Austin to Madison? Maybe? (Wausau, Fitchburg: 2015, for rent, credit card)

[ashbeeigh]

I'm just pondering at this point and am by no means serious about this move, but would like a bit of input on whether Madison may be an okay fit for me. I also did a quick search of "Austin" and found one thread where someone suggested Austin for someone to relocate, but nothing really comparing the two or anyone else considering this move within the last 4ish years.

Single, late 30s, liberal Christian, dog mom. Family is all originally from the Chicago area. We moved to San Antonio when I was 4 years old, so San Antonio was home. We popped into Wausau (GOD WHY) for a year when I was in middle school. We promptly moved back to San Antonio. (I didn't hate the winter in Wausau, but it sounds like that year, 98-99, was a bit milder). I moved to Austin, in 2015. It was a nice "get away from home but not too far" place. I'm starting to get a bit burned out by the culture (hip, young, tech, not 'keep Austin weird' anymore) and the general cost of living. I am a social worker, with a clinical license and can easily (hopefully) get it transferred to Wisconsin. I am outdoorsy, but not like "I need mountains and skiing and water and hiking" outdoorsy. I'm a runner, so finding a place that has a good running community and safe roads/trails is really important. I'm assuming income would be roughly the same, so mid to high 60k. I have a fair amount of credit card, student loans, and am paying off a car. So, budget-wise I'd be able to afford to pay about 1200-1400 per month in rent. I visited Madison a handful of times when we lived in Wausau, but I obviously assume things have changed. Madison appeals to me because it puts me close to the people I remain close to in Wausau, and close to Chicago, where extended family is. The university/state capital comparison is obvious.

With all that said, does Madison sound like it could be a good fit for me? I'm not looking for the next "big" thing, just a place that is peaceful, where I can safely hang out with my dog, make some friends while running, and maybe join a liberal progressive protestant church, all while mindlessly swiping on whatever hot dating app of the moment is. No kids and am single, too.

[hikernut]

I went to grad school in Madison, many moons ago. Based on my admittedly dated experience, I expect you would like it there. I did a lot of running in those days, including a half marathon which is roughly one time around Lake Monona. The Arboretum, just south of Lake Wingra, is good for cross country skiing in the winter and running in the summer. Then of course there are all the lake activities in the summer. There's a fairly active sailing club, but I never joined it when I lived there. There are some ski hills in the area, but they're not worth the bother IMO. I enjoyed the cross country skiing more, both in the city and in areas outside the city. Not sure what kind of protestant church you are interested in... there is a Lutheran church at University Ave and Mills St that's worth visiting if you are open to that denomination. I was involved in the campus center which is right next door.

Hope it works out for you, whatever you choose.

[purplebao]

Funny, I'm moving from Austin (my hometown) to Madison this summer, so if you're holding off on moving for a bit I will let you know how it goes. Part of the reason my husband and I liked Madison so much when we visited was because it reminded us of what we liked about Austin -- family friendly, liberal, has the university there, capitol city, has pockets of quirkiness/weirdness. We work in tech and went to college near San Francisco and really hated the 'tech bro' culture. I agree there's some of that in Austin now but it isn't insufferable (yet) like the Bay Area is. I will say that 1200-1400 for rent is on the low end from what I've seen, but I'm sure you could find it. If you can handle the winter and comparatively greyer skies, and seeing as you're renting and not buying (property taxes are astronomical in Madison), I don't see why not.

In case anyone is curious, our reason for moving is because of climate change and how it may affect our future kids. Otherwise I would 1000% try to stay in Austin.

[Sonny3]

I think Madison sounds like a good fit for you.

[Drewjdeg]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

I'm just pondering at this point and am by no means serious about this move, but would like a bit of input on whether Madison may be an okay fit for me. I also did a quick search of "Austin" and found one thread where someone suggested Austin for someone to relocate, but nothing really comparing the two or anyone else considering this move within the last 4ish years.

Single, late 30s, liberal Christian, dog mom. Family is all originally from the Chicago area. We moved to San Antonio when I was 4 years old, so San Antonio was home. We popped into Wausau (GOD WHY) for a year when I was in middle school. We promptly moved back to San Antonio. (I didn't hate the winter in Wausau, but it sounds like that year, 98-99, was a bit milder). I moved to Austin, in 2015. It was a nice "get away from home but not too far" place. I'm starting to get a bit burned out by the culture (hip, young, tech, not 'keep Austin weird' anymore) and the general cost of living. I am a social worker, with a clinical license and can easily (hopefully) get it transferred to Wisconsin. I am outdoorsy, but not like "I need mountains and skiing and water and hiking" outdoorsy. I'm a runner, so finding a place that has a good running community and safe roads/trails is really important. I'm assuming income would be roughly the same, so mid to high 60k. I have a fair amount of credit card, student loans, and am paying off a car. So, budget-wise I'd be able to afford to pay about 1200-1400 per month in rent. I visited Madison a handful of times when we lived in Wausau, but I obviously assume things have changed. Madison appeals to me because it puts me close to the people I remain close to in Wausau, and close to Chicago, where extended family is. The university/state capital comparison is obvious.

With all that said, does Madison sound like it could be a good fit for me? I'm not looking for the next "big" thing, just a place that is peaceful, where I can safely hang out with my dog, make some friends while running, and maybe join a liberal progressive protestant church, all while mindlessly swiping on whatever hot dating app of the moment is. No kids and am single, too.

You're in luck because Madison has plenty of trails and paved bike paths. If you handle the cold weather, it sounds like it would be a good fit.

[Drewjdeg]

Originally Posted by purplebao

Funny, I'm moving from Austin (my hometown) to Madison this summer, so if you're holding off on moving for a bit I will let you know how it goes. Part of the reason my husband and I liked Madison so much when we visited was because it reminded us of what we liked about Austin -- family friendly, liberal, has the university there, capitol city, has pockets of quirkiness/weirdness. We work in tech and went to college near San Francisco and really hated the 'tech bro' culture. I agree there's some of that in Austin now but it isn't insufferable (yet) like the Bay Area is. I will say that 1200-1400 for rent is on the low end from what I've seen, but I'm sure you could find it. If you can handle the winter and comparatively greyer skies, and seeing as you're renting and not buying (property taxes are astronomical in Madison), I don't see why not.

In case anyone is curious, our reason for moving is because of climate change and how it may affect our future kids. Otherwise I would 1000% try to stay in Austin.

For a 1 bedroom? That's about average; a lot of people pay less that than that though, especially in older buildings.

[ashbeeigh]

Thanks y'all. Still very much in the wondering phase. And from a quick google search it looked like my budget would be manageable. I'd be interested to hear some updates later, purplebao. I did a quick search of running groups on google as well. Are there lots of groups out there? This is one thing that I adore about Austin. There is literally a running group that I can meet up with every day of the week if I wanted to. (Obviously it might vary during the deep dark winter days, but generally runners are out and about when it's super cold, too....and super hot). Any other insight or feedback would be appreciated. I'll continue to keep an eye on this thread.

[timberline742]

There is a big iron man community in Madison, and the associated training groups.

[purplebao]

Originally Posted by Drewjdeg

For a 1 bedroom? That's about average; a lot of people pay less that than that though, especially in older buildings.

Ah, you're right. For some reason I misread. For a 1 bedroom that budget is definitely doable.

Will let you know how the move goes. Another thing I will add that you would love about Madison -- parks. They're EVERYWHERE. Trails too. All very beautiful and many have fun things to do. I think Madison has about as many parks as the entire city of Austin. And that's not even counting the parks in the nearby suburbs like Fitchburg, Middleton, etc. Fun things to do in them too, check out https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/find-a-park/find/

As for groups, there look like a number of active groups on Facebook for various Madison-related topics. Also groups for certain sports; MUFA (ultimate frisbee) is one I keep hearing a lot about. I see a lot of active groups on Meetup. The biggest one is for hikers: https://www.meetup.com/Madison-Hiking-Enthusiasts/

[badger74]

1980 Austin was great. Now not so much. Madison is more 1980 Austin than Austin 2022.