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Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, located in the southeastern corner of the state on the shore of Lake Michigan. Although one of the nation's leading industrial cities and the commercial hub of the state, it was beer that made Milwaukee famous. For decades some of the nation's leading brewers called Milwaukee home. The smell of brewing beer was a familiar aroma in the city, and institutions from the city's most historic theater to its baseball team have names connected with the brewing industry. But by the mid-1990s the city's association with beer was receding as all but one of the major breweries closed.
The Milwaukee River, which flows from north to south through the city, is joined just south of the city's downtown by its tributaries, the Menomonee and the Kinnickinnic. From that confluence it flows eastward through a short channel to empty into Milwaukee Bay on Lake Michigan. The lake itself is Milwaukee's most important natural resource: the source of its drinking water, a recreational magnet, and a major influence on local weather. January temperatures, which the lake keeps warmer than those inland, average a high of -3° C (26° F) and a low of -11° C (12° F). Temperatures in July, cooled by the lake, average a high of 27° C (80° F) and a low of 17° C (62° F). Milwaukee's average annual precipitation is about 940 mm (about 37 in).
Numerous Native American peoples made their homes in the Milwaukee area before the arrival of whites. That diversity was continued after the community was founded in the 1830s. In the following years waves of immigrants were drawn to Milwaukee, and each ethnic group lent the city unique attributes. The city's name is believed to be derived from the Native American Mahn-ah-wauk, most often translated as "good land."
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