Valley Park Civic Association (Piggsville)

Welcome To The Valley!

"Life is what you make it,
And you make it what you will.
If you're happy in this valley,
Don't try to climb the hill."
-Ambrose Sery/Former 40th Sreet Residence

The Valley Park Neighborhood is a Valley settlement, the only one in the city. It is the smallest distinguishable neighborhood in Milwaukee.

People not familiar with the neighborhood, including most Milwaukeeans, usually chuckle when they hear the neighborhood referred to as Piggsville. The name has a long history and there are many arguements as to how it came to be. But residents are content to sit back and openly enjoy the distinction this unusual name brings to their neighborhood.

The Valley Park Civic Association is an organization of neighbors who care about the valley community. The first Valley Association was formed in 1925 when residents organized and stormed City Hall with the intention of being annexed by the City of Milwaukee. Piggsville was finally heard and annexation became official on October 8th 1925.

The Civic Association remained an important force. In 1948, the Association lobbyed for a county park in the neighborhood. The land for the park was donated by residents of the Valley. The park was intended as a memorial to the neighborhood's war dead. A memorial at the corner of 42nd and St Paul Avenue honors these individuals. The memorial itself was redone in it's original base in early 2000 due to weathering, again with monies raised by residents.

In 1997 the Valley Park Neighborhood was ravaged by horrendous flooding. Through the tenacity of the Civic Association and neighborhood residents, a $70 million flood control project was developed to preserve and protect the area from future flooding. 

The latest incarnation of the Valley Association organized and incorporated in 1990complicated, but it has a rich tradition and strong sense of identity. Its river, its railroad, its houses, and above all, its people make it one of a kind in Milwaukee.