Milwaukee Municipal Research Center

These yearbooks for city government were produced by the Milwaukee Common Council from 1921 until 2000, after which they were replaced by the city’s website. Designed to be a way to communicate directly with Milwaukee’s citizens, they highlighted activities by the various departments and were a quick-reference guide for city information. In addition to yearly accomplishments, most of the later years’ editions feature biographies of elected officials, maps of aldermanic districts, budget summaries, phone directories, photos, and handy facts about the city.

This collection of index cards, compiled by unknown city employees, lists locations of and changes to street names in the city of Milwaukee and neighboring communities in Milwaukee County, some of which were annexed by the city. As the card titled “Uniform Street Numbering System” explains, most of the city’s current street names were enacted in 1930, but many were changed individually by stand-alone legislation.