There Are Four Cities Named Milwaukee in the United States

The Four Milwaukees

There are **four incorporated places** in the United States named **Milwaukee**:

1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin — The original and largest (population ~570,000). "Good Land" (Anishinaabe: *minwaking*).
2. Milwaukee, North Carolina — Unincorporated community in **Northampton County** (Roanoke Rapids micropolitan area).
3. Milwaukee, Oregon — Unincorporated community in **Tillamook County** (near Netarts Bay, Oregon Coast).
4. Milwaukee, Delaware — Unincorporated community in **New Castle County** (near Wilmington).

Why the Name Spread

• **Wisconsin** was named first (1830s settlement, city 1846).
• **North Carolina, Oregon, Delaware** communities likely named by migrants from Wisconsin or admirers of the growing Great Lakes metropolis in the mid-to-late 19th century.
• **No other states** have a Milwaukee in the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

Notable Near-Misses

• Milwaukie, Oregon (different spelling, suburb of Portland, named *after* Milwaukee, WI by Lot Whitcomb in 1847).
• Milwaukee Avenue — Major diagonal thoroughfare in Chicago (named for the destination).