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. 

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.

Summers are glorious

LookyLOO Review of 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 

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?

**pokemonprofessor121**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

'Burbs
You'll love it here! But it's expensive. Check out realtor.com and recently sold listings. It's seriously comparable to Denver (not quite as much)! Almost anywhere in the midwest besides downtown Chicago will be cheaper.

Besides that, Madison is the best place! Lots of good food, outdoor events, summer fun etc. I will say that winter is almost not winter anymore. We only got 3 good snowfalls this year! I got to cross country ski twice. It's been like that for the last 7 years I've lived here. If you want great winter check out Appleton and maybe even Wausau (downhill skiing).

For more reviews of what living in San Francisco is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/madison/reviews).



It’s pretty insular

Reviews of Madison from Locals

**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

**sleanne14**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Moved from another Midwest city, 4x the size of Madison. I absolutely love being in Madison. It’s small, but it feels so cozy and community driven. I cant say enough good things about the water, camping and hiking access and the general culture of being outdoors and active. Winters are cold and long and dark, but they’re true winters so you can ice skate, cross country ski, take great winter hikes, etc.

**P0tt3rh3ad23**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉


Pros: Madison has a great mix of indoor and outdoor activities for everyone - bike trails are amazing; beautiful nature and hiking trails in Madison and the surrounding areas; kayaking/SUP/boating on the lakes; there’s also good concert venues; great breweries; lots of restaurant options; fabulous farmers markets. There’s also tons of random things you can do like trivia or pottery/art/cooking classes that I feel like people don’t talk as much about. Also, the people here are so kind and friendly and you really get a community feel.

Cons: Winter can certainly drag on so I recommend outdoor activities that you enjoy (ice skating, hockey, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, etc) and it’ll make winter not seem so bad!

I’ve lived here for 6 years and overall I feel very lucky to call this place home. Best of luck in making your decision!

**sleanne14**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I think Madison traffic is a breeze. Sometimes you’ll get like a 5-10 minute delay but it’s nothing like what you get in traffic of bigger cities — Madison loves to complain about it though!

We’re a one car family (no kids) and my husband bikes to work everyday and we don’t have much trouble. The farther you get from downtown, near east and near west, the more car dependent you’ll be. The city has great biking infrastructure so it’s easy to get into more casual biking to and from bars to grocery stores.

Public transportation is…. Fine. But only if you’re close to downtown, and even then it’s not as reliable or consistent as what you’re probably used to. We do miss a more comprehensive public transit system!

Overall, you can get by with less car use and when you do drive it won’t be a nightmare.

**pokemonprofessor121**
7mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

'Burbs
You'll love it here! But it's expensive. Check out realtor.com and recently sold listings. It's seriously comparable to Denver (not quite as much)! Almost anywhere in the midwest besides downtown Chicago will be cheaper.

Besides that, Madison is the best place! Lots of good food, outdoor events, summer fun etc. I will say that winter is almost not winter anymore. We only got 3 good snowfalls this year! I got to cross country ski twice. It's been like that for the last 7 years I've lived here. If you want great winter check out Appleton and maybe even Wausau (downhill skiing).

Madison, Wisconsin

Berkeley Of The Midwest

Looklyloo Score: 93

Reviews

What's it like to live in Madison?