West Allis

Understand

West Allis is a western suburb of Milwaukee. While there is a South Milwaukee, a West Milwaukee, and there used to be a North Milwaukee, the west in West Allis refers to the western factory of the Edward P. Allis Company. Its successor, Allis-Chalmers, was a major employer in the area until the 1980s

Visitor information

• City of West Allis (official city website, use Visitors tab in the navigation)

Get in

Information about getting in to Milwaukee generally applies to West Allis as well.

By car

It is south of I-94, straddling I-41/I-894/US-45.

While it easy to travel to West Allis by car for most of the year, it is more difficult during the Wisconsin State Fair. Throughways near the fairgrounds are frequently congested and street parking, usually abundant, is either prohibited or scarce. Gratis street parking is possible if you are willing to drive around for it and walk from farther away. Additional paid parking is available closer to the fairgrounds from businesses opening their parking lots and homeowners their lawns; look for flags, signs, and people waving.

By bicycle

• Hank Aaron State Trail: multi-use trail that passes through West Allis' northern edge and to the edge of Milwaukee's downtown.
• New Berlin Recreation Trail: seven mile multi-use trail to Waukesha with a trailhead at Greenfield Park.
• Oak Leaf Trail: trail system in Milwaukee County.
• The Root River Line goes through Greenfield Park and is either off-road, through low-traffic parkways or residential streets. It connects to Wauwatosa and Milwaukee's southwest suburbs.
• The Kinnickinnic Line, which passes by the State Fair Grounds, is almost entirely on-road with some high-traffic streets. It connects to Wauwatosa and downtown Milwaukee.

Get around

West Allis is integrated into the Milwaukee urban landscape, so most of the information there applies to West Allis as well, including bus, bicycle, and car transportation.

By bus

Several Milwaukee County Transit System routes serve West Allis. There are two high-frequency-routes:

• Route 18: east-west route on Greenfield-National, with service to downtown Milwaukee.
• Route 76: north-south route. Its southern terminus is the Southridge Shopping Center (an enclosed regional shopping mall) in the Glendale-Greenfield suburbs.