Project Milwaukee: The Impact of Deindustrialization MILWAUKEE, WI (wuwm) - Milwaukee has been trying to bounce back for years from a decline in manufacturing. For nearly a century, starting around 1880, the city's economy was built on factory jobs. Thousands of people moved here from other states and countries to find work. But manufacturers fell on hard times in the 1970s. There were a number of reasons for the decline. Professor Sammis White of the UWM Department of Urban Planning spoke to Ann-Elise Henzl. © Copyright 2009, wuwm