After a long, cold winter (wind chills can drop to 30 below), Madisonians greet the sun with gusto. The summers here are insane. Music and beer festivals punctuate almost every weekend, there are plenty of bike paths all over the city and there’s a lively nightlife, all on an isthmus surrounded by two incredible lakes. 

Here's a transplater on living in Madison:
*I moved from Houston 5 years ago. I miss the food really bad and that’s my biggest complaint. The winters are terrible and long but love summers here and love that you can find greenery all over. Houston was all concrete (I lived downtown and then by the galleria). The traffic is nonexistent compared to Houston. There are a lot of community minded things to do but not a ton of big artists if you’re into live music. The bar scene is much less varied here in my experience too. very few strip malls, cleaner in general, the roads are WAY better, air quality is excellent!*


The summers

The Best Thing About Madison?

Madisonians are very pleased with themselves. Surrounded by more conservative communities, the notorious liberal enclave is renowned for its progressive attitude, but it can still be uncomfortably segregated. Change takes a while because initiatives often get bogged down in navel-gazing bureaucracy. Though at its worst, Madison is still a decent place to live.

Here's a transplanter on the vibe:
*It's hard to get to know people in Madison unless you make that effort first. So in other words, not too different from the East Coast (whatever that is… as if Maine and Boston are the same place.) Madison is definitely not a conservative town politically, but still has a pretty reserved feel despite its liberal politics.*



It’s pretty insular

The Worst Thing About Madison?

Madisonians are friendly, outgoing and pretty helpful when they want to be. There’s an emphasis on health and hardiness and plenty of ways to indulge in both. The university and seat of state and county government provide jobs to a good percentage of individuals and the Epic campus just outside of town has brought Madison firmly into the tech sector. 

As for housing, if you are a 20/30-something looking for a downtown lifestyle then you’re in luck. Lots of high-density rentals have been and continue to be built across Madison’s downtown area.

If on the other hand you’re looking for single family homes, Madison has plenty to choose from. Turn-of-the-century and architecturally significant homes are plentiful across the hot neighborhoods of Marquette, Dudgeon-Monroe, & Schenk-Atwood. All pedestrian friendly with tons of access to mini-commercial centers on their main streets. 

Check out the Madison calendar of events to see what happens here: https://www.visitmadison.com/events/


Lifestyle Of Madison

Just three hours from Chicago, Madison provides a respite from big city life while offering lots of ways to have fun. Conventions and other events mean that the city can get kind of crowded, but if you know where to go -- and when -- it’s a lovely city to live in.


Affordable and accessible

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**The Best Thing About Madison?** The summers

After a long, cold winter (wind chills can drop to 30 below), Madisonians greet the sun with gusto. Music and beer festivals punctuate almost every weekend, there are plenty of bike paths all over the city and there’s a lively nightlife, all on an isthmus surrounded by two incredible lakes. 

**The Worst Thing About Madison?** It’s pretty insular

Madisonians are very pleased with themselves. Surrounded by more conservative communities, the notorious liberal enclave is renowned for its progressive attitude, but it can still be uncomfortably segregated. Change takes a while because initiatives often get bogged down in navel-gazing bureaucracy. Though at its worst, Madison is still a decent place to live.

**How You Living?** The good life

Madisonians are friendly, outgoing and pretty helpful when they want to be. There’s an emphasis on health and hardiness and plenty of ways to indulge in both. The university and seat of state and county government provide jobs to a good percentage of individuals and the Epic campus just outside of town has brought Madison firmly into the tech sector. 

As for housing, if you are a 20/30-something looking for downtown lifestyle then you’re in luck. Lots of high-density rentals have been and continue to be built across Madison’s downtown area.

If on the other hand you’re looking for single family homes, Madison has plenty to choose from. Turn-of-the-century and architecturally significant homes are plentiful across the hot neighborhoods of Marquette, Dudgeon-Monroe, & Schenk-Atwood. All pedestrian friendly with tons of access to mini-commercial centers on their main streets. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** Affordable and accessible

This opinion likely depends where you're from but for Midwesterners a three hour drive to Chicago or four hours to Minneapolis means you can go there any weekend. You also get the energy and warmth of a college city at a more reasonable price point than bigger cities: west, east or midwest. 

State-Langdon is one of the hottest spots for the student crowd. You’re on the border of campus and incredibly cheap eats are always available at the food trucks outside Memorial Library. Plenty of bars for nighttime refreshments and tons of new apartment buildings along University Avenue offer “reasonable” pricing on close proximity housing. 
- State-Langdon
- Campus (UW is integrated into the city so the actual Campus is a neighborhood)
- Vilas (if you’re looking for a quieter option)


College Students

State-Langdon

There are several options for young professionals in Madison but Downtown should be your starting point in a search. First off, you are living on “the Isthmus” here and that gives you incredible views of the Capitol Dome, and Lake Monona and Lake Mendota. In addition to the view you get amazing restaurants and nightlife, and the center of the city’s arts scene – all within walking distance. Within your Downtown search check out the First Settlement neighborhood. It has an incredible concentration of arts, city greenery, community activities and cool boutique restaurants, bars and living options.  https://stevebrownapts.com/2013/07/17/4-ideal-neighborhoods-for-young-professionals-moving-to-madison/
- Downtown
- First Settlement
- Marquette


Young Professionals

Downtown

Monroe-Dudgeon is a really interesting option for those who want a walkable social life but also are interested in a bit more of a chill vibe. Tons of groovy cafes, restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, and galleries keep the night and daylife active but there is more of a home and condo/grown-up residential scene that keeps the college and just-out-of-college crew at arm’s length. https://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/19.html
- Dudgeon-Monroe
- Schenk-Atwood
- Tenney-Lapham


DINKs/SINKs

Dudgeon-Monroe

Madison has several hotspots for those looking for LGBTQ+ friendly neighborhoods. Middleton has the highest concentration of community residents in the city and a mix of commercial - restaurants, bars and shopping, greenery with great parks, and businesses - in case you are lucky enough to work in the neighborhood. East Side is another popular option with a big arts scene and tons of walkable social and shopping spots. 
- Middleton
- East Side


LGBTQ+

Middleton

If you’re a Downtown kind of family then look at Dudgeon-Monroe. It’s walkable to a big locally-owned social scene but filled with beautiful Mid-Century Modern homes and bungalows. You also have access to some of the best public schools in the city and incredible outdoor recreation opportunities with Lake Wingra on the edge of the neighborhood. If instead you’re ready for quieter, more “suburban” city options then look at Wexford. Located in West Madison, you’re in the heart of great public and private school options. It has tons of community activities, a great swim club (critical in the culture of Midwestern summers, a water park and plenty of interesting restaurants and shopping.
- Dudgeon-Monroe
- Wexford
- Westmorland 
- Shorewood Hills


Families

Wexford

Madison

**What's living in Madison, WI like?**

I moved from Houston 5 years ago. I miss the food really bad and that’s my biggest complaint. The winters are terrible and long but love summers here and love that you can find greenery all over. Houston was all concrete (I lived downtown and then by the galleria). The traffic is nonexistent compared to Houston. There are a lot of community minded things to do but not a ton of big artists if you’re into live music. The bar scene is much less varied here in my experience too. There are some good cocktail bars but it’s a handful rather than having them all over. Eat at Kirans, Nidda Thai, Les Givrals and Baby Barnabys before you leave Houston. I miss the food so much 😭

Edited to add: very few strip malls, cleaner in general, the roads are WAY better, air quality is excellent!

**What’s it like living in Madison, Wisconsin from the perspective of an East Coaster?**

I'm not "an East Coaster" but I've lived there and have some experience of both these worlds.

First off, Madison, like a lot of Midwestern college towns, is full of East Coasters — partly due to UW's academic reputation and the affordability of going to school there versus New York, partly due to its party-school status (though apparently UW-Madison has been "downgraded.")

It's hard to get to know people in Madison unless you make that effort first. So in other words, not too different from the East Coast (whatever that is… as if Maine and Boston are the same place.)

Overall, it's a pleasant place — I moved off to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have to say I prefer Madison to Ann Arbor (more scenic with the two lakes there). An East Coaster will either find these places refreshing or suffocating, depending on your expectations and attitude.

Madison is definitely not a conservative town politically, but still has a pretty reserved feel despite its liberal politics. It's a very "activist" town. I got pretty tired of the old hippie greyhairs protesting on every corner — it's really Madison's equivalent of the annoying street preacher — but they're not too hard to avoid if that's not your thing.

It's a very fitness-oriented town. Which can be great or suffocating, depending on your perspective. Lots of toned bodies, very few slobs. But also not very "real."

Your love life will probably suck compared to the East Coast. For some reason, despite attractive people all over the place, Madison is where dating goes to die. It just doesn't seem to spark much romance, which is a bummer. I was surprised by this when I moved there. Then again, it matters if you’re a student or an adult. If you’re over 30, you can pretty much count on saying sayonara to your sex life.

I think East Coasters will be surprised at the scenery around Madison. Southern Wisconsin is gorgeous. There's not much in northern Wisconsin until you get to Lake Superior.

**What’s it like living in Madison, Wisconsin from the perspective of an East Coaster?**

It's slower-paced and not always on the forefront of trends. That said, there are actual friendly people who will look at you and wave to you. I live in Mass in the summers and Madison in the winters (weird sched, I know). Every spring, I'm excited to head back East to spend time by the ocean, eat lobster and see my city friends. Then, in the fall, I'm glad to be coming back where the drivers aren't Massholes and people actually care about their neighbor. Both are great for their own reasons.

**What are the pros and cons to living in Madison, WI? I'd love to hear anecdotes from those who have spent a lot of time in or near Madison.**

Pros:

The whole college game day vibe.

Lakes everywhere so beautiful.

Has a very liberal hippie vibe.

Tons of good restaurants.

People are a lot more friendly there and so it’s easy to meet people and make friends.

Cons:

rent can be very expensive

Due to a huge influx of people moving from Chicago. Crime rates have skyrocketed. I feel safer in Milwaukee than I ever did in Madison.

Also due the the influx of the “Chicago rush” public resources have been stretched thin taxes keep drastically increasing.

Affirmative Action is very much enforced so at times jobs will not pick you and pick someone else to check that box.

The downtown is went from a hippie poor college student vibe. To 100% for the super wealthy students from the east coast. Affordable student housing is getting bought out and replaced with expensive high rises. That an average full time working adult could never afford. My mortgage costs less than rent in one of those “student” apartments.

There isn’t really a good and bad area they are all kind of meshed together. You will have expensive homes and the next street down low income housing so no escaping the crime. It is now spilling into the suburbs.

Public transportation sucks.

Due to the influx of college graduates in the town finding a good enough job to get by job is very difficult. Most have to work multiple jobs to stay afloat.

Madison, Wisconsin

Berkeley Of The Midwest

Looklyloo Score: 87

We're on it!