Baraboo or Sauk Prairie? (Madison, Middleton: transplants, rental, how much)

[MisterTwisty]

I have a possible job opportunity in Baraboo - my spouse is a speech pathologist. It is likely that my spouse would find the best and most readily available prospects for Speech Path work somewhere in the Madison Metropolitan Area. I would eventually be shooting for work in Madison as well.

It seems Prairie Du Sac/Sauk City could be a comfortable and reasonable commute for me (to Baraboo) and for her (likely to the Madison area). Is this true? I'd note we're both from the rural upper-midwest so we're quite used to driving on icy/snowy/hilly roads during winter.

We're quiet people with no kids (yet) and a dog and cat. We don't crave constant stimulation; we mostly entertain ourselves. We have a pretty middle class combined income ($60-65 K range).

So...

Would Sauk Prairie likely be a reasonably affordable/livable bedroom community for us, were we to do a Baraboo/Madison "daily split" for work?
And what about price points for homes in Sauk Praire? We're not necessarily looking for new construction/cookie cutter homes. Are there tidy, well-kept older homes? Livable Rental properties? At least one reasonable grocery store?
As far as idiocy and irritations of Dells-area tourism, how well- removed/insulated from those issues is Sauk Prairie?
Are young(ish) transplants/commuters in Sauk Prairie accepted, tolerated or just shunned by locals?

Any info would be nice...

[Sean33]

I definitely think it would be a doable commute to both Baraboo and Madison. Highway 12 between Sauk Prairie and Madison has been a 4 lane highway for several years now and should make the commute relatively easy; between Sauk Prairie and Middleton (the closest portion of Metro Madison to Sauk) should take less than 30 minutes, though if you end up working in Madison's east side or an eastern burb the commute could take quite a bit longer. You can make it to up to Baraboo in 20 minutes. The only possible issue there is I think they are planning to eventually expand the highway going that way, which could mean lots of construction, but that could be years off. There are a lot of nice older homes in Sauk Prairie, especially in the older sections of town, including some nice victorians (those might be a bit expensive), with the more cookie-cutter types in the newer, outer sections. I've never house hunted in Sauk Prairie, but it looks like the median home price is about 180,000. Last I knew, there were two grocery stores, a Sentry and a Piggly Wiggly, which should offer decent groceries, but nothing like a Whole Foods, etc. Sauk Prairie always felt insulated to the craziness of the Dells to me; most tourists heading that way take the interstate, which is a ways from Sauk Prairie. The area does get quite a few tourists in the summer from people heading up to Devils Lake, or to canoe the Wisconsin River, and in the winter to watch eagles, but nothing too crazy like the Dells. I grew up in rural Sauk County and went to high school in Sauk Prairie. At the time I thought it was a bit hickish, but I look back on it fondly, and I think it's changed quite a bit since my high school days (graduated in 94). I think you could be happy there, but having been a local there myself it's hard for me to say how much newcomers are accepted. Locals are friendly, though some do like to talk trash about people from Illinois, but it's mostly harmless. I think quite a few people commute to Madison, and it's slowly becoming a bedroom community for Madison. Good luck! That's a beautiful part of the state.