In NEED of advice for moving to Madison from NY

[Chelito23]

The area near the hospitals and the lakes/bay isn't really the true blue south side as most Madisonians think of it. This area is known more as the area immeadiately south of campus and is not the area that is prone to break-ins, thefts, robberies, muggings, etc., which would explain why you had a great experience there. The higher crime is found on the true blue "far" south side to use a term to differentiate between the area, and specifically south of the Wingra Canal. I guess crime is subjective as you stated, but why leave common sense behind just because the city's population is not on par with that of a big city? As you stated, crime does happen everywhere, even in smaller cities. And my parents, who live on the upper middle class west side, have also had their car broken valdalized and their house broken into....so it is important to note the difference between random crime anywhere and areas that are a hot bed for it.

[Megan1967]

I love the Monona Bay area. It is very charming and, as Chelito pointed out, very convenient to just about everything. It has a real "near East side" feel to it. You do have to be aware of where the very active railroad tracks lie, but I've heard you can get used to the trains. It's the train horns I find annoying. Why they have to blast them so loudly and for so long is beyond me.

My point was just that you have to be careful about where you go on the south side because there area areas that are just as rough as any in Chicago. If you find a place that is really cheap on the south side, you can bet it isn't in one of the nicer areas.

Don't rent without seeing the place in person and check out the surrounding areas as well.

This link from the Madison Police Department web site is very helpful.
CrimeReports - Police Department - City of Madison, Wisconsin

[dgd717]

Chelito23 is right. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but south as by the campus would have been more correct. Anything below Wingra is probably not desirable. Sorry for the misleading information

[jmarwhyte]

Some great detailed advice! Thanks again everyone. My boyfriend lives in Fitchburg so the apartment part is taken cared of. I finally visited Madison for the first time this past weekend. Completely different from NY but beautiful and peaceful. I am a really friendly person so I am thankfully not worried about making friends :-). In terms of the ethnic food info, thank you! I am Jamaican so I def was nervous about moving to an area where I could not get a taste of home. Once again please keep the advice and tid bits coming. It is giving me an unbiased and positive perspective of Madison.

[mrs.cool]

It's good that you have Early Childhood experience too. As the Madison School District went to 4 year old kindergarten this year, there are a lot more opportunities within the Early Childhood field. A lot of child care centers have partnered with the schools to host 4K in their centers and then provide wrap around care. Just another avenue to explore...

[argot]

If it's a taste of home you want, Jamerica has awesome food on the near east side, and they run a food cart near the UW campus which I also hear good things about. Jolly Bob's is a little Caribbean place in the same area (the same block, actually) more known for its tropical drinks, but the food is very good there too, in my opinion.

[jmarwhyte]

Thank you Argot!! I will make sure to check those places out. Mrs. Cool, I am looking into taking the Praxis II in Early Childhood so I need to brush up on technical terms. It has been a long time since I have taken a test lol but I worked in 2 childcare centers and the experience i received is still fresh in my system.