healthcare prof moving to madison- need help with schools and real estate (Sun Prairie: condo, crime rates)

[bpt]

Hi-
My husband and I are moving out of Washington DC to Madison this Spring 09. We have a toddler with another on the way. We have never been to Madison but will be there next week for 3 days to sign contracts, look at real estate.

We are ideally looking for a neighborhood that is very family friendly,great schools, but would like to be walking distance to little coffee shops, grocery store or at the very least a very short drive. We love that we can walk to everything in DC but now are anxious to give up condo living and get a house with a yard. We want a nice spread with an open layout but are a little weary of the transition to suburbia! We have a budget maximum of around 800K.

Any advice on neighborhoods that would fit this criteria? We are both in our mid 30s and are very excited about the move - thanks for any input of neighborhoods and schools/schools systems!

[Megan1967]

You can live just about anywhere you'd like in Madison for 800K. I would suggest the Monroe Street neighborhood. Lots of nice old houses with big yards and trees. Lots of little shops, restaurants, schools (some of the best in the city), etc within easy walking distance. Nice access to the downtown/campus area (without being *too* close) and west side as well.

Doesn't feel at all suburban. Small town is not the same as suburban. Much nicer in my opinion. In Madison you get the best of a small town and quite a few of the advantages of a larger city without some of the drawbacks like high crime rates, crowds, traffic headaches and the like.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

With a budget of $800K, you can pretty much get any house you want in Madison. There are a few ginormous McMansions that go for over a million, but $800K will buy you a whole lotta house in this town.

Most of the schools in Madison are very good to excellent. Some people from elsewhere assume that only suburbs could possibly have good schools and that anything in the city itself must be sub-par, but that is very much not the case. There are good schools also in many of the outlying communities as well, but don't rule out the city of Madison.

The type of neighborhood you describe exists in a number of different areas of the city. You might want to check out the neighborhoods along Regent Street near West High, which are beautiful. Monroe Street also has some lovely areas in the blocks on either side, and Monroe itself has lots of little coffee shops and restaurants. Shorewood Hills is another area that you might like a lot (it's also quite close to University Hospital, and no more than a mile from Meriter and St. Mary's).

If you'd prefer being a bit farther afield, many well-to-do folks in the area seem to like Verona quite a lot. Middleton has a good reputation as well. Waunakee has some quite nice areas. I like Sun Prairie, too, and Cottage Grove has some very spiffy new housing developments. All those communities have good reputations for their schools, though I don't think they're necessarily better than Madison's schools.

If you haven't browsed through the "variety of useful links about Madison" thread, I'd suggest that you check it out also, as you can find a lot of good data there.

Good luck in your relocation!

[Alt Dach]

800K -Well u wont be bothered by the little people.

[bpt]

We really appreciate the input Megan and Midwestern Bookworm! I was hoping that the real estate would be much better in Madison as we are in DC right now and real estate is unreal even for our townhome! Good to know we dont have to use all our savings to get a nice little spread w/ a yard close to a downtown area. We will definately look into those areas when we are there next week. Very helpful!!

[tchemgrrl]

I agree with the posters above: nice houses that are within a few blocks of Monroe as far south as Edgewood College or farther, near West, or Shorewood Hills would all be well in your budget and pretty much what you're looking for. You might also want to look in the Vilas neighborhood.

Shorewood Hills is where a lot of UW profs live. The area is very upscale, super safe, and from what I've seen indirectly with my advisors, is very kid-friendly. If you're working at the UW Hospital it's just about the closest place. The only downside I can see as to what you're looking for is that I don't consider it to be super-walkable; there aren't a lot of sidewalks and the streets are intentionally set up in loopy awkward ways so that "outsiders" can't use it as a shortcut. I went to my advisors' homes several times and ALWAYS got lost. It's not far to shops or grocery stores, but it's not a straight line.

The residential near-west side neighborhoods (the other three, which sort of run into each other) are also lovely. There's less of a snob-factor. Depending on where exactly in town you're working, they might be closer (the Vilas neighborhood is neatly bordered by St. Mary's and Meriter). The streets around Vilas are very narrow so the traffic is never very heavy, but there's sidewalks and decent-sized yards everywhere, and I think of that area as being a spot where you have ready access to the whole city.

The area near the high school can be loud after school, which a friend of mine with young kids considered to be the only real downside to that area. It's also close enough to the stadium to be somewhat crazy on game days. I didn't realize how big college football could be until I moved to Madison! On the other hand, I think of it as being a very "settled" neighborhood, very friendly to young families.

I don't know as much about the Monroe St. area, but I've wandered through a few times and it seems very nice.

Good luck!

[ChiDad]

I'd recommend Middleton Hills. It has been designed "new urban" with many businesses to walk to, including the grocery store. Home prices range for $400,000 to $1,000,000. Lots are small to encourage walkability. Middleton schools are excellent.

[ComfortablyNumb]

If you are concerned about schools, I'd highly recommend Middleton. Madison has good schools, but there are typical "bigger city" problems in most of the schools, especially the high schools. Middleton schools are all about as good as you can possibly get, some of the best in the entire nation. You will have a bit of a drive every day, though. Nothing compared to anything resembling DC, though. And despite kind of being suburbia, Middleton has done a much better job hiding/disguising the fact than anywhere else I've seen.

If you want to live closer to work/downtown/things, I recommend the Monroe St neighborhood, where you'll probably find a lot of the 30's/40's professional crowd like yourself. From my experience, the people who live here are typically the types who take great care of their houses and yards, go to cafes and bookstores, and regularly hit up the Trader Joes and upscale bars/shops just down the street. Shorewood Hills is another option, is right next to the hospital and along the lakeshore, and has a lot of nice old houses. I'm pretty sure it has a much older crowd than the Monroe area, and a lot of people who work at UW Hospital live there. Expect at least $400,000 in this area, but it can get quite a bit more expensive than that. It also has a bit of an exclusive-ish attitude, too.

You might also want to check out the Nakoma area. It's my favorite area of Madison, personally.

[Megan1967]

Originally Posted by ChiDad

I'd recommend Middleton Hills. It has been designed "new urban" with many businesses to walk to, including the grocery store. Home prices range for $400,000 to $1,000,000. Lots are small to encourage walkability. Middleton schools are excellent.

Sorry to be argumentative, but the op should be aware that "new urban" has translated into micro yards and narrow streets. I don't live there, but in a decidedly downscale version of the same idea so we have the same little yards and only slightly wider streets. You are right on top of your neighbors and there is no place for any visitors to park. I have a neighbor who has decided to take up the electric guitar and it has been a real pain.

I also think it is less than ideal for people with or planning to have children as when people do park on the street there is no visibility and I'm amazed none have been picked off thus far. Of course there is no yard for them to play in so maybe it isn't an issue....

If I had that kind of money to buy a house I would choose Monroe/Regent Street or Nakoma hands down.

Actually, I should add that Middleton has some wonderful, older, traditional neighborhoods with big yards, well kept houses and best yet - mature trees!

[kt35]

With 800K you could get a super condo downtown. Only bummer is the lack of yardspace, but you could use a nearby park. I know some people who got a large penthouse for about $1m, so you may be able to get something similar for 800K with the market in its current mess.

I also like the near eastside neighborhoods, near Orton Park and Atwood Avenue. Your budget would be more than ample. Maple Bluff is also nice, very near campus and downtown. One downer is that it's in the East High area. Not a bad high school, but quite a lot of gang problems from what I hear.