Week 1 Discussion: New Berlin Land Use (by Andy Braun)

My hometown is New Berlin, Wisconsin. Long before European settlers came to this land, the native tribes of the Sioux, Cherokee, and Iroquois all lived in what is now the New Berlin area. These peoples treated the land with respect, as they grew crops and foraged for food very close to their homes. Originally, the land was extremely fertile, and the native peoples used that to their advantage. Other than clearing out some parts of forest, the native people did not do much to disturb the original landscape of New Berlin. There were plenty of deer, coyotes, and even wolves in the nearby forest areas.

Then, in around 1830, Yankees and German people began to travel West, and they came upon the New Berlin land. Yankees established their settlements in the South, and German Protestants took up the Northwest portions while the German Catholics took the Central and East portions of the land. From there, these people used the land that was used by the natives as their own farmland. They established a city after the population rose, and made buildings and convenience stores to help out the residents in the city. 

Fast forward to the mid-1900's, New Berlin became a full suburban city. Neighborhoods were now filled with houses, and convenience stores such as grocery stores and gas stations were built. The main thing that changed the land was the introduction of the I-94 highway. This highway connected New Berlin to the cities of Milwaukee and Madison, which was important for people who were looking for an easy commute to their workplaces. The highway provided just that, and it was the man-made creation that was used the most in that suburb.

It is interesting to note that even after all of this time, New Berlin still has a high German population. I myself am German, and all of my neighborhood friends that I grew up with were German as well. Mostly, New Berlin is made up of neighborhoods, as it still is mainly used as a suburban area for people who have jobs in the city of Milwaukee. However, there have been some changes to the landscape. A Walmart has just recently opened, making the suburb have a little bit of extra commerce. This Walmart often has trucks of store items getting brought in, and these trucks have had trouble navigating the potholes that plague the roads of New Berlin. So, construction companies have begun a project that aims to clear up potholes. All of this industrialization has pretty much removed any larger wildlife from the area. I do see a deer about once every six months, but that is nothing compared to what those numbers would have been before European settlers came here.