Riverwest is a primarily residential neighborhood located west of the Milwaukee River and east of Holton Street, situated south of Estabrook Park, between Milwaukee's East Side, Brewers' Hill, Williamsburg Heights, and Harambee neighborhoods. The main east-west arterial streets - Capitol Drive, Locust Street, and North Avenue - connect Riverwest to the East Side via bridges. The main north-south arterial streets - Holton Street and Humboldt Boulevard - connect Riverwest to the downtown area, the lower East Side (specifically Brady Street), and suburban Shorewood. Along with those streets, Locust, Center and Burleigh Streets are the major east-west corridors with cafes, bars and shops where people congregate. Riverwest is one of the neighborhoods that established its boundaries and identity before 1990's Neighborhood Identification Project.

Riverwest is noted for its racial and ethnic diversity including large numbers of African-Americans and Caucasians as well as growing Iranian, Russian, Asian and Hispanic populations. And with the neighborhood's proximity to the university, a sizable college student population resides in Riverwest. In 2007, a student dormitory was opened along the river on the south-east of the neighborhood. This development along with other housing and commercial developments followed a long period of decline up through the 1990s. More recently, the trend has been rising property values and an increase in owner-occupied housing. Though Riverwest still features cheaper rental opportunities in its bungalows, duplexes, and "Polish flats" than what is generally found closer to the university.

Riverwest has many nonprofit and volunteer-run organizations such as its neighborhood association, a community newspaper, a grocery co-op, Woodland Pattern Book Center, The Public House (co-op bar) co-op, an investment co-op and an infoshop. Riverwest has many festivals including Locust Street Days, Center Street Daze, and Rockerbox (a motorcycle and scooter rally). The Riverwest 24, Milwaukee's only 24-hour annual bike race started in 2008 and features local bands with multiple block parties. There is also the Riverwest Art Walk, the state's largest walking tour of artists' homes and studios, neighborhood galleries and various alternative spaces. In 2003, the neighborhood was the subject of its own book, Riverwest: A Community History by Tom Tolan. In 2011, the neighborhood was the subject of a play, Riverwest: a Rhapsody, written by Eric Theis and performed by Broom Street Theater in Madison.

[Thanks Wikipedia]