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Old 09-28-2007, 05:21 PM
 
2,987 posts, read 10,094,787 times
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I have never lived in NYC, but I think if you are considering a move out of NYC, you are looking for something different, and your expectations need to be realistic too. The bagels and pastries may not be "as good" in your opinion...but why move somewhere to cloan your previous lifestlye? There are many decent bakeries in this area...and numerous options for bagels btw. I think Madison does offer many amenities that one wouldn't find in most other places of its size...but by no means is it a metropolis, although I agree with the other posters that it thinks it is more cosmopolitan than it is.

Sadly, a new Target anywhere is big news, when Home Depot opened a store in Manhattan that made National News...and if Wal Mart moved into urban Chicago I am sure that would be on their news too. The big box stores completely affect the cities and areas they are in...and that is why they are covered so much everywhere...trust me, it is not just here.

I think if you are planning on studying here and your idea is to be here a few years, you will like it. Maybe not beyond that, but it isn't powdunk town USA either like some are making it out to be.

One of the major draws in my opinion is the friendliness and outgoingness of the people. If you want good customer service in most places, friendly smiles and helpful, thoughful strangers in general, Madison is the place. I agree that friendships may be harder here since this is a transient area in general, but I think if someone doesn't have any friends here after YEARS here, they probably have a role in that too, to some extent.

Also, Madison plain and simple isn't for everyone. The NIMBYism is to an extreme, the aging hippies and people who are so caught up in their own lives do try to project that into local politics a lot...and most of all, if you want a big city, this isn't the place. Diversity is also lacking, it is mostly a white middle class community...so most people look and think alike, and many people also think this is God's country, and can't fathom why anyone would ever want to live elsewhere, which hearing often does get old quick. It is a nice, medium sized city, nothing more, nothing less. You can do much worse, but you should check your priorities before coming here, to see if it is what you are looking for.
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Old 09-30-2007, 08:12 PM
 
57 posts, read 195,930 times
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I'm 28 and just made a similar jump to what you're considering, moving to Madison from the DC metro area to go to grad school. And for the same sort of reasons as you (much cheaper cost of living, sick of big city), but not really for better access to the outdoors. Madison is mostly in the middle of farmland, and although there are some nice hills to the west/northwest with good hiking, it's much more limited than having say, the Appalachians a few hours away. Madison does have many nice urban parks that almost make up for it (especially with the limited time you have in grad school), and the North Woods are 4-5 hours drive...haven't had any time for that.

The quality of living here has been great so far, despite being too buried in work to enjoy it much (my program is a top 5). The city is definitely small, and you can indeed literally traverse it in 10 minutes. But it has just about anything you could possibly want that larger urban areas have (exception - no good Ethiopian restaurant), and it's all quite convenient to get to due to the complete and total lack of traffic (Madisonians complain about it quite a lot, but I have NO IDEA what they're on about!!)

There are definitely a lot of undergrads, which can be tiring, but it's very easy to escape if you live 1+ miles from the university (I live on the near west side and the neighborhood is mostly young professionals and elderly original homeowners). The city is much more diverse than I originally thought it would be.
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Old 10-20-2007, 05:55 AM
 
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I think it hard and/or unfair to compare anyplace to NYC. I mean, nothing real does, on so many levels. However, if you are looking for a slower, yet ambient way of life, place like Madison might be a pleasant change of pace. The rough equivalents on the east coast would be princeton, NJ; the research triangle in NCarolina; and maybe college station, PA......with the research triangle coming the closest. You really can't compare places on a one-to-one basis in another region...just like the fed's regional economic sectors, you have to look at it per what's out east. The midwest, itself, is an entirely different animal than the east coast...less dense, less cosmopolitan, less tapped into the national vibe, more religious, more agricultural(I don't think you will find terribly many dairy farms on the east coast, for example....LOL!), more old-fashioned, less cutting-edge..........that being said, Mad. is one of the best places in the Midwest to live, along with Chicago, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, Indianapolis, Des Moines, etc.....all those cities have dealt effectively with the transfer of jobs out of the manufacturing center south and oveseas, and are thriving by going high-tech and service, and retaining the manufacturing they have left. The midwest will never be the east coast, and I'm sure folks in both places are more than happy if it stays that way. Perhaps your displeasure is regionally based more than you think....if so, the midwest as a region might not be for you........Chicago is always the best alternative for New Yorkers moving to the midwest, and anything outside of that might be a bit of culture shock, which is what you are prob now experiencing....
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Old 10-25-2007, 11:52 AM
 
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...good posts by both Chelito and Southwest; Madison may pale in comparison to NYC in terms of cultural amenities, but it could never measure up in any kind of circumstance. Madison is a very pleasant mid-sized community, with the state university and state govt in town, along with a good-sized medical center (with medical school), several large insurance companies, and some old-fashioned midwestern industries from another generation. It is not a major metropolis, but is certainly not a small town, either.

There is something to be said for expanding your horizons, and it doesn't always mean moving to a larger city. You could learn something by living in a smaller place in a different part of the country. NYC won't disappear if you want to return to it after 2-3 years, and you could certainly still visit.You might find that Madison is just what the doctor ordered, even just for a couple of years.
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Old 11-03-2007, 05:01 AM
 
10 posts, read 37,539 times
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Have you ever traveled to Europe, Asia or the middle east? Why? For the experience!
Wisconsin is a similar type of thing. You don’t look for the best bagels - your look for the best BRATS. On Saturday you wear red & White, Sunday you wear Green and Gold and cheer for #4.
If you like the things of Brooklyn, then stay there and enjoy them. If, however, you want something different - try Wisconsin. The cultures here are many and varied. We have a very liberal Madison, Milwaukee is a multi-cultured place, we have rednecks here, we have people that go into the woods and kill animals for food The climate here varies also, some days you run the furnace and the air conditioner - both within the same hour. As our people and our climate are different, so are the amenities. There are not a lot of museums with oil paintings of out-door scenes we have the real thing. We don’t have food that tastes like it tastes in other places. Our “Chicago” style tastes more like “Southern Wisconsin” style: the other city names is just a marketing gimmick. In most cities and towns there is a “Farmers Market,” where you can buy real “Fresh” food. Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, veggies of all kinds, etc that have never been frozen - FRESH.
Still in doubt? Drop in for a visit, we’re friendly (as said before - to a point). And we’re different.
(I’m a transplant here.)
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Old 11-08-2007, 06:38 AM
 
Location: Live in Madison
26 posts, read 78,996 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie View Post
Us Midwesterners have a unique brand of friendliness. We're polite to strangers, but it's hard to really get to know us. If we don't know you we tend to be a little guarded, not telling you what we really think or really feel. I've heard from people who have moved to the Midwest from other parts of the country that this can be a little off-putting. We'll smile and be polite, but it's hard to tell what's really behind the smile.

Southerners are polite, and incredibly open with people they don't know. Midwesterers are polite, but not quite open with people they don't know.

Of course there are exceptions. In "ethnic" cities like Milwaukee and Chicago there are more people that break the Midwestern mold by virtue of the fact that they're culturally distinct: Italian, Greek, African American, or whichever.
Ahhh... You have hit the nail right on the head. I meant no offense by my earlier "cold midwesterners" statement. But, as you said, they "are polite, but not quite open with people they don't know." Now that I am involved in all these great organizations, I feel like I am finally just starting to meet these people (and I'm having more fun and finding a "home" here). If we weren't stuck here (because of Epic), I would move back to my "home" in a heartbeat, so I have to make the best of where I am.

And, of course it is quite possible, that people here don't open up to me because I do let my NY attitude shine a little too often here, and I think some here are a little put off with that. You can take the girl out of NY, but you can't take the NY out of the girl!!

Lastly, I am now looking forward to my next trip to Milwaukee to try a Sciortino's cannoli!! MMMMMMmmmmm!!
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Old 11-08-2007, 06:46 AM
 
Location: Live in Madison
26 posts, read 78,996 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rekuci View Post
I'm 28 and just made a similar jump to what you're considering, moving to Madison from the DC metro area to go to grad school. And for the same sort of reasons as you (much cheaper cost of living, sick of big city), but not really for better access to the outdoors. Madison is mostly in the middle of farmland, and although there are some nice hills to the west/northwest with good hiking, it's much more limited than having say, the Appalachians a few hours away. Madison does have many nice urban parks that almost make up for it (especially with the limited time you have in grad school), and the North Woods are 4-5 hours drive...haven't had any time for that.

The quality of living here has been great so far, despite being too buried in work to enjoy it much (my program is a top 5). The city is definitely small, and you can indeed literally traverse it in 10 minutes. But it has just about anything you could possibly want that larger urban areas have (exception - no good Ethiopian restaurant), and it's all quite convenient to get to due to the complete and total lack of traffic (Madisonians complain about it quite a lot, but I have NO IDEA what they're on about!!)

There are definitely a lot of undergrads, which can be tiring, but it's very easy to escape if you live 1+ miles from the university (I live on the near west side and the neighborhood is mostly young professionals and elderly original homeowners). The city is much more diverse than I originally thought it would be.
This is also VERY true...

Your Appalachian statement definitely caught my eye. The Appalachians were LITERALLY in my backyard... I grew up in the boonies in Orange County, NY - the real O.C. PLUS, if you ski, and I mean DIE-HARD skiing, don't move here. You will seriously be disappointed, and you'll be looking to vacation either back east or in CO or UT at any chance you get. The hills here are just that - hills!! I cried the first time I skiied a black diamond (you call that a black diamond, Cascade?) at Cascade Mountain. If I can ski a black diamond, something is seriously deficient.

Again, though, as others have said, you need to come here with an open mind. You can find yourself (again) out here, and it's really not as bad as I may be letting on. As with any big move away from family, friends, and everything you've ever known, just be prepared for a little homesickness. One or two weeks at a time back east is never enough for me. I typically want to stay. But, as I said, EVERYTHING I know and love is there - family, friends, etc.
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Old 11-08-2007, 09:28 AM
 
395 posts, read 1,853,153 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NY4eva View Post
Lastly, I am now looking forward to my next trip to Milwaukee to try a Sciortino's cannoli!! MMMMMMmmmmm!!
The cannoli probably won't be as good as what you get in New York, but, hey, it's cannoli.

Zaffero's pizza (just down the street from Sciortino's) is good too.
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Old 11-17-2007, 09:45 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,974 times
Reputation: 11
It is very interesting to see everyone's perspective. I am originally from Wisconsin and now live in New York. One thing that I've heard from people in New York who have been to the Midwest is that Midwesteners are "two-faced" or hard to read. I think that if you grow up in Wisconsin this is not the case because you learn to read the more subtle clues you are given. We are trained to be polite and nice to everyone, but people still give you clues if they don't like you. New Yorkers are just a lot more blunt and from a Midwesteners perspective rude at times. I think that the "subtle clues" just don't even register for them. If you were born and raised in New York it may be a little bit of a culture shock at first but if you are looking for a change and are open-minded it maybe what you are looking for.

Also, in regards to the comments regarding the lack of good pizza and cannolis in Wisconsin- I have to say that New York is lacking cheese curds I cant find them anywhere!!!
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Old 11-23-2007, 06:51 AM
 
Location: Live in Madison
26 posts, read 78,996 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rebeki View Post

Also, in regards to the comments regarding the lack of good pizza and cannolis in Wisconsin- I have to say that New York is lacking cheese curds I cant find them anywhere!!!
They do not exist in NY... perhaps they do but only upstate - ie Buffalo - maybe?

I feel that I am a fairly open-minded person. I've just been put off, I suppose by the fact that everyone here has family nearby - Minnesota, Illinois or Iowa... we do not. I've always thought it would be lovely for someone to be kind enough to perhaps invite us over for Thanksgiving - or any meal. It's been really sad to have Thanksgiving dinner just the two of us, or now three of us. Yesterday, we had to invite an International UW Student to join us for Thanksgiving just to make our table feel a little smaller.

It's really lonely out here for us... no family, no close friends. It is the really difficult part for me, especially, because I am accustomed to ALWAYS being surrounded by people - friends and family alike. It's quite depressing on big holidays, and it's a harsh reminder of just how far away from our loved ones...
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