Infrastructure
Centrally located in the Great Lakes region, the Milwaukee region's robust infrastructure gives companies one-day access to many major markets throughout North America.
33% of the nation’s population is within 500 miles of the Milwaukee region, which offers easy access to all major forms of transportation – highway, air, water and rail.
Wisconsin, along with seven U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, form a region that is the third-largest economy in the world. The Great Lakes region is home to 95 million people.
Commercial air services from two international airports
The Milwaukee region has the advantage of international commercial air service from Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport and Chicago's O’Hare International Airport.
The primary airport serving the Milwaukee region is Mitchell International Airport, located less than 15 minutes south of Milwaukee's downtown. Mitchell's 10 commercial airlines serve 7 million passengers a year, offering nonstop service to 40+ destinations coast-to-coast, with 200 international destinations available from Milwaukee with easy, one-stop connections.
Chicago's O’Hare International Airport, the fourth busiest in the world, is also just 70 miles to the south of Milwaukee's city center.
Two interstates intersect the region, and a third interstate passes nearby
The East–West Freeway (I-94) as it enters the Milwaukee metro from the west until it reaches downtown Milwaukee. The North–South Freeway (I-43) is the main north–south highway through the Milwaukee region. It runs roughly parallel to the coast of Lake Michigan. Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east–west through the western, central and southern portions of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Getting from Milwaukee to Chicago is quick and efficient. It is only a 90-minute drive or 89 minutes via Amtrak, which has eight daily trips.
Port Milwaukee connects southeastern Wisconsin to domestic and world markets through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway
Port Milwaukee handles more than 3 million tons of cargo per year, serving both domestic and international locations through the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Gulf of Mexico, via the inland waterway system.
Railroads
The Milwaukee Region is served by both freight and passenger service. Freight service is provided through the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company. Passenger service is provided through Amtrak, the federal passenger line that offers daily round-trip trains to Chicago as well as service to the Twin Cities and beyond.
Abundant + reliable water
The region’s proximity to Lake Michigan, the sixth largest fresh-water lake in the world, provides businesses with an abundant source of water.
Milwaukee Water Works is the drinking water utility owned by the city of Milwaukee. With Lake Michigan as its source, it provides clean, safe drinking water to residents and businesses of Milwaukee and 15 neighboring communities. Milwaukee Water Works offers water-intensive industries an abundant supply of treated water at consistent, reliable pressure.
Milwaukee's high-quality water supply is one of the reasons leading manufacturers and major food and beverage companies successfully operate here. Milwaukee Water Works has ample system capacity and can treat billions of gallons of water in addition to the 34 billion gallons it currently treats annually. Rates for high volume users are the lowest among the nation's 50 largest urban areas.
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Expansion or relocation is always a challenge. The Milwaukee 7 Partnership is your local advocate, simplifying and streamlining the investment process.
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