I'm 50 yo. Will I feel too old for Madison? (Burlington: apartment complex, crime)

[bostonguy1960]

Silly question, many on this forum may say. I've lived all of my adult life in or around
Boston after graduating college in the same city. Yes, lots of young faces here in college town. And I do like it; who wouldn't,: Nice young faces to look at combined with intelligence and exhuberance...

But if I start over in another young college town like Madison, where I've never been and without a college degree from UW...perhaps that's different than growing old in Boston where I do have college ties.

My job situation is flexible because I'm not in any type of professional job.

Maybe Chicago or the Twin Cities (born there but left at age 6) would present less of a college scene and a more grownup. In my case, living in a young college area has perhaps allowed me to stagnate and not want to grow up.

Hmm...

Burlington, Vermont also appeals to me, but it's even smaller (and more insular than Madison perhaps) with the dominant UVM and St. Michael's campuses nearby. It's also mo

Obviously, it has to be my choice...but maybe Madison is not the type of town to move to at 50...maybe one starts there at 18, or comes at a yuppie age.

[Megan1967]

Heavy sigh... There is *much* more to the City of Madison than the UW. It provides a lot of wonderful opportunities and "energy" but there are a ton of us middle age folk here, many of whom went to school else where.

I went to school here and only left briefly to live elsewhere, but rarely do I come in contact with people from college. (Ironically, one of the few people I would like to avoid from college I see at least once a week.....).

I won't say the UW doesn't have an impact on just about everything in Madison to some extent, but there are a lot of us here living our normally daily lives.

[7G9C4J2]

I'm 53, didn't grow up here, didn't go to the UW, and this has never once been an issue for me. We moved here a decade ago, and I have had no problems finding kindred souls and a sense of identity and belonging here.

Of course, for every person whose experience mirrors mine, you'll find someone else who'll tell you that it's a snooty, insular community and that the heavy hand of the UW and student life dominates every single person's life who lives here. And for those folks, that's their reality.

I can't possibly tell you what your experience here would be, because so much depends on the baggage you bring with you rather than on what you find here. But unless you get yourself an apartment in the 600 block of Langdon Street and never leave the campus area, you should find it relatively simple to overlook or ignore the UW as much as you choose. Madison is not a huge city by any means, but it's big enough that even a campus with 40,000+ students doesn't need to be in your face unless it's your choice.

[dlk33]

I'm 51, didn't grow up here but raised two children here that are now adults. Neither of them went to school at UW either, instead they went to the community college. You can choose to be a part of the social aspect of UW or not. I don't doubt that you will be somewhat pulled in by the UW sports scene, especially men's basketball & or football, maybe even hockey. The city of madison offers all kinds of activities throughout the year, not all are related to UW. I'd say someone who is liberal thinking will appreciate living here much more then someone with a conservative view! If your main concern is being afraid of not fitting in because of moving here at the age of 50, put that worry to rest. Why not come visit for a few days to see what kind of vibe you get. I think you will be pleased by your experience. You bring nothing up about the weather or cost of living, which may or may not cause you other concerns about moving here. Depends what your expectations are

[MassVt]

Well, I grew up in Burlington, and I lived in Madison as an "40-something"...

UW dominates Madison more than UVM dominated Burlington, IMHO; both of the VT counterparts are much smaller, and there are parts of Burlington that have little/no connection, physically/intellectually or otherwise, with UVM/St. Michael's...UW's connection with Madison is very strong..

But if you're concerned with "fitting in" while in Madison, I wouldn't worry too much. The city has been "discovered', and it's really for people of all ages. It's really is quite a pleasant place, and there's no shortage of things to do. And also being the state capital, this would be something that it would have in common with Boston.Rents/Homes are expensive by WI standards, but cheap by Boston's, and the people are largely a friendly sort...

Take a few days, and visit; you'll get a better feel for the place...

[littlequeenie]

I'm originally from Boston and have interviewed for a job in Madison so have been considering a move there in the last few weeks.
While I do not want to move to an apartment complex that is largely full of college students, I really hadn't thought of being too old for Madison (I'm mid-50's now hard as it is for me to accept).
While I accept the fact that UW must have a large influence on Madison, I think it is a large enough city that UW isn't the only influence? Unlike Rochester, MN where I live now where the Mayo Clinic is definitely the predominant influence.

I am really happy to see 40+ and 50+ year olds like Madison so much. I had wanted to relocate further west to a less populated, quieter area - but so far the jobs aren't there. If I can accept the fact that it is a city with more traffic, I think Madison has a lot to offer.

[stella1948]

Living in a college town doesn't let you stagnate, it keeps you young. Many people I know haved moved here after they were 50, 60 and 70. They were lively, intellectual and liberal. They fell in love with Madison.

[BigCur]

Having lived in both, the major difference , besides size, is that Madison is in a rapid decline with rapidly
increasing crime .

[Megan1967]

Originally Posted by BigCur

Having lived in both, the major difference , besides size, is that Madison is in a rapid decline with rapidly
increasing crime .

Madison is in rapid decline? Please explain. Your statement conjures images of a burned out ghetto in my mind and I don't think that is even close to reality.

It's just a regular city. There is crime, yes, but it is hardly out of control and rampant across the whole city.

[BigCur]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

Madison is in rapid decline? Please explain. Your statement conjures images of a burned out ghetto in my mind and I don't think that is even close to reality.

It's just a regular city. There is crime, yes, but it is hardly out of control and rampant across the whole city.

Whatever images you carry in your mind do not define reality.

I just watched a public service ad on Madison TV showing the details of 4 recent unsolved murders in hope of public help.
Yesterday I believe the news reporte 5 armed robberies/.
The main headline in today's paper is "CHILDREN FILLING HOMELESS SHELTERS" .

Madison has a LOT of crime, Burlington, VT does not.
Every indication is that Madison crime rate, school decline etc will continue to increase.
True Madison is a regular american city, an regular american city this size has a lot of crime.