Milwaukee, WI
Here’s a guide to Milwaukee’s Layton Park neighborhood
Located on the city’s south side, Layton Park is one of more than 75 distinct neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
Working-class Poles and Germans arrived in the late 19th century, but now, the largely residential neighborhood is about three-quarters Latino. Home to just over 8,200 residents, Layton Park is one of Milwaukee’s most populated neighborhoods.
The neighborhood and its surrounding area are known for their vibrant Latin American and Caribbean influences, ample outdoor recreation opportunities and beloved, hidden-gem restaurants.
Here’s what to know about and check out in Milwaukee’s Layton Park neighborhood.
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Where is Milwaukee’s Layton Park neighborhood?
Neighborhood boundaries in Milwaukee are not completely set in stone and may differ depending on who you ask.
However, most sources define Layton Park’s boundaries as W. Becher Street at the north and W. Cleveland Ave. or W. Kinnickinnic River Parkway at the south, and S. 35th Street at the west and W. Forest Home Avenue and S. 27th Street at the east.
An earlier definition in the 1970 “Metropolitan Milwaukee Fact Book” defined the neighborhood’s boundaries as “Lincoln Ave. from 16th St. to 24th St., Becher St. from 24th St. to 35th St., and Howard Ave. from 16th St. to 35th St.,” according to UW-Milwaukee’s Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Today, this area includes Layton Park, Forest Home Hills, Southgate, Southpoint and parts of the Jackson Park, Morgandale, and Polonia neighborhoods.
Layton Park was a Polish neighborhood in the 1800s
In 1849, Englishman John Layton purchased land now bounded by Lincoln Avenue, Forest Home Avenue, and 31st Street, wrote Jim Nelsen, Golda Meir School social studies department chair, for the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. When Layton arrived, the area was home to white farmers and Native Americans. Layton and his son Frederick are the neighborhood’s namesake and shaped much of it, building a farm, residence and inn.
In 1885, the Laytons sold their land, and it was subdivided for houses, Nelsen wrote. Working-class Polish residents, as well as some Germans and other northern Europeans, made up the majority of the neighborhood’s residents by the turn of the century.
The neighborhood’s Polish roots are still evident in a lot of nearby places: Pulaski High School, Pulaski Park and Pulaski Indoor Pool, just to name a few. Many things in the area are named “Pulaski” after General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolution, Nelsen explained.
“He actually didn’t speak more than probably a few words of English, but he was an officer during the time of the American Revolution and fought on the American side,” Nelsen said. “So, for a lot of Polish residents here back like 100, 150 years ago, there was this big concern of, ‘We want to be American right away, but we also want to be Polish. So, what can we do to be proud Polish-American? Oh man, there’s this American-Polish patriot!’”
Layton Park has been home to Maynard Steel Casting since World War I. From 1951 to 1999, the neighborhood was also the site of Southgate Shopping Center, Milwaukee’s first shopping mall. Leon’s Frozen Custard, currently Milwaukee’s second-oldest custard stand, popped up on 27th Street in 1942.
Latino immigrants, mainly from Mexico, began settling in Layton Park and much of the rest of Milwaukee’s south side in large numbers in the mid-to-late 20th century.
“Latinos were able to settle successfully alongside the Poles because they shared so many traits in common,” wrote anthropologists at Urban Anthropology Inc. in their “190 Milwaukee Neighborhoods” project entry on Layton Park. “These included the Catholic faith, the focus on the Madonna figure, polka music traditions, similarities in childrearing and eldercare practices, and an entrepreneurial spirit.”
Today, Layton Park is home to a vibrant, majority-Latino community
Today’s Layton Park neighborhood is largely residential. Nelsen said its reasonably priced homes attract first-time homeowners and immigrants. As of 2020, Layton Park is about 75% Latino.
The main commercial corridors in the neighborhood are along Lincoln Avenue and W. Forest Home Avenue. Many restaurants and small auto repair businesses line these streets. Nelsen said Layton Park attracts job-seekers with lots of opportunities in retail, restaurants and at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, one of the neighborhood’s biggest employers.
Kevin Solis is the senior outreach and engagement manager for VIA Community Development Corporation. He works with residents of Layton Park ― and the nearby Burnham Park and Silver City neighborhoods ― on civic engagement: voting, providing public comment at the mayor’s budget hearing and organizing neighborhood projects.
Solis said Layton Park’s Latino culture is on display in the neighborhood’s food offerings.
“We can see it, not only in the restaurants that are available, but there are grocery stores that cater a lot to our community,” he said. “This makes the community feel more like home.”
Solis cited El Rey Foodmart on Burnham Street and Cermak Fresh Market on Miller Parkway, both just north of Layton Park’s official boundaries, as examples. El Rey is a Milwaukee-based Central and South American specialty food store chain, while Cermak specializes in a variety of cultural foods from across the globe, including Latin American cuisine.
Layton Park’s Latino culture is also evident in the nearby churches, such as Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, which offers Mass in Spanish multiple times a week as well as other Latino Catholic traditions like Quinceañeras and Spanish-speaking faith groups.
What to eat, see and do in and around Milwaukee’s Layton Park neighborhood
Nelsen recommends Mazos Hamburgers, 3146 S. 27th St. The small diner has been around since 1934.
“Most people drive past and don’t realize it’s there,” he said. “But, if you’re just looking for a hole-in-the-wall type place with home-cooked food with reasonable prices, it’s not a bad place at all to get a burger.”
One neighborhood favorite is Tu Casa Mexican Restaurant and Bar, 3710 W. Lincoln Ave. The restaurant promises “The tastes of Mexico, the feelings of home” on its website, and the menu features Mexican favorites well-known in the U.S., like tacos and enchiladas, as well as authentic dishes and seafood that some Milwaukeeans may be less familiar with.
Another spot to check out is Neveria Las Maravillas, 2908 W. Lincoln Ave. The shop serves traditional Mexican ice cream in a wide variety of flavors, as well as elotes, fruit and drinks.
Layton Park and the surrounding area are also a hub for food trucks.
“If you walk around, you’ll for sure bump into a food truck,” Solis said. “And I will guarantee that it will have something delicious for you.”
One truck he recommends is Mexicano Express, 3301 W. Burnham St. A Puerto Rican food truck, Sabor Divino, just opened a brick-and-mortar location at 3300 W. Lincoln Ave.
Just east of Layton Park’s official boundary is the Forest Home Cemetery and Arboretum. The 200-acre cemetery was established in 1850 and is the burial site of many “beer barons, industrialists, mayors, governors, senators and families who have made significant contributions to, and helped to build, Milwaukee,” the cemetery says on its website. A list of notable people buried at Forest Home can be found on its website.
The cemetery offers self-guided and public summer tours. It also hosts a Día de los Muertos festival and 5K, as well as a Halloween event called “Spirits of the Silent City,” where professional actors portray famous Milwaukeeans buried in the cemetery and guide visitors on an educational, after-dark tour. The cemetery is also an arboretum, where people can enjoy walking and cycling trails, birdwatching and 2,600 trees of over 100 labeled species.
The Kinnickinnic Sports Center, 3070 S. 20th St., is also nearby. It features an archery range, basketball court, baseball and softball diamonds, trails and a playground.
Solis also recommends the recently renovated Burnham Playfield, 1755 S. 32nd St., which now has a splash pad, playground, soccer fields and basketball courts.
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MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.
By the numbers:
Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.
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Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.
The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.
Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.
The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.
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Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.
Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.
Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.
What’s next:
The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
Michigan wins the national championship over UConn
Michigan beats UConn to win the national championship and we break down how they did it and where both programs go from here.
Loyalty is a word you rarely hear anymore when it comes to college sports.
Amare Hereford is an exception.
The night before he was able to put pen to paper and make his commitment to the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team official earlier this week, the Beloit Memorial standout was invited for an on-campus visit with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Hereford did his due diligence. What player wouldn’t have in his position?
“Me being an 18-year-old kid, my first high major [visit], I just decided to go check it out,” Hereford said.
UW put on the full-court press in an attempt to lock down the Wisconsin “Mr. Basketball” finalist.
“They offered me a scholarship,” Hereford said. “It all happened so fast. It was all within a day.”
Hereford went home, processed the situation with his family and came to a decision.
He would honor his commitment to the Panthers, with his signature cementing the deal and UWM announcing the news Thursday, April 16.
“No, it wasn’t really hard to turn down,” Hereford said, referring to UW’s offer. “I love every school and I appreciate every school that reaches out to me. But I’m going to choose a school that I have a great relationship with, with all the coaching staff, and that’s been thinking highly of me and recruited me for the longest time. And that was the Panthers.
“Wisconsin is a great school, of course. But I’m going to the school that has been with me for the longest time.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hereford is a huge addition for a Panthers squad that, like so many other programs due to transfer portal madness, is in the midst of rebuilding its roster for the 2026-2027 season almost from scratch.
“Amare will be a star here at Milwaukee,” coach Bart Lundy said. “He will be a fan favorite from the beginning. He is a complete basketball player but probably has as good of an ability to score as I’ve seen in any high school player. He is a great student and a great worker and completely fits our culture.
“We are so excited that he will represent the city of Milwaukee and the state and especially his hometown of Beloit.”
Indeed, Hereford put the ball through the net for Beloit Memorial at a prodigious rate, averaging 37.5 points per game – tops in the state – as a senior. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,493 points in four years.
Hereford also poured in 49 points in his final high school game, a WIAA sectional semifinal loss to Verona last month.
Hereford was tough to guard going to the basket as his 60.7% shooting this past season indicates, but he also shot a terrific 45% from from 3-point range (81 for 180) and capitalized on all the contact he drew to the tune of 83% accuracy at the free-throw line.
More than just a scorer, though, Hereford also finished with team-leading averages of 8.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 steals per game.
“My playing style fits the way [the Panthers] play – they get up and down, play fast,” Hereford said. “Coach Lundy said he definitely sees me running [point guard], having the ball in my hands, playing the same way I did in high school, finding teammates, getting to the rim and scoring at all three levels.”
Defense is typically where newcomers experience the biggest growing pains, learning the all-out effort it takes to guard at a high level on every possession.
Hereford, however, indicates he’s more than just a scorer.
“I love playing defense,” he said. “Hitting the gaps, getting steals and different things like that, being active with my hands a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to getting pushed defensively and picking up the ball full court, on-ball pressure in the half court.”
Hereford took his visit to UWM in mid-March, after the season had been completed, but saw enough games on TV to cement his opinion of the challenge ahead.
“The Horizon League is amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of guards who play the same way I play, like to get up and down, play fast. That’s why I love Coach Lundy and the Panthers and the rest of the staff. They let guys be themselves. They play fast, get up and down, play together as one.
“They let everybody touch the ball and be themselves.”
Before Wisconsin entered the picture, Hereford said he’d narrowed his school choices to UWM and San Diego, where Whitefish Bay Dominican product and former Iowa State assistant JR Blount has taken over as head coach.
Now, Hereford projects as an important piece in the Panthers’ rebuilding process.
“Coach Lundy and the staff, they believe in me heavy. And I just want to prove them right,” Hereford said. “I want them to see that I can come in and make a huge impact right away for the team and in the Horizon League.
“I’m definitely going to come in and compete for my minutes. And obviously, I want to stay there.
“So, definitely looking forward to coming in and earning my spot.”
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