Grad student moving to Madison, East or West? Help! (Monroe: apartments, coop)

[jaimebslp]

Hi there, I'll be moving Madison this summer for graduate school and, having never been there, I'm in need of some advice on where to live. From information I've gathered online, I think my partner and I are more east-siders, but I'd like some input on that. Here's our scoop:

We're moving from Portland, OR, a city that we LOVE, so if you've been here that gives you a good idea of what we're looking for.
We would love to live close to at least some neighborhoods cafes/rest/bars, and not too far from the city center. Ideally we would live near a coop or other good, hippie grocery store.
We wish to avoid the campus scene and living next to a bunch of young undergrads
We'd like more of a neighborhood feel, where my cat can roam around and hunt and burn off energy, and where I can take my dog for nice walks
We ride mostly bicycles and mopeds, but do have a car for larger trips to the store, etc.
I'd like to be no more than 5 or so miles from campus so I can commute by bike easily.

Does it sounds like I have near-east thing right, or did I get it backwards, or is there more than one neighborhood that will make us happy.

I don't think I'll have the chance to get out there before we move, so I need all the help I can get.

[Laura Blumberg]

Hi, I was born in Madison, and lived in WI until I was about 20. Why don't you just call student services or the Chamber of Commerce and ask them? It's been too long since I lived in WI to give you any sensible advice, but they would be able to give you rational feedback on where to find a cute cottage with room for a little garden and a cat/dog, w/i bikable distance. And don't miss the Friday nite fish fries at all the local bar and grills (started as a Catholic tradition, cause they can't eat meat on Fri). The potato pancakes are to die for. WI is SO beautiful, always green, country roads, fun iceskating and xcountry skiing. Best of luck in your future, study hard! Laura

[Megan1967]

Hi there!

The only thing "wrong" with the near east side is that I believe it is further than 5 miles from campus. The bike trails are so good, however, that I don't think you'll find it too much of a problem.

I would be careful of letting your cat run loose. First it is illegal in the city and people aren't shy about turning them in to the humane society, but he/she will also be susceptible to all sorts of dangers, not the least of which are crazy/scummy people who hate cats and dog fighters who use cats a bait. We've had more than one case where stinky neighbors poisoned a neighbor's cats for killing song birds. I would be sick to my stomach if my cat or dog were to disappear mysteriously.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Hi and welcome to Madison! Glad you're heading in this direction; I suspect you'll enjoy it nearly as much as you do Portland.

There has been a fair amount of lively conversation about East/West differences in Madison in this sub-forum, and I've kept a list of some of the threads that seemed to be the most informative. I'd suggest that you check out the following for some excellent and very specific information:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...west-side.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...t-isthmus.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...re-should.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...ghborhood.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...nt-advice.html

Another very good resource is the "Variety of Useful Links" thread that is stickied at the top of the Madison forum; you will find a wealth of information there that I suspect will help you a great deal.

Finally, I echo Megan's caution about letting your cat loose in Madison. Even aside from the city ordinance, there are really no neighborhoods in town that are so devoid of traffic that a free-ranging animal would be safe. Lots of residential areas, certainly, and most folks are good about driving slowly on residential streets, but it doesn't take a vehicle going very fast to do a lot of damage to a kitty. At the very least, if you cat is not "chipped" (injected with a readable microchip of data to contact you) you should get that done before you let him or her loose. The humane society here has a reader for those things, and hopefully would try to contact you before putting it up for adoption as a stray.

Good luck in your move, and we look forward to seeing you at the Farmers' Market!

[tchemgrrl]

I think the Willy St/Marquette or the Atwood neighborhood would be ideal (that's the near east side, on the southern half of the Isthmus). In terms of distance, as a grad student I lived in an apartment that was pretty much exactly on the border between the two and it was almost exactly 4 miles to the engineering quad (halfway onto campus). So all of Williamson and most of Atwood would qualify under your criteria. Very walkable neighborhoods, with a bike path that will lead you to campus running right through. The Willy St. Co-op was the closest place on the way home for me, so that's where I'd pick up milk and things. There are a lot of people who seem to have outdoor cats in the area, though like the previous two posters, I think it would make me nervous, as there's quite a bit of traffic in the area (aside from generic cat health, ordinance, and local wildlife issues). The apartments available in the neighborhood are more grad-student-centric closer to the capitol, tending towards young professionals and families as you move outwards.

Good luck!

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by jaimebslp

Hi there, I'll be moving Madison this summer for graduate school and, having never been there, I'm in need of some advice on where to live. From information I've gathered online, I think my partner and I are more east-siders, but I'd like some input on that. Here's our scoop:

We're moving from Portland, OR, a city that we LOVE, so if you've been here that gives you a good idea of what we're looking for.
We would love to live close to at least some neighborhoods cafes/rest/bars, and not too far from the city center. Ideally we would live near a coop or other good, hippie grocery store.
We wish to avoid the campus scene and living next to a bunch of young undergrads
We'd like more of a neighborhood feel, where my cat can roam around and hunt and burn off energy, and where I can take my dog for nice walks
We ride mostly bicycles and mopeds, but do have a car for larger trips to the store, etc.
I'd like to be no more than 5 or so miles from campus so I can commute by bike easily.

Does it sounds like I have near-east thing right, or did I get it backwards, or is there more than one neighborhood that will make us happy.

I don't think I'll have the chance to get out there before we move, so I need all the help I can get.

I think the Willy Street area sounds like a good fit for y'all. I'd like to second that recommendation not to let your cat roam free...pls let's all be responsible pet owners

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by jaimebslp

We would love to live close to at least some neighborhoods cafes/rest/bars, and not too far from the city center. Ideally we would live near a coop or other good, hippie grocery store.
We wish to avoid the campus scene and living next to a bunch of young undergrads
We'd like more of a neighborhood feel, where my cat can roam around and hunt and burn off energy, and where I can take my dog for nice walks
We ride mostly bicycles and mopeds, but do have a car for larger trips to the store, etc.
I'd like to be no more than 5 or so miles from campus so I can commute by bike easily.

All of that makes me think you would be happiest on the isthmus for its commerce and the University Heights area for living. I'd say look at both and see which appeals more.

[RemiJP]

I moved here last summer from a "hip" area of Boston and was looking for a similar neighborhood in Madison.I couldn't be happier to be in the Willy St neighborhood. The co-op is great and we can easily walk to the Capitol and State St. The buildings I work and go to class in are on the far western edge of campus but it usually only takes 20-30 minutes to get to campus by bus, 15 on my bike. I was used to a 45 minutes commute back in Boston, so this commute is great by comparison!

By any chance does your member name indicate that you are coming here to study speech-language pathology?

[jaimebslp]

Thanks everyone, from what I've been reading I definitely think that Willy/Atwood is the place. Also, THANK YOU for the tips about my cat. Things are different here in Portland but I will definitely heed your advice and keep him indoors, even if he hates me for it I'm really looking forward to the move, and I will definitely see you all at the farmers market!

[thetallnathan]

Thought I might chime in just a bit here...

Yes, the Willy (aka Williamson) St. neighborhood would seem to match your criteria to a T... right down to the local crunchy coop. Atwood isn't far away and it has similar positive features. Though I honestly kind of like the Atwood area better... maybe just that extra mile from downtown & campus makes it feel a tad more permanent and real. Or maybe it's just that Monty's Blue Plate is one of my top three favorite restaurants in Madison.

Just wanted to point out a few more neighborhoods that you would probably feel good about should you find an affordable place in one of them:

* East Johnson neighborhood - between maybe Paterson and the Tenney Park area. Around the 1000 block are several nifty local shops and a coffee house. No coop (just a convenience store) though still a fairly easy bike ride to Willy St. Coop. The closer to Tenney Park (aka the further from campus), the less it feels like a college scene. And I really love Tenney Park.

* Monroe St. neighborhood - between Regent and Edgewood College. Despite being a Madison east-sider, I've always found the Monroe St. area to be remarkably cute and pleasant. And if you have an affinity for three buck chuck (or other Trader Joe's shopping), this is the street where it's located. This is kind of like the west side's version of Willy/Atwood, though it's a bit more washed over, if you will. And it's not too far from the Regent Market Coop.

* The near north side - Madison's east vs. west dichotomy is much debated, but few people talk about the north or south sides. North Sherman Ave. between Commercial and Northport is kind of like the "main street" of the north side. The Manna Cafe and some shops at N. Sherman and Commercial are great. And Warner Park at N. Sherman and Northport is a big, lovely park and one of the few dog parks in the city. Look, the north side doesn't have the funky chic of the Willy/Atwood area, nor does it have the pleasantly gentrified vibe of the Monroe/Regent St. area. Parts of it are very "old Madison" (hello Esquire Club!) But there are some pretty nice and affordable places up that way, and it's got a community vibe in its own right, thanks in no small part to a decade or so of community organizing. And being right next you Maple Bluff, you can see how the other half lives. : )

Anyway, one last thing I want to point out -- if you're coming from Portland, there's a fair chance you know about KBOO. Here in Madison, we've got WORT Community Radio at 89.9FM. It's a great station to listen to and an even greater place to do some volunteering at. If you want to ingrain yourself into the community, it's one of several tremendous community hubs in Madison.