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Originally Posted by rdaleg
I have to say I agree with ILLWAUK. Having lived in Madison for 13 years now, for a variety of reasons, I am still trying to find the appeal.
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Gosh, if you've been that miserable for 13 years, it's time for you to leave. (BTW, I don't live in Madison. This just strikes me as common sense.)
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I have been to all the independent bookstores, as I sought them out. I have been to many cultural events, festivals, multi-cultural affairs, etc. I am aware of the diversity but it is only where you look. It is not everywhere as it is in Washington DC for instance.
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So despite the fact that you've been to all these things, they really
don't exist and there is no diversity.

Why does diversity have to jump up and smack you in the face? Like many things in life, I think it's more meaningful if you have to seek it out. You know, the whole "journey not the destination" thing. And "diversity" kind of depends on your frame of reference -- have you ever stopped to think that compared to DC and other large urban centers, it's 'middle America" Madison that is "diverse"?
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Now I am biased bc I lived in DC for 18 years before coming to Madison. There is just no comparison.
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Well, duh. Did you really, honestly, think there would be? I lived in New York City for 12 years, the capital of the world and far and away the most superior city on the face of the Earth (including, of course, D.C.

). I absolutely loved it. And it would probably even meet
your criteria for "diverse." But when I left, it sure wasn't with the attitude of "well, I'm going to find someplace just like it." I've since then I've lived in places ranging from 3,000 to 300,000 in population and they all, without exception, have something to recommend them. You just have to adjust your expectations and if the place doesn't live up to them, move on.
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So I am now looking to move to a smaller, more affordable town in Wisconsin
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I'm not going to say I'm an expert on WI demographics, but do you really think that a
smaller WI town will actually have more of what you're looking for?
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Also I am very saddened by the focus on alcohol and binge drinking in Madison. I have never lived anywhere where there is such an intense amount of drinking and partying.
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It's called "40,000 college students." Ever been to Ann Arbor MI, State College PA, Iowa City IA, etc? That, of course, does not excuse the behavior, but what did you expect?
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We homeschool and she is the only child of color in the two homeschooling groups we belong to.
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Again, expectations, expectations, expectations. The most recent stats I've seen show that less than 10% of homeschooled kids are African-American. So I am not surprised if the homeschooling groups you hang out with are overwhelmingly white.
Umm, by the way, if you are so keen on diversity, why are you homeschooling anyway? How "diverse" is your student body at home? Send your kid to public school.
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Yes I have worked in places where the majority even were african american, asian, hmong, and other people of color, but again it is few and far between and it requires a search.
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Again, honest question: how much diversity is enough? At what point do you feel comfortable saying "ok, this is diverse enough for me"?
Overall, I can sympathize with your unhappiness, but I think your time in DC set you up with some very unrealistic expectations and comparisons. You need to move on. I'd suggest going down south -- combination of demographics that will probably be more to your liking and relatively lower cost of living.