East side neighborhoods? (Madison, Sun Prairie, Middleton: renting, coop, credit)

[lizziegirl37]

My husband, 1-year-old son and I are considering moving to Madison from New Mexico in two years. I read the very informative post about the east side vs. west side, and we are definitely east side types. Can anyone tell me which neighborhoods on the east side are good for young families? Of course, a good school district is an important factor, too. Any info you die-hard Madisonians can provide would be a great help!

[Mad Taoist]

Renting or buying?
If buying, what price range?
Are you chatty with the neighbors or do you need your privacy?
Want to walk to groceries/restaurants or prefer a big backyard?

[hamjeepr]

What you are willing/able to spend for your house dictates all! Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove are nice close-in communities. As you move out N and E the you will get more house for less money.

[lizziegirl37]

We would be buying and I think our budget would be about $350K. We would love to be able to walk to restaurants, grocery (preferably a co-op, whole foods or trader joe's), and other activities. We would like a neighborhood that is friendly and I guess that's more important than a big back yard Thanks for your help!

[Mad Taoist]

That is an ample budget for the east side of town. I'd put you in the near east Williamson/Atwood neighborhood. Pull up a Google map of Madison and zoom in just east of the capital. I'd suggest between the little green square of Orton Park and the train tracks just Northeast of Atwood Ave. With the nicer homes being between the Yahara river (the little blue line that connects the lakes) and Atwood Ave. Stay Southeast of Williamson and Southwest of the train tracks. There is a co-op at Willy & Few St. and there are great restaurants at the corner of Eastwood and Atwood. This is an enlightened, progressive neighborhood. Any farther East and it gets more spread out and car-dependent. Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove are nice communities, and their high schools will have fewer police calls than East High, but they really aren't "Madison."

[Megan1967]

Mad Taoist has the East side covered. I think what you are looking for could be there. One thing. Willy Street Coop, for all it's charm (and I'm a member) has very little selection and suspicious deli items. Members are allowed to trade food goods they've prepared for store credit and more than once I've gotten rancid tofu products. I called to let them know once and they seem less than concerned about it. There are no health inspectors checking out the "member contributions" and you have no idea where that food has been.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are better bets, but, on the West side. Honestly, I would consider looking at the Monroe Street/ Regent Street neighborhoods for what you are looking for.....

[hamjeepr]

You might even want to look outside of Madison. There are many small communities surrounding Madison that have what your looking for but perhaps a little more conservative feel than Willy St. It may have changed since I was there but Waunakee, Middleton, and Verona come to mind.

[lizziegirl37]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful advice! I am especially happy to hear about the sketchy co-op deli, as I am a big co-op supporter and might have learned that lesson the hard way I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

[tchemgrrl]

Megan1967, do you have something on paper to back that claim up? It sounds like you're saying that the deli food is being prepared by members at their homes, and I've never heard this to be the case, and don't see it in the bylaws, or the list of member advantages. I know they recently stopped allowing members to even work in the store, so I'd be very surprised to see that that's the case.

I buy food from the deli often--perhaps once a week on average, more if you include the cream cheese and hummus--and have had much better experiences with their food compared to the deli counter at conventional grocery stores. I've never heard of them buying back food, although they did once allow me to trade crushed eggs for unbroken ones, once, when I'd forgotten to inspect them before going home. And I have gotten spoiled food, but I've had the same thing happen with foods purchased at the Jenifer St. Market, and Cap Foods, and Sentry, and Whole Foods, and have never had a particular problem with the Co-op. The selection is less than what you'll find at conventional grocery stores because they focus on organic and local products, but it's a lot better than what I've seen at other co-ops. Just thought I'd add in someone else's experiences.

[Mad Taoist]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

Willy Street Coop has very little selection and suspicious deli items. Members are allowed to trade food goods they've prepared for store credit. There are no health inspectors checking out the "member contributions" and you have no idea where that food has been.

As a long-time member of the Willy Co-op, I was very curious about this assertion. So I called and talked to three employees, all of which denied the existence of any policy allowing members to bring in prepared food. The closest thing they could think of was what tchemgrrl mentioned; that members could volunteer their time and come into the store and work as prep cooks in trade for a discount on purchases. A program that they have recently ended to maintain higher quality control.
I live THREE blocks from Whole foods, yet my wife makes me drive across town to Willy Co-op every week for their deli items and superior organic selection.