In addition, many new skyscrapers, condos, lofts, and apartments have been constructed in neighborhoods on and near the lakefront and riverbanks. In the past decade, major new additions to the city have included the Milwaukee Riverwalk, the Midwest Airlines Center, Miller Park, an internationally renowned addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Pier Wisconsin, as well as major renovations to the Milwaukee Auditorium. Once known almost exclusively as a brewing and manufacturing powerhouse, Milwaukee has taken steps in recent years to reshape its image. Large numbers of German and other immigrants helped increase the city's population during the 1840s and the following decades. In 1818, the French-Canadian explorer Solomon Juneau settled in the area, and in 1846 Juneau's town combined with two neighboring towns to incorporate as the City of Milwaukee. The first Europeans to pass through the area were French missionaries and fur traders. Retrieved on ] Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,964,744 Census estimate, Milwaukee had a population of 602,782. ] It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and 22nd largest (by population) in the United States. Longd = 87 |longm = 57 |longs = 21 |longEW = W Latd = 43 |latm = 03 |lats = 8 |latNS = N Subdivision_name2 = Milwaukee, Washington, Waukesha
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The US Bank Center is on the left, and the Milwaukee Art Museum is on the lower right. Image_caption = Milwaukee seen from Lake Michigan. Nickname = Cream City", "Brew City", "Mil Town", "The Mil", "The City of Festivals", "The Ill Mil," Deutsch-Athen (German Athens) "