Five things to know about Milwaukee's Havenwoods neighborhood
Milwaukee has dozens of distinct neighborhoods. Here's what to know about the Havenwoods neighborhood, home to Wisconsin's only urban state forest.
The information in this guide has been gathered from interviews with Havenwoods State Forest educator Mia Noel and Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership staff member Katlin Hahn, as well as past Journal Sentinel coverage.
Where is Havenwoods?
The City of Milwaukee defines Havenwoods as a small rectangle on the northwest side surrounding the state forest. Its northern and eastern borders are contiguous with the forest and it is bounded by by 60th Street and Silver Spring Drive on the south and west.
However, many residents include the surrounding areas when referring to Havenwoods, with unofficial borders stretching as far north as Good Hope Road and as far west as 76th Street.
How did Havenwoods get its name?
The neighborhood now known as Havenwoods was originally believed to be hunting and foraging grounds for Native peoples who lived in the area long before European settlement. The name "Havenwoods" didn't exist until 1974, when a Custer High School student won a contest to rename the old Army barracks site, which would eventually become Havenwoods State Forest.
How did Havenwoods State Forest come to be?
Most Milwaukee residents, even those living on the northwest side, are unaware of this hidden gem in the middle of the city. Even fewer know the park's brutal history.
This rural patch of farmland became home to Milwaukee County's original House of Correction prison in 1917. During WWII, the prison was used to intern dozens of German Americans who lived in the Milwaukee area.
After the war, the prison was converted into barracks for U.S. Army soldiers and POWs. The Army then constructed a Nike Ajax missile base at Havenwoods, part of eight such sites around the city meant to shoot down Soviet bombers. The missiles almost immediately became obsolete.
After falling into period of abandonment and disrepair, a group of residents began advocating to convert the area to a green space. In 1980, they succeeded. Most of the old structures and tunnels were collapsed and filled in, foresters planted pine trees and prairie grass on top and Havenwoods State Forest was born.
Today, the 237-acre preserve is an urban oasis where the sights and sounds of the city disappear behind rolling hills dotted with ponds and frequented by hawks, deer and the occasional lone coyote.
What else makes Havenwoods special?
Residents say they love Havenwoods' leafy streets, affordable homes and racial diversity, with many Black and Hmong residents calling the area home.
Popular food and entertainment options include House of Corned Beef, a locally owned New York style deli serving up old-fashioned corned beef and Italian beef. Nearby, check out Carmen Playfield, which began renovations in 2022 to add three courts for the Hmong ball game tuj lub, only the fourth of its kind in the country.
In the near future, look out for a new brewery and food truck park taking over a former plastic injection molding building on North 60th Street.
New to Havenwoods? Here's how to access city services:
Havenwoods is located in the 9th aldermanic district. You can find resources at https://city.milwaukee.gov/CommonCouncil/CouncilMembers/District9.
Find your garbage and recycling schedule at city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/GarbageRecyclingSchedules.
Learn how to register to vote and find your polling place at city.milwaukee.gov/election/Voter-Info.
Get in touch with the Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership (https://havenwoods.org/community/#community-organizing), which helps Havenwoods residents with anything from fixing potholes to finding transitional jobs through their Street Keepers program.
Tell us about your Milwaukee neighborhood. We want to hear from you!
What makes the Havenwoods neighborhood special to you? Do you have any photos in the neighborhood you'd like to share? Visit bit.ly/MKE_Neighborhoods to get involved.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A guide to Milwaukee's Havenwoods neighborhood
