How does Madison compare to Austin, Tx? (Milwaukee, La Crosse: environment, lawyer)

[dsimicata]

For those who have lived, or spent time, in both cities, which do you prefer and why?

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Although I know Madison better of the two, I have a fair amount of familiarity with Austin as well. I lived in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas (~250 miles south of Austin) for 18 years, and visited the city a number of times while we lived in the state. I've lived in Madison since 1999.

Similarities between the two cities include:

Both are state capitols.

Both are more liberal than is true of the surrounding state.

Both are home to a major state university with tens of thousands of students.

Neither has a major national sports team, but both embrace their university sports teams and support the professional teams elsewhere in the state.

Both have economies that range from very good to excellent, with a number of tech companies as well as the hiring power of state government and a major university.

Both have lots of opportunities for outdoor fun, both have a strong arts scene, both have vibrant downtowns, both have highly literate and well-educated populations, both have a plethora of local, independent businesses.

Both have more than their share of politicians who'll beat an idea to death with a club for a couple of years before they'll actually take any action. Both also have way more than their share of lawyers.

And both have detractors who claim that the cities and their residents have a hyper-inflated notion of how wonderful they are.

Differences between the cities include the following:

Size: Austin is about three times the size of Madison within the city limits. Austin has a population of about 650K, Madison about 210K.

Climate: Austin doesn't quite have eternal summer, but they come close. It rarely if ever snows there, summer temps are in the 90's regularly, winter temps seldom get much below about 40. Madison has a few hot months, a few really cold and snowy months, and a few in-between months where it can go from 60 degrees to freezing in half a day or less.

Sprawl, at least to some extent. Austin's metropolitan area has grown to the point where you really can't tell where it ends and the San Antonio metropolitan area begins. There are huge and steadily increasing cookie-cutter-style subdivisions spreading out in all directions from the city. Madison has taken the first steps down this path as well, but the trend has not gone nearly as far; you can start from the very center of town and be in farmland within a 20 minute drive.

Hippies: while they're present in both cities, they make up a significantly larger proportion of the population in Madison than is true in Austin.

Cultural norms: the predominant ethnic heritage in Madison and surrounding areas is Northern European, mostly German and Scandinavian, with small percentages of Hispanic, Black, Hmong and other ethnicities. Austin has a higher proportion of Latinos, and while there are a number of people of Northern European ancestry, there are a lot more ethnicities represented there in significant numbers than is true in Madison.

In Austin, they say "yee-ha", in Madison, it's "uff-da".

As to my own choice, I prefer a smaller city to a larger one. I prefer four seasons (even if one of them features 100+ inches of snow) to one really long, hot summer. I'm an old, semi-reformed hippie. And I have more family living close to Madison than I do to Austin.

[dsimicata]

Wow. What a fabulous response. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

I am a gay guy approaching retirement and considering Austin/Madison. Don't know anyone in either and have visited both. Having a very hard time deciding.

I do tend to like hippies

[MidwesternBookWorm]

I did not mention the GLBT communities in Austin and Madison, largely because I never had the opportunity to learn much about Austin's GLBT population, so could not fairly compare the two.

I can tell you, however, that Madison in general is very accepting of non-traditional couples, and there are a number of very active GLBT organizations in the area, although other areas of Wisconsin are not as open-minded. I have heard gay friends say that Madison is to the Midwest as San Francisco is to the west coast, though in fairness, since I am not gay myself, I lack the necessary perspective to make a conclusive statement.

Good luck in your decision-making; I truly don't think you can go wrong in either city. Of the two, I prefer Madison, but if I were the type who couldn't tolerate cold weather, I'd unquestionably be living in Austin. Happy retirement!

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I'm going to have to go ahead a disagree here with the statement that both Madison and Austin are "more liberal than their surrounding states." This one of the most irritating aspects of the Madison "superiority complex:" the mindset that Madison "gets it" while the rest of Wisconsin doesn't.

Austin is left leaning city in the midst of one of the most Republican dominated states in the country. Immediately outside of Austin are some of the "reddest," most conservative places in the whole country, like Texas A&M University, the Houston suburbs, etc. Even the major cities in Texas on balance lean Republican.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, is a purple state. It's not nearly as divergent from Madison's prevailing political mindset than most Madisonians like to believe. The notion that Madison is a bastion of progressive thought in a state that is overwhelmingly conservative is not true, and, quite frankly, insulting. The largest city in the state of Wisconsin, three times the size of Madison, is as reliably Democratic as is Madison: Milwaukee hasn't elected a Republican to anything since the 1930s, and in the latest primary went for Obama by 73%. Milwaukee has an active LBGT scene, some leading environmental groups like the Urban Ecology Center, is becoming a national leader in sustainable urban agriculture. I would venture that Milwaukee, on balance, is as progressive as Madison, it's just that we don't constantly talk about it like Madison does. And, the problems that we have to solve are far more intractable.

If you look at an electoral map of the state, you'll also find that Western Wisconsin, La Crosse and areas to the south nearer the Iowa border, are also reliably Democratic.

Wisconsin is pretty much split 50/50 politically. There are 3 reliable Democtratic places (Dane County, Milwaukee City and Western Wisconsin), and 3 reliable Republican places (Milwaukee Suburbs, Fox Valley and Northern Wisconsin).

[Megan1967]

I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life, 20+ of those 41 years in Madison. I'm seriously considering moving to Austin in the next year or two. I'll be visiting Austin May 17th - 22nd and will report on my trip on the Austin forum which is really active and quite fun. So stay tuned, I'll let you know.

I agree with everything MidwesternBookworm said by the way. If you can tolerate cold and dark for 7 months of the year the Summers are heavenly here.

[dsimicata]

I am marking my calendar for late May and will check the Austin forum at that time

Something you said really struck me: that the Austin forum is so active. And I see that is true. I don't know if that says anything specific about the folks in Austin vs Madison (or perhaps it is just the larger population)?

[Megan1967]

Just curious.... Where are you located now?

[radraja]

Austin has more of a gay scene, if that's important to you.

The main difference you'll find will be in weather. Warm most of the year vs. cold most of the year. I'd also say that while both are liberal, Madison tends to have a heavy Catholic presence...not in an overbearing way, but it is definitely there. Austin strikes me as more secular.

Then there's size, of course. Austin is more of a mid-sized city, while Madison is relatively small.

[dsimicata]

Megan1967,

I am currently in Chicago in the Lakeview/Boystown neighborhood on the northside in the City.