Like Chicago, Milwaukee is a city of neighborhoods where early settlers of Polish, Italian, German and Russian heritage brought their families in search of the good life.

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More Than Just Cheese
Signatures From Political Past Dot Milwaukee's Press Club Brady Street in Milwaukee is a busy neighborhood complete with outdoor cafes and many restaurants.

And of the many neighborhoods that comprise Milwaukee, there's none more vibrant and enchanting than Brady Street.

Compacted into a one square mile area on the city's north side, Brady Street stretches from Lake Michigan on the east to the Milwaukee River on the west. It's an area alive with a collection of small family-owned shops that bear names like Art Smart's Dart Mart & Juggling Emporium and the Wailing Banshee, restaurants like Bella's Fat Cat Custard & Burgers, and nightlife venues such as Hi Hat Lounge & Garage and Dancing Ganesha. It's a diverse neighborhood replete with outdoor cafes and historic buildings. The busy atmosphere has a gritty tinge that gives the neighborhood a distinct personality. For a period of time in the 1960s and 70s, Brady Street was a counter culture haven the remnants of which can still be seen with the spotting of a hippie now and then.

When Brady Street first began to take shape in the years just before and after the Civil War, the tight-knit neighborhood was a cultural mix of people who worked hard in local tanneries in order to put food on the table. Religion was the center of their lives as churches and other buildings‹many featuring the now highly-regarded cream-colored brick, sprang up. The light brick color unique to Milwaukee is caused by the chemical content in soil which prevents the stone from turning brown.

Today, many of Brady Street's residents live close enough to work to walk. They are a community-minded lot that take great pride in their little patch of green Earth where life can be enjoyed just outside their front windows.

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