Madison is Fun and Livable
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3/27/2007
I have lived in San Diego, Virginia Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis, and Madison. I think San Diego is great, mainly because I grew-up there, but Madison is my favorite “adult” city. The winters are rough, but vacationing and winter activities will eliminate those winter blues. The city has great restaurants, an exciting progressive university, many great parks, museums and performing arts centers, great sports complexes, a crime-free and livable downtown, two accessible lakes, and, yes, a free zoo. It’s also the most bicycle friendly city I have lived in. Many neighborhoods are picturesque with an abundance of trees, turn-of-the-century homes, and well-kept yards (Vilas and Shorewood Hills are good examples).
I wouldn’t live in the suburbs of Madison,though -- especially on the Eastside and Westside because they lack the qualities that make Madison enjoyable. The downtown area surrounding the university is filled with some 50-thousand college students, but most of them are well behaved and respectful (UW has become very competitive). The “coasties” can be annoying, but the bulk of the students are comprised of rural Wisconsinites and good Minneapolis kids who are avoiding the hell that is the U of MN. That said, the student and city population is primarily white (except for foreign engineering and bio/medical grad students).
The only ghetto is on the outskirts of Madison, referred to as the Allied Drive Neighborhood located on the other side of the local freeway but nowhere near anything worth visiting. All the major violent crime occurs there.
A nice new 2br condo runs from 200k to 400k, and a nice home around 350k to 550k. There are many new apartment buildings with reasonable rent, but don’t rent in one that is filled with college students. I enjoyed renting close to the capital building, as there are restaurants and shops within walking distance, as well as both lakes and numerous parks.
Joe | Plantation, FL