Atwood area in Madison (Monona, Maple Bluff: real estate, home, neighborhoods)

[filmfan]

Is anyone familiar with this neighborhood? I found it appealing during my brief visit but looks could be deceiving at first glance. Seems to have a lot going on, but relatively mellow compared to State St (where a realtor said "that's where all the kids hang out"). I was also told that the west side of town was could be characterized as trendy, and the east side, crunchy. Don't have any personal contacts there, so these words and yours are what I'm relying on for now to help me decide where to live! I have a positive outlook towards Madison though, and saw that quite a few people throughout the country chose it as their favorite capital city (on the General US board).

[Sideblinded]

Atwood is a small area depending on who is defining it. I was born & raised in Madison, and lived in the Marquette neighborhood. I recall Atwood as being on the other side of the Yahara river and Schenk's corner defined it. Anything outside a few blocks of that triangle was considered Yahara, Olbrich, or something else!

It has been quite a while since I have lived there, but I loved the Wonderbar if it still exsists!

[filmfan]

yes, while it may be small, it doesn't really matter to me if it has an open community of residents. That leads to another question, is there in fact something that makes a Madison neighborhood something more than just a number of streets clustered together? Would one feel a difference walking to and from adjacent neighborhoods? I think that students there even attend public schools in Marquette. Do you know if the area has improved over the years? Thanks so much for your comments!

[Sideblinded]

The real east side of Madison has improved both in real estate values, and is very open. One major downfall of the neighborhood issue is the school factor. Marquette/ O'Keefe or whatever the new name is now may be the middle school, but not the grade school. Lake View or Emerson were the elementary school for a lot of kids on the "other side of the river". Emerson does have major issues with rolling enrollment since it serves a large homeless temporary housing community.

Would one feel a difference walking to and from adjacent neighborhoods? I think that students there even attend public schools in Marquette.

I don't think neighborhood boundries are a main issue on the eastside. Madison's East side is unique. There is a bond that is hard to describe, we stick up for eachother. Atwood, Olbrich, Marquette, Maple Bluff were all blurred together to me as a kid growing up. One major change I have noticed is Willamson Street. I was so afraid of it as a kid, and it now seems to be a much nicer area. The east side has always been the "Under dog" Yet I graduated with a guy that won an emmy a few years ago! He played Josh, (or Jake) on West Wing.

When I went to UW, (Late 70's/early 80's) everyone asked; "Where are you from?" I would say Madison, which was always followed by" Did you go to West? When I replied, "No, I went to East" I think they thought I was going to pull out some homemade knife made from my notebook.

If you embrace diversity, accept the fact that you are not going to get a 4 bedroom home that is new, and want to live your life without the cookie cutter suburban life, it is the best. If you are looking for a big garage, large yard, gated community & a pool it would not work.

Atwood, Olbrich, Marquette, whatever: It may be different know, but we never thought of us as being different, with the exception of the Maple Bluff kids having more money.

When I went to UW, (Late 70's) everyone asked; "Where are you from?" I would say Madison, which was always followed by" Did you go to West? When I replied, "No, I went to East" I think they thought I was going to pull out some homemade knife made from my notebook.

It doesn't matter what part of the East side you are from. Once you are you feel like a part of something special.

[filmfan]

Sideblinded, I loved your post, especially the bit about the homemade knife *chuckles*. If it's still true that you have people who stick up for each other on the east side, I'm sold. I've had my fill of suburban living growing up, and these days will try to avoid it if it kills me- actually the older housing, diversity, etc. suits me just fine. There a couple of things that I'm confused about though-- what do you mean by the real east side? And, although I don't have kids, I might be a little concerned about a large homeless shelter if it is nearby. I had no idea- where is it exactly?

[Sideblinded]

Real Eastside depends on who you are asking. The north side of Madison, Cherokee, Warner Park, La Follette & near the airport are also considered Eastside.

I view the Eastside by the Isthmus to Oscar Meyers. Anything east of the capital past the yahara river to Monona Drive is how I define it.

I am not sure where the homeless shelter is, or if it is still in that location. I had a friend that lived near Emerson & was aware of it because her kids attended that school. It is near Oscar Meyers.

This map is a loose scale of what I define as the Eastside.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8...l=en&tab=wl&q=

Here is a good site that may help define the school areas.

http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/schools.htm

[filmfan]

I tried to google the location of Oscar Meyers and then realized it is Mayer. Watching millions of commercials as a kid has finally paid off.
Anyway, thanks for your reply. It helps to feel that I'm not just talking to myself here!

Are there any Madisonians reading who would like to comment on their own neighborhood? Or is everyone out having too much fun to be bothered?

[MadCityKid9]

i would have to agree about the east side sticking together, mostly against the west side, the "stuck up" side.

[filmfan]

Hi MCKid9-
You go to a diverse school, right? If you're still there, let me ask you something. Do different ethnic groups tend to stick together? I went to a pretty diverse college (in Philly) and found out that there was a mix of races at different social events, but surprisingly large groups of students still preferred to hang with people of similar ethnic backgrounds. I had a friend who even did a study on the seating patterns in the largest dining hall on campus, where the voluntary "segregation" was most apparent. After going to a virtually all White (like 99% myself excluded) HS, it was a real eye-opener for me. This was over a decade ago and things may have changed, but I kind of doubt it.

[toast12]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

It has been quite a while since I have lived there, but I loved the Wonderbar if it still exsists!

Yeah Baby go to the wonderbar every monday after work. I highly prefer the east side over the west side any day. Atwood area is awsome.