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I should be clear that I won't be actually living in the city itself, but more in the country with some land.
Which city is better in terms of:
Outdoor activities
Beautiful nature
Lower cost of living and taxes
Health/organic food and restaurants
Low crime
Friendly folks
Prosperous economy
Clean air, very low pollution
A swimable, boatable, clean body of water
Nice, affordable stock of homes on 5+ acres
If you live in the Midwest, Madison or maybe Ann Arbor is what you're looking for.
Ann Arbor, while a dynamic city, is very expensive and is not really close to a lot of nature. Inside Michigan, Grand Rapids is the gem. However, the OP is comparing Madison to Cleveland. Both should be fine. What matters is your job and income, I would assume. Both cities have good points. Madison is a nice city surrounded by lakes. Cleveland does have lake Erie but it is not really a maritime culture. However, there are a lot of parks/trails in the area. In terms of crime, Madison is much safer. Cleveland is a larger metro area. But both should work.
In terms of nature, Cleveland wins out. It offers a national park, one of the best metroparks systems in the country, and a Great Lake. The notion that we don't have a "maritime culture" here is ridiculous. There is a large sailing community here with frequent regattas, an active kayaking community, active Crew community, even a small but active group of surfers -- yes, surfers. Not everybody seeks out maritime activities of course, but if you're into that there are definitely communities that cater to it. If you want to ski, or hike in mountains in the summer, you can drive about 2-3 hours to New York, West Virginia, or PA for some of the best skiing/hiking in the East. From Madison, you have to fly to the Rockies or East Coast. For biking and hiking, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is incredible, and the metroparks around the city are fantastic as well.
Cleveland also offers more in terms of economic opportunities, cultural opportunities, dining, and transportation. We have one of the best orchestras in the world, one of the best art museums in the country, the world's only rock and roll HOF, one of the world's best hospitals, a large number of colleges and universities, numerous major concert venues, 3 pro sports teams, some of the best theater in the country in Playhouse Square. There is a gilded age opulence in this city that few others can match. There is crime in certain parts of the city but it can easily be avoided. The homes are very affordable, and the housing stock is diverse, with grand old estates, mixed with 1950s bungalows, homes built in the 20s and 30s, and newer construction.
Here are two pages of data from....City Data. You can see that more money is earned in Madison, a much higher percentage of residents have college degrees, and, well you can look for yourself. Obviously, Madison is a beautiful city with a lot of culture and sporting opportunities abound. I personally love the rolling hills south of Madison, where Frank Lloyd Wright lived much of his adult life. Attached are a couple links you might enjoy, that show a little of what Madison is about.
Here are two pages of data from....City Data. You can see that more money is earned in Madison, a much higher percentage of residents have college degrees, and, well you can look for yourself. Obviously, Madison is a beautiful city with a lot of culture and sporting opportunities abound. I personally love the rolling hills south of Madison, where Frank Lloyd Wright lived much of his adult life. Attached are a couple links you might enjoy, that show a little of what Madison is about.
You can do your own research...I'm not going to go into detail like the poster above me did. Links can suffice, and the OP can research on his/her own. What I linked to, were demographic facts. Madison is a beautiful city. I guess you can go ahead and disagree, but I'm not going to try to prove it to you.
No offense to whomever made that Madison video, but, it couldn't have been much worse. In addition to the city's population, there are 43,000 students in this city...where was everyone? I've been to Madison many, many times, and have never seen it look look empty. I'll try to take a video next time I'm there, as this one showed NOTHING of how Madison is.
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