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Old 12-28-2007, 12:04 AM
 
23 posts, read 59,076 times
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Madison gets the blame for what the politicians do. Milwaukee has special needs, but doesn't get the funding.

Rural Wisconsin sees Madison as being a sinkhole for the taxes being collected.
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Old 01-14-2008, 11:38 PM
 
11,973 posts, read 31,629,116 times
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I was born in Madison and lived there for 13 years. I also lived in Milwaukee for five years, and now live in the City of Chicago after stints in Paris and New York. I enjoyed living in both Madison and Milwaukee, but Milwaukee is much larger and more exciting at this point in time if you're not a college student or trying to raise a family. Madison is great for it's size, but the college students inhabit the most interesting parts of town and have the best experience of the city. Madison has great schools, beautiful (though green) lakes, and a city government that actually works. The politics are a bit self-righteous and there is a tendency in Madison to believe that Madison is more important and interesting than it really is. But Madison is great for families, and is more stimulating than just about any suburb out there.

Milwaukee is an old decaying urban area--unlike Madison--and has many social ills. But it is also endlessly fascinating. In Milwaukee the restaurants are just a little bit better, the art scene is just a little bit more sophisticated, and the architecture is just a little bit more interesting. Gentrification is happening in Milwaukee, though the pace is slow and frustrating. In spite of some truly magnificent vintage civic structures, Downtown Milwaukee is pretty terrible, but there are many neighborhoods that are bustling and improving. The East Side (which is really quite huge) and Third Ward have already arrived. Bay View, Walker's Point, and Brewers' Hill are all getting better by the second. But Milwaukee's urban economy is poor, and much of the city is a wasteland of poverty and decay. Milwaukee will need some real vision if it is to survive the next century.
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Old 01-15-2008, 12:56 PM
 
395 posts, read 1,853,153 times
Reputation: 258
Agreed. It's all forum fodder. Let's move on. I'm thinking of quitting these online forums altogether. What do I get out of participating on a forum like this?
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Old 01-22-2008, 08:11 PM
 
28 posts, read 210,174 times
Reputation: 24
Madison is a huge college town and Milwaukee has more of a big city atmosphere.
Madison has good jobs, Milwaukee has a lot of Big companies located there.
Madison doesn't really have an upscale scene, Milw has very fast growing upscale scene.
Madison has a ton of college bars but no upscale clubs or lounges.
Madison has 10 suburbs and Milwaukee has 50(gray area).
Milwaukee has a lot of things Madison doesn't.
Milwaukee is connected to Chi. Madison is connected to Sun Prairie
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Old 02-20-2008, 01:14 PM
 
28 posts, read 210,174 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desert student View Post
I have no idea! Madison is a wonderful city. I cannot say the same for Milwaukee. If you looked up Rust Belt in a dictionary, there would be a picture of Milwauke. LOL! Even Wikipedia has it listed as heavy Rust Belt. Industrial decay covers the whole town, but besides that, not one suburb can really compare to Madison in the least.
First off "not on suburb can really compare..." ever heard of River Hills the most expensive place to live in the state! here is a list of suburbs that are more classy and nicer than Madison
River Hills Brookfield
Whitefish Bay Oconomowoc Lake
Shorewood Chenequa
Fox Point Delafield
Bayside Wauwatosa
Glendale Elm Grove
Greendale
Pewaukee

It appears that you haven't been to Milw lately, in 1990 yeah you could have said that. Today you can't Milw has more of a young professionals scene than Madison due to higher paying jobs in the finance sector. Milw has more upscale clubs and lounges and restaurants, a lot of my Chicago friends love coming up to Milw and never mention Madison. Madison is just too small if I wanted to play beer pong I might come to Madison.
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Old 02-20-2008, 10:22 PM
 
9 posts, read 35,264 times
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I'm from Madison and my husband is from Milwaukee, what a pair huh! We both are soooo attached to our home towns and most of the things we love about our perspective town is the same, as well as the dislikes. Although he doesn't like Madison as much as Milwaukee, he does love the beauty and great things to do here, but we also indulge in Milwaukee fun.

We were in the QC (Illinois side) for 4 years and hated it, we were just happy to be back in WI all together.

I think they're both great cities with residents that are very proud of the rich and "hometown" feel you get in not so little of a town.
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Old 02-29-2008, 01:03 PM
 
232 posts, read 946,047 times
Reputation: 57
the city of madison is no comaprison to milwaukee.....


madison should be compared to racine,kenosha, appleton, green bay...

thats like comparing milwaukee to chicago..



why would any of you compare or try to compare living in a city to a suburb someone said there is no suburb that compares to madison lol. since when was madison a suburb?
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Old 02-29-2008, 04:00 PM
 
10 posts, read 39,693 times
Reputation: 13
Default An outsider's perspective...

I love Wisconsin but I live in Illinois (wait, before you get mad at me I'm not a native Illinois dweller!). For me visiting Milwaukee is just as enjoyable as visiting Madison. I think both cities have their charms, and their armpits. I think which city you love depends on whether you like a gritty town or not. Milwaukee can be a little gritty in spots -- but I find that charming. However, I don't think I would raise my son there.

I am actually applying for grad school right now and I have my eye on UW Madison. I feel like it would be a friendlier, more navigable place to live for a young family. But I can't say I won't want to skip over to Milwaukee for the weekend once in a while!

And even if I somehow ended up in Milwaukee instead, I am sure we can all agree that living in either of these great cities would be a big improvement on living in Chicagoland. I can't wait to escape!
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:03 AM
 
14 posts, read 53,351 times
Reputation: 18
Milwaukee has a huge number of problems, and Madison thinks it has all the answers. Some of those answers might be the right ones, but Milwaukee doesn't want to hear it from a city half its size.

The biggest problem in Milwaukee is racism; it's rapidly becoming a Hispanic city, but the old guard (who fled to the suburbs when blacks started moving in a generation ago) still think of it as "their" city. Milwaukee breaks down very easily into ethnic enclaves; the South side is El Barrio, the North Side is the black ghetto, the East side is where liberals and gays and hippies are gentrifying all the old buildings, and the West side is where the Fox-watching SUV-driving crowd pretends that they're still a part of it all. Obviously, it's more complicated than that, but it's hard to argue that Milwaukee isn't segregated.

Madison has no such problems and is wonderfully diverse. At least that's the spin. In reality, Madison is an all-ivory town; skin colors and national origins may be diverse, but nearly everyone in Madison is what people from Milwaukee consider "white"; educated, refined, and maybe just a little naive and snobby. The reason is the University, which draws in people from everywhere on earth, with the glaring exception of people from Milwaukee's inner city.

Talk of Milwaukee having anything "upscale" is nonsense; Milwaukee's "upscale" crowd are poseurs who wish they had enough money to play with the coke-snobs in Chicago (and do, when they can get away). Madison, on the other hand, is pretty hostile to the whole idea of "upscale" as elitist and materialistic. Money doesn't buy status in Madison; tenure and power do. There are a few places here that could be considered "upscale," but they're just tourist-traps for rich-redneck lobbyists and their attendant gold-diggers.

One thing that Madison needs but lacks is a good gay neighborhood, which is one of inner-Milwaukee's bright spots. Most of our gay friends are eager to escape Madison while most of our lesbian friends are looking to buy houses here. One thing Milwaukee needs but lacks is a smoking ban. Our Milwaukee friends all smoke or constantly stink of smoke, and refuse to visit Madison because we don't like smelling like ashtrays after a night out. Self-destruction is to Milwaukee as self-righteousness is to Madison.

Last edited by transambulance; 03-01-2008 at 11:26 AM..
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Old 03-10-2008, 03:18 PM
 
11,973 posts, read 31,629,116 times
Reputation: 4641
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsgreeniemama View Post
And even if I somehow ended up in Milwaukee instead, I am sure we can all agree that living in either of these great cities would be a big improvement on living in Chicagoland. I can't wait to escape!
Nope, can't agree with you on that. Chicago is a great place to live--if you don't live in the distant suburbs. I've always told my wife that if we were going to move to the suburbs, we might as well just move back to Wisconsin. Chicago suburbs (with the exception of inner-ring burbs like Oak Park, Evantson, etc.) have about the same feel as Milwaukee suburbs, but are more expensive and more difficult to get around due to traffic.
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