Will Milwaukee and Chicago ever be one metro area ?

[Tom89t]

http://globalmidwest.typepad.com/global-midwest/2012/06/milwaukee-and-chicago-one-city-or-two.html I found an article that talks about Milwaukee and Chicago  being one metro area because people from Milwaukee drive to Chicago for work or play. Their suburbs are close together like Lake county in Il and Kenosha county in Wi. Even if they are 90 miles apart.

[Stephane Dumas]

I spotted similar discussions on Skyscraperpage http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=198688 and City-Data http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/1573252-when-will-chicago-csa-include-milwaukee.html who talk about if Milwaukee will be part of Chicago CSA?

What we would call the future big metropolis/megalopolis: "Chilwaukee", "Chicalwaukee","Milcago", "Milwaucago"?

[mukade]

To a certain extent, they have been merged for years, but they will never be one area. I think Kenosha County is tied more closely to Chicagoland than Milwaukee. Northwest Indiana is similar, but is a lot closer to Chicago than Milwaukee is. It still retains its own identity in many ways so it is difficult to see how Milwaukee and Chicago would ever consider themselves one area. Things like the distinct media outlets, sports teams, and demographics will make it really difficult - more so than NW Indiana.

[roadman65]

You might as well as you have all suburban and bedroom communities in between both cities.  It seems to be a lot like Baltimore and Washington with a lot of development between the two and well populated.

[Jordanah1]

for a name, i would come up with a neutral name, like how we may refer to boston-NYC-philadelphia-baltimore-washington simply the 'northeast', and the entire los angeles area-san diego is simply 'southern california', i might call chicago-milwaukee area something to do with lake michigan. lake metro, Lakeside, lakeside metro, something to that effect.

[kphoger]

I spotted similar discussions on Skyscraperpage http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=198688 and City-Data http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/1573252-when-will-chicago-csa-include-milwaukee.html who talk about if Milwaukee will be part of Chicago CSA?

What we would call the future big metropolis/megalopolis: "Chilwaukee", "Chicalwaukee","Milcago", "Milwaucago"?

Milwaucago sounds halfway like it should already exist somewhere on the shores of Lake Michigan–perhaps not far from Manitowoc.

I favor Chicalwaukee, just because it's fun to say.  My pronunciation is 'tʃɪkəɫwɔ:ki:

[empirestate]

To a certain extent, they have been merged for years, but they will never be one area. I think Kenosha County is tied more closely to Chicagoland than Milwaukee.

Surprisingly to me, that seems true. I remember being disappointed that I couldn't get a train from Kenosha to Milwaukee when I was visiting the former without a car. But I could get Metra to Chicago!

[vtk]

Chicaukee.

[mgk920]

Imagining what that area would be like now had the state line been drawn where it was originally planned, roughly where I-80 runs now....





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Naaaah, Illinois can keep Chicago!



Mike

[mukade]

For a name, I'd vote for Cheesecago.

[hobsini2]

I think the closest example of what a Chicago-Milwaukee metro area would be like is more like the relationship between Los Angeles (Chicago) and San Diego (Milwaukee). Each are their own distinct cities with their own suburbs with a smaller area of common communities like Oceanside/Escondido/San Clemente (Racine/Kenosha) or a similar relationship between Tampa and Orlando with Lakeland in the middle.

I would go with either Chicaukee, Lakeland Metro, or Chiwaukee for the area names.

[Stephane Dumas]

I think the closest example of what a Chicago-Milwaukee metro area would be like is more like the relationship between Los Angeles (Chicago) and San Diego (Milwaukee). Each are their own distinct cities with their own suburbs with a smaller area of common communities like Oceanside/Escondido/San Clemente (Racine/Kenosha) or a similar relationship between Tampa and Orlando with Lakeland in the middle.

I would go with either Chicaukee, Lakeland Metro, or Chiwaukee for the area names.

Besides Chicago-Milwaukee, Los Angeles-San Diego. I also taught of one megalopolis in the Great White North around Lake Ontario: Toronto-Hamilton-Buffalo and we could extend it to a latter extent to the WKC area (Waterloo-Kitchener-Cambridge) and it also spread north slowly surely to Barrie.

One more name idea: Wisilliana (Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana).

[Brandon]

I think the closest example of what a Chicago-Milwaukee metro area would be like is more like the relationship between Los Angeles (Chicago) and San Diego (Milwaukee). Each are their own distinct cities with their own suburbs with a smaller area of common communities like Oceanside/Escondido/San Clemente (Racine/Kenosha) or a similar relationship between Tampa and Orlando with Lakeland in the middle.

I would go with either Chicaukee, Lakeland Metro, or Chiwaukee for the area names.

This brings up an interesting point, that some metro areas share cities between them.

You have Chicago-Milwaukee, Detroit-Toledo, New York-Philadelphia, Cincinnati-Dayton, Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia-Baltimore, and others.

[Road Hog]

For a name, I'd vote for Cheesecago.

That's pretty good.

[kphoger]

For a name, I'd vote for Cheesecago.

That's pretty good.

How about The Beer Counties?

[mukade]

I think the closest example of what a Chicago-Milwaukee metro area would be like is more like the relationship between Los Angeles (Chicago) and San Diego (Milwaukee). Each are their own distinct cities with their own suburbs with a smaller area of common communities like Oceanside/Escondido/San Clemente (Racine/Kenosha)

In reality, this is a great comparison, and I have never heard a name for greater LA/San Diego. I think the Southland roughly consists of the LA metro area including the Inland Empire and Ventura County. The term Chicagoland corresponds to the Southland. For Chicagoland, there is debate on both sides of the border on whether or not Northwest Indiana is a part of Chicagoland - for marketing and media, it is, but not all people like to include NWI in it. So it is hard to imagine a city 70 miles away being a closer part of Chicagoland than an area that actually borders on the city of Chicago.

In reality, there probably never would be a name for greater Chicago/Milwaukee, but you can try. Here are two other entries:
- Left Lake region - Wisconsin is the birthplace of "Progressivism" and Chicago is the seat of power for it (and their both on the left side of Lake Michigan)
- Doritoland - where cheese country and corn country meet to form a tasty treat

[tdindy88]

As for the Los Angeles-San Diego metro area, which I traveled via train last April from LA to San Diego and back, does Southern California count?

I don't think Chicago and Milwaukee will ever be their own metro area, though if the Census Bureau were to invent a new catagory that goes above the metro area (both MSAs and CMSAs) that would be considered for regional purposes, then the whole Milwaukee-Chicago-Gary-Michigan City-Benton Harbor area could be considered, to extend it even further into Michigan, but that may be another debate for another time.

Back to Indiana (as always,) I remember with Anderson was considered a part of the Indianapolis metro area, and then Anderson broke off to form their own metro area. Regardless, INDOT must think that Anderson is part of the Indy Metro area since they are now installing traffic cameras along I-69 from Hamilton County up through Exit 26.

[empirestate]

They may not be in the same metro area, but my impression of Milwaukee (one of my favorite cities, btw) is that it does owe some of its character to Chicago's proximity. Milwaukee might have a rather different vibe if it were the largest city for hundreds of miles around; it is quite a large city in its own right (compare to Seattle or Boston), but it neither can, nor does it try, to out-muscle its larger neighbor for regional "supremacy". (If anyone's interested, here's a short blog post I wrote on the topic some years ago–warning: little bit of Boston-bashing in there.  http://tumbleweedsheldon.blogspot.com/2008/01/ever-so-humble.html)

[rawmustard]

Back to Indiana (as always,) I remember with Anderson was considered a part of the Indianapolis metro area, and then Anderson broke off to form their own metro area. Regardless, INDOT must think that Anderson is part of the Indy Metro area since they are now installing traffic cameras along I-69 from Hamilton County up through Exit 26.

They are part of the same CSA. Given its proximity, I'm surprised the Muncie MSA isn't yet a part of it, although at some point I highly suspect most of Central Indiana will be included, especially if there's increased growth along I-69 between Bloomington and Indy.

[vtk]

- Left Lake region - Wisconsin is the birthplace of "Progressivism" and Chicago is the seat of power for it (and their both on the left side of Lake Michigan)
- Doritoland - where cheese country and corn country meet to form a tasty treat

Those are good, but Frito-Lay or its competitors might have an issue with a reference to the Doritos brand.  Nacholand would have to do.

[kphoger]

- Left Lake region - Wisconsin is the birthplace of "Progressivism" and Chicago is the seat of power for it (and their both on the left side of Lake Michigan)
- Doritoland - where cheese country and corn country meet to form a tasty treat

Those are good, but Frito-Lay or its competitors might have an issue with a reference to the Doritos brand.  Nacholand would have to do.

Hey, get outta here, man!  That's nacho land!

[Compulov]

This brings up an interesting point, that some metro areas share cities between them.

You have Chicago-Milwaukee, Detroit-Toledo, New York-Philadelphia, Cincinnati-Dayton, Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia-Baltimore, and others.

This thread reminded me of an article I read a little while ago: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0409merge0409.html

Phoenix keeps creeping southward and Tuscon keeps creeping northward along I-10. While a crummy economy might have slowed this down a bit, it'll probably happen sooner or later. As you pointed out, even more metro areas are crawling slowly towards each other. I think Wilmington and Philly are pretty damn close as it is, since there's really no point where the Philly suburbs end and the Wilmington suburbs begin (along I-95, anyway).

Oh, and when Philly and NYC merge, they have a name for that already. It's called New Jersey

-From the son of a mother from Philly and a father from NYC

[OCGuy81]

As for the Los Angeles-San Diego metro area, which I traveled via train last April from LA to San Diego and back, does Southern California count?

I'm thinking a good name would be Los San Diegoles 

Another one in California I see running together eventually would be Sacramento and the Bay Area bedroom communities along I-80.  Cities like Sacramento and Stockton were referred to as "exurbs" of SF during the real estate boom, and though it'll be a while, I eventually see SacraOaklaCisco.

[Brandon]

As for the Los Angeles-San Diego metro area, which I traveled via train last April from LA to San Diego and back, does Southern California count?

I'm thinking a good name would be Los San Diegoles 

IIRC, hasn't this been done in Demolition Man as San Angeles?

[triplemultiplex]

IIRC, hasn't this been done in Demolition Man as San Angeles?

Indeed it was.  Which is funny because that translates to "Saint Angels".

If one examines the municipal boundaries between Milwaukee and Chicago, you will find a continuous puzzle board of incorporated places with only one gap; the Kenosha County township of Somers.  If/when Somers incorporates (to avoid losing land to Kenosha), there will be a solid mass of cities and villages from SE Wisconsin, through NE Illinois and into NW Indiana.
Then Nacholand will be a reality.

There already exists a good name for this megalopolis at a failed-subdivision-turned-nature-preserve in Kenosha County:
Chiwaukee
as in Chiwaukee Prairie:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=42.50096,-87.80479&z=13&t=T