Demographics
1940 Census: N. 32nd Street & W. Walnut Street
The 1940 census data shows that the residents of the area around N. 32nd Street and W. Walnut Street were predominantly white. The vast majority of the area's population was born in Wisconsin, although there were several individuals from other states and European countries such as Germany and (former) Czechoslovakia.
The area was comprised mostly of families, with many residents being in their 40s and 50s. A large number of adult residents did not complete high school, and an even larger amount of adults did not make it beyond elementary school. Unemployment was common, and for those who were employed, most men were laborers for manufacturing companies while most women were clerks. As of 2010, the median age in the N. 32nd Street and W. Walnut Street neighborhood has greatly decreased. The median age is now closer to 25 years old or younger. The area is still home to many families, with the average household number being greater than three people. More than 85% of the residents who were of voting age in 2010 were African-American. White, Hispanic, and Asian residents account for less than 5% of the population each. An increase in unemployment is the most likely catalyst of the deterioration of the area around the Barrel Plating Services, Inc. building. At this point, one house in the area appears to be abandoned, opening up an opportunity for Washington Park's revitalization initiatives to come to this block. The remaining occupied houses in the area are filled with vibrant, happy families. |
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1940 Census: N. 38th Street & N. 39th Street
The 1940 census data reveals that Washington Park's population was mostly made up of older, white, middle-class residents. Most residents around N. 38th Street and N. 39th Street were originally from Wisconsin, although a few had immigrated from Scotland, Germany, or Austria. Another small handful came to Milwaukee from other states, such as Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Michigan.
Most families living in the area had owned their homes for longer than five years at the time of the census, reporting the same address for April 1, 1935. This is a big change in comparison to today's more nomadic society. N. 38th Street and N. 39th Street were home to a variety of ages, ranging from six years old to seventy; however, the largest age group in the area was mid-30s. The household structure typically included a father (head of household), a mother, and two children. Some households also had grandparents living with them. Households in which every member was unemployed were rare. Jobs that residents held included clerk, fireman, assembler, and teacher. |
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The Population South of W. Walnut Street
Within the exclusively residential section of Washington Park between W. Walnut Street and W. Cherry Street, there has been a dramatic change in demographics since the mid-20th century. Specifically, race, income, education, and population are categories which will help to explain the character of the neighborhood, especially in comparison to current numbers.
In terms of race, the vast majority of people in Washington Park were white in 1940, with small traces of African-Americans and Asians. The reason for the large drop in white demographics just one decade later is most likely attributed to "white flight." 1940 income information also differed noticeably from current numbers. According to the US Federal Census, about 40% of people had no income. Households have changed from having wives doing all the housework to women having full-time jobs similar to men. The highest level of income was $5,800 earned by an assistant advertising manager. Interestingly, the $2,300 earned by truck drivers was also higher than average. Both of these are an indication that the automobile industry was starting to take off; driving was not a common skill, and advertising cars to the general public was a successful venture. Taking inflation into consideration, these numbers compute to roughly $100,000 and $40,000 respectively by today's standards. Education also had lower standards. Around half of the people completed elementary school, and half of those people completed high school. A negligible number enrolled in college at all. However, income was not related to level of education, mainly because of a lack of jobs requiring an advanced education. The population of this portion of Washington Park was around 780 in 1940. Sixty percent of this number were female, forty percent were male. Ages ranged from one to eighty-one. The Washington Park neighborhood could be considered a victim of "white flight," or the trend of Caucasians moving away from what was becoming the inner-city as Milwaukee expanded outward into suburbs. Today, residents of the neighborhood are mostly African-Americans, with smaller groups of Hmong, Latino, and Caucasian households. |
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The People of Washington Park
The 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps show how sparse development in the Washington Park neighborhood actually was. Based on the timeframes of home construction in the area there is a dramatic growth pattern through the 1920s in Washington Park.
The Sanborn maps show that the homes were predominantly frame buildings, with a few being brick veneer and frame homes. The only solid masonry building in the area was the 37th Street Schoolhouse, made of Cream City brick. At the same time that residential development was growing, the Washington Park Zoo also grew in popularity, and there was significant commercial development along W. Lisbon Avenue. According to the 1950 Census Tract maps, Washington Park's population more or less stabilized between 1940 and 1950. According to United States Census data, the largest single ancestry group in the Washington Park area between 1940 and 1980 was German. Being located just outside of the city, Washington Park was a manufacturing hub. German and Polish immigration to the area was substantial, as manufacturing companies had a high demand for the cheap labor offered by these populations. The average income and median housing value continued to increase each decade except during a period between the 1960s and 1970s. This freeze in the rise of the median housing value may be attributed to the implementation of the interstate highway system, according to the Southwest Regional Planning Committee. After 1980, Washington Park saw a significant demographic shift as residents were no longer predominantly white. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society and John Gurda's book, The Making of Milwaukee, one-quarter of Milwaukee's industrial jobs were lost between 1979 and 1983. While Washington Park was first settled by mostly German and Polish immigrants, 2010 census data shows that currently six percent of the area is white, while African Americans make up seventy-seven percent of the population. Less than one percent of the eighty-nine percent who claimed their ancestry claim to have German or Polish heritage. Between the 1940s and the 1960s, the 37th Street School neighborhood was located on tract number 76 of the U.S. Census. In 1970, the tract lines were redrawn, and the area became tract 96. Census tracts average 4,000 inhabitants, and as the population grew denser more tracts needed to be added. |
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