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Bob Jul 9th 2008 10:28 pm

Madison, WI?
 
What's the skinny on this place? Middleton to be exact I think?

Apart from shite cold winters and humid hot summers, having good schools, cycling and cheap housing, don't know that much about the place, quite liberal and looks alright...

I've done the demographic look up, just want to know if anyone's been around there, what's the commuter traffic like? Other towns to look at? How easy is it to fly into/out of and what about other big cities to go check out? IL is neighbouring, so how doable would a Chicago visit be, that kind of stuff :)

ugacrew Jul 9th 2008 10:33 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Bob (Post 6554178)
What's the skinny on this place? Middleton to be exact I think?

Apart from shite cold winters and humid hot summers, having good schools, cycling and cheap housing, don't know that much about the place, quite liberal and looks alright...

I've done the demographic look up, just want to know if anyone's been around there, what's the commuter traffic like? Other towns to look at? How easy is it to fly into/out of and what about other big cities to go check out? IL is neighbouring, so how doable would a Chicago visit be, that kind of stuff :)

I do know it's a college town so you'll most likely experience a population growth during fall semester and shrinkage during the summer. That also means cheap eats around the University of Wisconsin. You might want to attend a couple football games there as well.

As for the other questions I'll ask two of my co-workers that moved from Wisconsin, one who is from Madison.

Tracym Jul 9th 2008 10:45 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Bob (Post 6554178)
What's the skinny on this place? Middleton to be exact I think?

Apart from shite cold winters and humid hot summers, having good schools, cycling and cheap housing, don't know that much about the place, quite liberal and looks alright...

I've done the demographic look up, just want to know if anyone's been around there, what's the commuter traffic like? Other towns to look at? How easy is it to fly into/out of and what about other big cities to go check out? IL is neighbouring, so how doable would a Chicago visit be, that kind of stuff :)

About 3 hour drive to Chicago, so sure you could

I've been to Madison, don't remember a ton of traffic (although I'm from the Chicago area, so used to THAT traffic). Seemed a nice town.

Do they have an airport? I wonder, otherwise it'd be Milwaukee or O'Hare - you're probably around 2 1/2 hours from O'Hare, so for intl anyway that'd be pretty good.

Wisconsin is somewhat pretty, has lots of cows and great cheese, and I believe is pretty bad for taxes.

penguinsix Jul 9th 2008 11:11 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 
It is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the country to live. Good schools, relatively low cost of living and higher salaries. I believe it is technically on an island and quite beautiful, with lots of brick buildings surrounding the University.

The airport (MDN) is a regional with service to major Midwest cities (Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit) and a few further away (Washington, New York, Denver, Atlanta).

I would encourage you to catch a football game, even if you don't like football, as it is quite a social event in the Fall.

A bit more laid back lifestyle. Not like California but more of a simple Midwestern lifestyle in the surrounding areas, mixed with a touch of 'college town' offerings of arts, music, etc.

FWIW- I just read an article in Forbes I think that said big college towns (like Madison) are some of the better real estate investments right now, as there is a steady economy from the schools and more and more suburbanites are looking to ditch big cities for smaller towns with a touch of culture (i.e. college towns).

Here is a moving to Madison messageboard:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/madison/

Tracym Jul 9th 2008 11:18 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by penguinsix (Post 6554309)
It is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the country to live. Good schools, relatively low cost of living and higher salaries. I believe it is technically on an island and quite beautiful, with lots of brick buildings surrounding the University.

The airport (MDN) is a regional with service to major Midwest cities (Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit) and a few further away (Washington, New York, Denver, Atlanta).

I would encourage you to catch a football game, even if you don't like football, as it is quite a social event in the Fall.

A bit more laid back lifestyle. Not like California but more of a simple Midwestern lifestyle in the surrounding areas, mixed with a touch of 'college town' offerings of arts, music, etc.

FWIW- I just read an article in Forbes I think that said big college towns (like Madison) are some of the better real estate investments right now, as there is a steady economy from the schools and more and more suburbanites are looking to ditch big cities for smaller towns with a touch of culture (i.e. college towns).

Here is a moving to Madison messageboard:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/madison/

Island? In what body of water?

DollyLlama Jul 9th 2008 11:27 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Tracym (Post 6554323)
Island? In what body of water?

I think it is near a lake..........:unsure:

elfman Jul 9th 2008 11:31 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by DollyLlama (Post 6554368)
I think it is near a lake..........:unsure:

google earth shows the majority of the city to be on an isthmus (love that word) between two lakes

incidentally Bob, a woman in my office raves about Madison, but I don't rreally know why

RoadWarriorFromLP Jul 9th 2008 11:43 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Bob (Post 6554178)
What's the skinny on this place? Middleton to be exact I think?

Apart from shite cold winters and humid hot summers, having good schools, cycling and cheap housing, don't know that much about the place, quite liberal and looks alright...

I've done the demographic look up, just want to know if anyone's been around there, what's the commuter traffic like? Other towns to look at? How easy is it to fly into/out of and what about other big cities to go check out? IL is neighbouring, so how doable would a Chicago visit be, that kind of stuff :)

Madison's not a bad town at all, if you can tolerate the weather. Pretty liberal for the Midwest, thanks to the university. Decent little downtown area, safe enough, low crime. Traffic should be manageable, although I can't say that I specifically know Middleton at all.

Chicago is a great town to visit, and Milwaukee is surprisingly good, a bit like a smallish version of Chicago. But otherwise, it's an island, surrounded by bland little towns and a few dumpy towns in between. The area also lacks ethnic diversity, so if that matters to you, you might find it dull.

penguinsix Jul 9th 2008 11:55 pm

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Tracym (Post 6554323)
Island? In what body of water?

I just looked on a map. I guess it isn't an island but an isthmus (by virtue of a canal) between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. Here is a good pic of the downtown area.

http://www.bmmp.com/resources/Madison3.jpg

cindyabs Jul 10th 2008 12:47 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Tracym (Post 6554233)
About 3 hour drive to Chicago, so sure you could

I've been to Madison, don't remember a ton of traffic (although I'm from the Chicago area, so used to THAT traffic). Seemed a nice town.

Do they have an airport? I wonder, otherwise it'd be Milwaukee or O'Hare - you're probably around 2 1/2 hours from O'Hare, so for intl anyway that'd be pretty good.

Wisconsin is somewhat pretty, has lots of cows and great cheese, and I believe is pretty bad for taxes.

They have an airport but NOT cheap to fly in or out of..........

Manc Jul 10th 2008 12:52 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by Bob (Post 6554178)
What's the skinny on this place? Middleton to be exact I think?

Apart from shite cold winters and humid hot summers, having good schools, cycling and cheap housing, don't know that much about the place, quite liberal and looks alright...

I've done the demographic look up, just want to know if anyone's been around there, what's the commuter traffic like? Other towns to look at? How easy is it to fly into/out of and what about other big cities to go check out? IL is neighbouring, so how doable would a Chicago visit be, that kind of stuff :)

It's probably one of the nicest cities in the midwest.

nethead Jul 10th 2008 12:58 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 
I was in WI a couple of weeks ago for a vacation, we stayed near Baraboo which is just a little further north than Madison. I love WI it's very pretty and everything seems so clean. Food was cheaper than PA don't know about house prices, taxes etc. There seems a lot do if you like outdoor pursuits, and in the area we were in there's 3 or 4 water parks, outlet malls galore. If it wasn't so so cold in the winter I'd definitely move there.

cindyabs Jul 10th 2008 12:59 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by nethead (Post 6554622)
I was in WI a couple of weeks ago for a vacation, we stayed near Baraboo which is just a little further north than Madison. I love WI it's very pretty and everything seems so clean. Food was cheaper than PA don't know about house prices etc, taxes etc. There seems a lot do if you like outdoor pursuits, and in the area we were in there's 3 or 4 water parks, outlet malls galore. If it wasn't so so cold in the winter I'd definitely move there.

I love their accent, :)

nethead Jul 10th 2008 1:01 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by cindyabs (Post 6554625)
I love their accent, :)

Me too :D

Bob Jul 10th 2008 1:18 am

Re: Madison, WI?
 

Originally Posted by ugacrew (Post 6554194)
I do know it's a college town so you'll most likely experience a population growth during fall semester and shrinkage during the summer. That also means cheap eats around the University of Wisconsin. You might want to attend a couple football games there as well.

As for the other questions I'll ask two of my co-workers that moved from Wisconsin, one who is from Madison.

cool, cheers :)

be interesting to see a game live, I'm about 10 miles away from where the Pats play, haven't seen them though, tickets are stupidly priced, bit like the Red Sox :lol:


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