Over the years Milwaukee has grown in size from annexation, which adds land from a
bordering area; or consolidation, where a whole municipality becomes part of the
city. In 1925, Milwaukee was about 25 square miles. By the end of the 1960s though,
Milwaukee had increased its size to about 96 square miles. During the Frank Zeidler
administration (1948-1960), many suburbs began to resist annexation and incorporated
in order to avoid it, such as Oak Creek, Franklin, and Greenfield. Milwaukee’s final
land acquisitions came in the form of unincorporated portions of the Town of Lake
and the Town of Granville. While Milwaukee was trying to bring in more tax dollars,
these surrounding municipalities saw the city as poor and wanted to remain separate.
Some suburbs, such as Wauwatosa, did their own annexations as well. In 1953,
Wauwatosa added over eight square miles. A study was commissioned in 1956 to
consider consolidating government functions within Milwaukee County, but it failed
to garner much support.
