industry (Pauling and Harnischfeger located here in 1904), transportation (new roads, railroads, and streetcars to service the area), the swelling of the population to 909, and strong leaders fueled the village's urge for independence. What was once an area "west" of the City of Milwaukee has become West Milwaukee, the center (or heart of) Milwaukee County. Large farms, estates, summer homes, and gravel pits have become homes, shops, and industries which happily coexist. Ethnicity, once almost purely European, now includes a more worldly cross section of African Americans, Hispanic, and Asian peoples. Many who have moved still have fond memories of growing up in West Milwaukee.
