The area encompasses residences, museums, bars, shops, theaters, live music clubs and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee campus.

After blight began to set in during the early 1980s, a Business Improvement District was formed on Brady Street in an effort to reverse perceptions of decline.

The East Side is considered by some as Milwaukee's melting pot, with a mix of hipsters, hippies, college students and young professionals converging in the area's diverse restaurants, bars and stores.

The neighborhoods to the north and east are traditionally more residential and affluent while those to the south and west take on a more urban and mixed-use identity.

[5] Regano's Roman Coin, one of the original Pabst tied house taverns, is still located on Brady Street, though the vintaged beer signs outside read "Blatz".

[6] Today, Lower East Side is filled with coffee houses, nightclubs, restaurants, vintage clothing, and thrift stores.

For instance, the annual Brady Street festival in July brings together the neighborhood in block party fashion.

Cambridge Woods - sometimes called Cambridge Heights - is a small, vibrant Eastside Milwaukee neighborhood nestled between Riverside Park, the Milwaukee River Greenway with its Oak Leaf Recreational Trail, the Village of Shorewood’s Hubbard Park, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

It is primarily residential in nature though some businesses exist along Oakland Avenue which is also home to the Milwaukee County Transit System Green Line.

The area has a large population of students from neighboring University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee which has at times been a source of tension with long-time residents.

Pollution from Milwaukee's industrial era gradually made the river unfit for swimming, and invasive plants took over as maintenance declined due to repeated budget cuts by the County Government.

In 1991, the Urban Ecology Center was created and began a major campaign to revitalize the park and restore it to its former glory.

Northpoint is also home to the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, North Point Lighthouse, Back Bay Park and Bradford Beach.

Residents and students from the nearby main campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee frequent Indian, Chinese, Greek and Italian eateries on lively Oakland and Downer Avenues.

Downer Woods is a small, laid-back primarily residential neighborhood home to the main campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The area encompasses the Manfred Olson Planetarium, Golda Meir Library and Thomas A. Greene Geological Museum.

Casual, student-friendly restaurants serve quick eats, from pizza to tacos on Oakland Avenue - the primary retail corridor in the neighborhood.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the primary driver of activity with its large student population, libraries, cinemas and multi-purpose recreational complex, the Klotsche Center.

Many of the residential streets in Downer Woods are lined with mature tree canopies and historic homes from a diverse range of architectural styles.