"A Capitol Drive. No, really, that's its name."

Western terminus: Waukesha County, at Highway 16 in Pewaukee

Eastern terminus: Milwaukee County, at Highway 32 (Lake Drive) in Shorewood

Mileage: about 20 miles

Counties along the way: Waukesha, Milwaukee

Sample towns along the way: Pewaukee, Brookfield, Milwaukee, Shorewood

Bypass alternates at: none

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 190, a.k.a Capitol Drive, is a major east-west throughfare in the Milwaukee area. Starting as a charming little street leaving the charming village of Pewaukee, it rapidly becomes a six-lane highway going through the booming area of Brookfield. It cuts through the heart of Milwaukee's north side, and some rough areas, before crossing I-43 and entering re-emerging neighborhoods like Riverworks and Riverwest. Upon crossing the Milwaukee River, you're suddenly in the tony suburb of Shorewood, finally ending along a beautiful vista at Atwater Park overlooking Lake Michigan. Truly a transitional highway from start to finish.

The Drive (West to East): Highway 190 is known as Capitol Drive for its entire length and was named in 1947 after U.S. 16 was re-routed south to enter Milwaukee on Blue Mound Road. It's always been a major thoroughfare in the area and today is multi-lane for almost all of its length, expect for the western and eastermost mile. We begin at the westernmost mile... just before the technical start of Highway 190, along the waters of Pewaukee Lake.

Next to the beach, across from stores and restaurants, a pier juts out into Pewaukee Lake. Plenty of people enjoy fishing on this particular summer day. Extending east from this area is Capitol Drive, where Highway 190 begins just west of the freeway junction with today's Highway 16.

This is the center of Pewaukee (pop. 11,783), which surrounds the eastern end of seven-mile long Pewaukee Lake. The main street fronting the lake was recently rebuilt with a series of storefronts that feature everything from a bike shop to a sub shop to an upscale piano bar. The beach bustles with swimmers and sunbathers all summer, and lake homes - both new and old - stretch along the north and south shores of the lake. The boating theme is appropriate; Pewaukee holds the world headquarters of Harken, Inc., a leading manufacturer of sailboat hardware and accessories.

Highway 190 heads east out of downtown Pewaukee and under Highway 16, which goes south to I-94 at GE Medical's World Headquarters and northwest all the way to La Crosse and Minnesota. It used to continue east along Capitol, but now it's 190's turf. The "new growth" area of Pewaukee is on either side for the next several miles, past chain restaurants, sprawling commercial and office complexes, the crossing of Highway 164 (which has moved around a lot over the last few years) and into some open territory for a few miles before suburbia hits again.

Just over the Fox River and some marshlands, open soccer fields are in view. This must mean it's Brookfield (pop. 40,000 and climbing). This is a booming money town; it's equalized value is third-highest in Wisconsin, behind only Madison and Milwaukee. Yet, it has its history and notable figures, too: Caroline Ingalls, Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother (remember "Little House on the Prairie"?) was born in Brookfield back in 1839; Al Capone had a hideout in Brookfield in the 1920s; even Oprah's mom lives here now. This city sports three NFL players (Joe Panos, Joe Thomas and Matt Katula), Olympic medalist Kip Carpenter, and Merle Hermon, former Milwaukee sports broadcaster. And strip malls... lots and lots of them. Capitol Drive is less strip-mally than its neighbor to the south, Blue Mound Road (U.S. 18), and the new developments here take on a nicer look, as evidenced by the Shops of Brookfield at the intersection with Brookfield Road.

Along this section, Highway 190/Capitol Drive is a wide boulevard with a speed limit of 50; many mis-read it as 65 or 70. One a high hill at the light with Calhoun Road, you can see the flashing radio towers close to Lake Michigan and, if trees aren't blocking your view, a glimpse of downtown Milwaukee to the southeast. Under the underpass with Pilgrim Road and past Lilly, commercial structures line your way until you approach 124th Street.

At 124th Street, you enter Milwaukee County and the city of Wauwatosa (pop. 44,798). First settled in 1835 and originally called Hart's Mills, Wauwatosa was renamed in the 1850s; the name is Potawatomi for "firefly" (or maybe "glow worm" or "lightning bug", since the term for those flying flashlights varies.) Just east of 124th Street, a massive Harley-Davidson plant is to the north, where they make a large percentage of the engines and other major pieces of our favorite hogs. Milwaukee's western "bypass", the Zoo Freeway (U.S. 45), crosses over Highway 190 at this point. Wauwatosa is somewhat of an "edge city", with the Mayfair shopping complex just south along Highway 100. To the south before Highway 100 is Currie Park, where one of the world's first airliners took its maiden flight in 1919. Today, the only man-made things flying around Currie Park are golf balls, since it has a nice course. There's also a dome that can be used for practice during bad weather - which is often five months of the year.

The border zigzags around here, but around Grantosa Drive is the city limits of Milwaukee (pop. 573,378), Wisconsin's largest city, the 25th largest city in the United States and home to so many things a special section on the State Trunk Tour site tells you about it all. Milwaukee holds the World Headquarters of companies like Northwestern Mutual, Miller Brewing Company, Harley-Davidson, Rockwell Automation, A.O. Smith, M&I Bank, Manpower, and more; it even holds the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Highway 190/Capitol Drive is the main east-west route through the city's north side, an area that only skims the surface of everything Milwaukee has to offer.

Easily accessible from Capitol Drive, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1961, it was one of Wright's last works and is on the National Register of Historic Places. To reach it, follow Grantosa Drive north to Congress. The Church is at 9400 W. Congress.

The area Capitol Drive goes through between Appleton Ave (U.S. 41) to 20th Street isn't the most scenic in the world. There are, however, some good eats in the area. One Milwaukee landmark, popular with all for generations, is Kitt's Frozen Custard at 70th Street (414-461-1400). Kitt's opened in its present form in 1950 and has stayed authentic ever since; thankfully, they haven't changed much. Kitt's features burgers and malts, grilled cheese sandwiches, fries and rings, and of course, frozen custard. Sure, some worry that the neighborhood isn't entirely safe, but the only altercation of note at Kitt's was when Milwaukee's Deputy Police Chief Monica Ray got into a scuffle with an employee about four years back. Kitt's is open all year 'round, so warm up or cool down whenever you wish. Further east, Capitol Drive intersects with Highway 145 (Fond du Lac Avenue), where Midtown Center is a rebuilt shopping complex to your south. Capitol Court Mall was built there in 1955 and was torn down in the early 2000's to make way for a newer type of commercial development that has done quite well in its place. There's not much for travelers and sightseers, but plenty for locals in need of items. Further east, tree-lined neighborhoods begin to take over. Crossing Sherman Boulevard and meeting up with Roosevelt, this is where the nicer area of the traditional North Side has been. Duck under the railroad tracks, though, and a huge open area is to your south; this is where A.O. Smith's original factory was located and a manufacturing complex that has cranked out everything from auto parts to water heaters in one form or another for over 100 years. Now in redevelopment phase, the "30th Street Industrial Corridor" is being viewed as the next generation in manufactring for Milwaukee, and it'll be interesting to see what transpires.

Back on the other side, there's potential traffic clogging at intersections with Teutonia Avenue, Atkinson Avenue and 27th Street, but good eats lie nearby: Soul food fans love Mr. Perkins' Family Restaurant (read a review here), which is at 20th and Atkinson, visible from Capitol Drive. Overflowing plates of greens, smothered and fried chicken, catfish, black-eyed peas, cornbread, pie and a variety of breakfast items have delighted patrons since 1969 at this family-owned joint. They have variety: pigs' feet and chitterlings are on the menu, but so are salmon croquettes. At 20th Street, Highway 57 joins Capitol for about one mile. At this point, the houses on either side of the boulevard are beautiful, well-kept examples of Milwaukee bungalows. The neighborhood dates back to the 1920s and was the traditional "dividing line" for Milwaukee's older, poorer neighborhoods (to the south) and the new, post-World War II growth (to the north.)

The stretch of Highway 190/Capitol Drive with Highway 57 on the north side of Milwaukee is a nice boulevard - recently redone - with well-kept older homes flanking it on both sides.

Highway 57 heads north along Green Bay Road and Highway 190 crosses I-43 before ducking under Port Washington Road and entering an area known as "Riverworks". An industrial corridor for literally centuries now, you're just south of the World Headquarters for Koss Headphones (just up Port Road) and north of a series of old factories, some of which are being retrofitted for new uses. Some are new manufacturing, some are becoming art galleries. Redevelopment has been going on all over this area before reaching Estabrook Park. At the park, you'll see three tall communications towers (the ones visible from Brookfield earlier) that host most of the Milwaukee area's radio and TV antennas. The fact that they're on Milwaukee's East Side is one reason why the broadcast outlets here can often be heard across the lake in Michigan. At Estabrook Park, Highway 190/Capitol Drive crosses the Milwaukee River and ducks under a former railroad line that now hosts a recreational trail, so don't be surprised to see a railroad bridge with bicyclists and roller bladers visible on it.

Past the bridge, you enter Shorewood (pop. 13,763), a charming suburb that was once known as "East Milwaukee." Shorewood is where former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist grew up; it's also where the movie Airplane! was made possible, since directors Jerry Zucker, David Zucker and Jim Abrahams also grew up here. So it's high court or high comedy: choose your favorite.

Shorewood is a coffee shop-laden village where many residents walk to get what they need. Like Brookfield is the modern-day suburb, Shorewood is the more traditional American suburb. Great shopping is available along Oakland Avenue, starting north from Capitol Drive; continuing east, you return to the small two-lane street style that Highway 190 began with back in Pewaukee. It ends with Lake Michigan in full view at the intersection with Lake Drive (Highway 32); a turn in either direction is filled with tree-lined neighborhoods with beautiful homes. Milwaukee is to your south; other "North Shore" suburbs are to the north. Or, you could get out of your vehicle, walk east and enjoy the beach along Atwater Park. Not bad!

Highway 190 ends at Highway 32 along Lake Michigan. As you come to the end, you happen upon Atwater Park and the beautiful view of Lake Michigan... choose from the cliff above or the beach below.

CONNECTIONS
West Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 16
Can connect nearby to: Interstate 94, about 2 miles south; Highway 83, about 4 miles west

East Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 32
Can connect nearby to: Interstate 43, about 3 miles west; Highway 57, about 3 miles west

Upcoming events in places along Highway 190:
Hidden River Art Festival, Brookfield, September 21-23, 2007

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