North Pole, Alaska to Madison (Harmony, Dane: apartment, rentals, home)

[ariellajem]

Hi everybody. I have learned a ton reading all the informative threads, I have a few specific questions of my own however;

1) Is there a church and a liquor store on every corner?
(We must have the highest percentage in Fairbanks per capita)

2) Do people carry guns around in their vehicles?
(Seems silly to you, but I'm dead serious)

3) Are drunk drivers common? Is a DUI a right of passage?

4) Is it possible to be a functioning member of society without a college degree?

5) Are the rentals as nice as they look on Craigslist?

We aren't picky people, we just spent a long time in a place with no bylaws. We think your town looks pretty swell, but the grass can't be any less green than it is here.

Edited to add:

Has it been a blue state long or is it a recent thing? (Yes we are vehemently trying to escape our Palin government :P)

[ccjarider]

1) Is there a church and a liquor store on every corner?
(We must have the highest percentage in Fairbanks per capita)
Yup, WI tradition.


2) Do people carry guns around in their vehicles?
(Seems silly to you, but I'm dead serious)

Uncased firearm dispaly in vehicle is not legal in WI. Generally firearms transport is concealed so as not to encourage theft. WI is one of 2 states that do not allow citizens right to carry concealed firearms. (This is too bad in my opinion)

3) Are drunk drivers common? Is a DUI a right of passage?
yup

4) Is it possible to be a functioning member of society without a college degree?

Hard to do in Madison. Highly educated town due to University. Your waiter very likely has a PHD in Greek Mythology. These people moved to madtown in 70's, liked the hippe lifestyle, and decided to stay.

5) Are the rentals as nice as they look on Craigslist?
Yup


WI used to be a swing state, but has gone more Democrat in last decade. Madison and Dane county are very Democratic. If that is your thing, you will like it there.

[subclavius]

1) Well, it's not that bad, but it's pretty easy to find either one.
2) I'm sure a lot of people carry guns with them in the car, but it's not legal. For a town it's size, there's been a surprising number of drive-by shootings lately (About 3 in 2 months or so). One of them was by a school after it just got out for the day, so the cops are starting to crack down on it.
3) Drunk driving is the worst on holidays associated with drinking, like St. Patrick's Day, and for UW home football games. Most UW students avoid getting caught by walking, riding bikes, and sticking to the bars close to campus, but on holidays and game days eveyone else drinks too.
4) Yes. Thanks to the university and the state capital, Madison does have a pretty high education rate, but it's not like it's required. Madison also has a high (literally) count of jobless white hipsters with dreadlocks too. It's an open-minded town.
5) For the most part. Just check out the landlord/management company before signing a lease.
Edit) Madison is fairly blue. Most consider themselves not just democrats but progressives, which has a history here. The rest of the state, however, is fairly red.

[ariellajem]

I really appreciate the info, I'm feeling pretty good about the choice to move there. We are looking at an apartment on Island Dr that seemed decent enough for getting situated. I haven't seen anything too negative about that area, so hopefully that will work out. I grew up in a fair sized city in Canada so I am pretty familiar with city navigation and such, and am not too concerned about being outside the downtown core. It looks like our kind of place and can't be any worse than the third world country they call the last frontier.

[subclavius]

Here's a follow up to your drunk drivers question. It happened a couple of days ago but wasn't posted until today:

Incident Report - Police - City of Madison, Wisconsin

The result-one vehicle, two drunk drivers...oh yeah, and one stolen piece of BBQ chicken and a defiled house.

The Island Drive area should be OK. The further you get from downtown the less of a downtown vibe there is but other things are more convenient, like grocery shopping. The Hilldale area that you'll be close to is kind of a mix between the two. All in all it should be a good location for you.

If you don't want to cook or can't unpack all the kitchen boxes after moving here: The best pizza is from Ian's, Glass Nickel, and Harmony Bar & Grill. The Glass Nickel is the only one that delivers to the Island Drive area.

[ariellajem]

You totally rock! That was unbelievably helpful. We're waiting on the rental folks to get back to us (*crosses fingers*), but I think we have a pretty good chance. I'm also an experienced bank teller and retail manager so I am less concerned with the college grads fighting me. I noticed work is plentiful so that is helpful.

[ariellajem]

OMG! That article is hilarious. I'll make sure to keep the bbq's to a minimum. :P

[subclavius]

OMG! That article is hilarious. I'll make sure to keep the bbq's to a minimum. :P

The reason why the guy was grilling in his front yard is because Madison has an ordinance prohibiting the practice on balconies (fire hazard). So there might be a couple more rules and regulations here compared to what you're used to. For example, marijuana is decriminalized under a certain amount but you sure can't grow a personal supply like up north.

People will be pretty interested about the Palin factor, so expect to field a few questions about that. They'll probably just want to know if she's as bad as most people in the normal world thinks she is.

[ariellajem]

And she is. Most people here LOVE her! The common bumper sticker here reads "Palin 2012 - You can keep 'the change'" Just a bunch of republican, gun toting, fanatically religious, terrorists. They are SO republican that they wanted to vote a convicted criminal back into senate just so that a democrat didn't win. As soon as Ted Stevens weaseled his way out of trouble they wanted to get rid of the nice young democrat who won in favor of the shady criminal. I wont miss people screaming and shaking bibles at me on every street corner or the old biddies that have nothing better to do with their time than picket in front of the abortion clinic.

As far as marijuana goes, I am from Canada (born and raised) so the decriminalization was a big selling feature. Being able to grow your own stash was nice here, but we're not too worried about adjusting. We also figure with how progressive the municipality is, it wont be long before WI is the first place to try legalizing and taxing it.

[subclavius]

We also figure with how progressive the municipality is, it wont be long before WI is the first place to try legalizing and taxing it

Keep in mind, the rest of the state is not as progressive as the city of Madison. When the "protect the sanctity of marriage" act went up for a vote here a couple of years ago, Madison (Dane County) voted in favor of allowing same sex marriages but the rest of the state opposed it. Its currently being reviewed and might be overturned, not because the rest of the state had a change of heart, but only because the legislation may have been improperly worded.

As far as marijuana legalization goes, my guess would be that California will be the first to make the effort. Medical marijuana is already established there and the state has an enormous financial deficit. Wisconsin doesn't allow it for medicinal use yet, which certainly hasn't stopped at least two of my neighbors from self-medicating every day.