Moving to Madison from the Big City (Milwaukee, Fitchburg: fit in, how much)

[drewinbrooklyn]

I'm 26/singe and have lived in New York City for a few years (currently in Brooklyn), and while I enjoy city life and all the cultural amenities NY has to offer, crazy living costs and difficult access to outdoor activities are wearing on me (I'm sure I'm not alone). I'm strongly considering a move to Madison, especially since I'm hoping to go back to grad school and UW would be perfect. I'm wanting a smaller city that still has some sort of "street culture" (walkable streets) and a variety of music venues, bars, art galleries, etc. but also a slightly slower pace with easy access to outdoor activities (hiking/camping).

I'm hoping to here from any of you who have moved to Madison from a much larger city/metro area? What are your thoughts/experiences? Thanks in advance!

[Chelito23]

If you want a slower pace in the Midwest, I think Madison will be a good fit for you. Just remember that Madison is not the same as Odessa Texas population 12 where things are dirt cheap. Madison enjoys a location near Chicago and Milwaukee, in the capitol of the state and has a high quality of life, so this is all reflected in the cost of living. While cheaper than the coasts, it is much more expensive than neighboring Rockford Illinois for example...

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Well, I'm not sure if Milwaukee is a "big city" or not, but I did move from Milwaukee (1.5M metro) to Madison (500K metro) so I can speak to moving to Madison from a metro area three times its size.

Madison is a small town that thinks it's a big city. It has a number of "big city" amenties, but the fact remains that it is a small town. So you will find there are limits in Madison in terms of things to do, places to go, and, as I found out, places to work. It's a great University town, and the seat of state government, so if you're in academia or are seeking a government job, you should be able to find gainful employment with a future in Madison. If, like me, you're looking for a career outside of government or academia, then your choices in Madison are limited.

Your age and place in life also make a big difference. I found Madison to be great when I was 21, but terrible when I was 28. After awhile you just really get tired of the college scene. You get tired of being the oldest person, at age 25, in practically every bar you go into. If you're in your 30s or 40s, with a family, then Madison might also work, since at that point you may be ready to settle into suburban life, buy a house in Fitchburg and work for the state for the rest of your life. There's very little in Madison of interest to someone in their late 20s looking to start a career and interact with people their own age.

As for me, I was thoroughly tired of the college scene after I graduated from UW. I had zero desire to submit to the suburbs and fall into some bureaucratic government job. I also saw no real need to leave Wisconsin, my home state, all together. So I moved back to my home town, a "small big city" with a far greater variety of career options. Milwaukee is not God's gift to humanity (like Madison thinks it is) but being a larger city I feel there is more for me here in terms of career, social interactions, and things to keep me busy and interested.

Coming from NYC, Madison is going to seem like a sleepy town in Vermont to you. It will be a major change of pace. If that's what you're looking for, go for it. You will notice right off the bat that when Madison people complain about "traffic," what this really means is they have to stop for two more red lights than usual. You'll be amazed when you realize that you can get from the center of town to open farmland in less than 10 minutes. You will chuckle a bit when you see that the opening of a new Target store at the edge of town is the top story on the local TV news broadcast -- complete with a reporter live at the scene. Madison really is small town USA.

[NY4eva]

The above post is pretty much it in a nutshell.

I don't know where you're from in Brooklyn, but I can safely tell you, as someone who also moved from Brooklyn thinking Madison was wonderful, I miss an awful lot.

Firstly, I have been here since 2003, and I cannot get a teaching job to save my life. Of course, in NY you need a masters, here - not so much. I'm happy to stay at home with my son, though... but still. When I want to work, I worry that there won't be any for me because of the over-abundance of new-grad applicants.

What else do I miss so much it hurts? Let's see... PIZZA, CANNOLIS (the bakeries here leave much to be desired... there are NO pastries - just cookies and muffins and cakes - which I can make at home.)

If you want to go to grad school, then you are making a wise choice, and depending on your field, you'll be likely to get a great job afterwards because they only seem to want to hire WISCONSIN grads...

BUT, as the above poster mentioned, it is a humdrum town sometimes. You'll enjoy it for about a year or two before you get really tired of the cold midwestern people here. (Four years here and I STILL have yet to make a good friend here - and BELIEVE me, I am INVOLVED! (I am president of three organizations)... Point being, all I have made is ACQUAINTANCES, but people here are slow to invite us into their homes. :-(

Let me know if you have any other questions... ;-)

[L.K.]

"cold midwestern people" ??? I find that opinion interesting.I am from Madison and we have moved to the east coast area.The feeling I,and others I know have had, is how cold and unfriendly east coasters are.Well,some are,some aren't.Sometimes one needs to put themselves out there abit to fit in.I would never lump an entire group of people into one catagory,however,I do believe that in a comparison test, Midwestern people would win the "friendly" competition over East Coasters!

[msnjen23]

I also grew up in the "big city" of Milwaukee (lol). I love Madison. I think the people and things to do are great. Now my line of work keeps me extremely busy and I don't have as much time to participate in as much as I would like but I still feel like there is constantly tons of fun stuff to do. I do also love/appreciate the posting of Milwaukee Ronnie however, I hear alot of people relocating here to Madison comment on how "close" the farmland is.
Madison has more money per capita than other parts of the state so we do have a few more big town stores/restaurants than other citys our size....so you can find a Ruths Chris Steak House here when you can't find one in Milwaukee. (I am still not sure if that is a good thing or not! )
And NY4eva... where are you? Let's hook up for coffee! Seriously!

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by msnjen23

so you can find a Ruths Chris Steak House here when you can't find one in Milwaukee. (I am still not sure if that is a good thing or not! )

Probably a good thing-- Milwaukee has several home-grown steakhouses of its own that Ruth's Chris cannot compete with!

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

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.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

NY4eva, it's like you're reading my mind. I too missed a lot of things while living in Madison. I missed real Mexican food, authentic open pit BBQ (sorry, Famous Dave's does not cut it), real Italian delis and bakeries, mom and pop Greek/American restaurants, Irish bars that are actually run by people from Ireland, the list goes on.

It's not like a come from a huge, teaming metropolis, but Milwaukee is a fiercely ethnic city. Germans, Polish, Italians, Jews, Greeks, African Americans, Irish, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Middle Easterners, Africans ... growing up in the City of Milwaukee (not suburbs) everyone was "something," and their nationality was important to them, a part of their identity -- even the white kids. I missed this side of life while I was living in Madison.

Again, Milwaukee is no New York or Los Angeles. But it's a city with no clear "majority" culture and I like that.

The next time you miss a canolli so much you cannot take it, come to Milwaukee and go Sciortino's Bakery on Brady Street. It's not New York, but, hey, it's only an hour drive away.

[drewinbrooklyn]

Thanks so much for the feedback!

You all brought up two important issues that I'll have to consider:

1. Is Madison really a good place for people in their mid to late twenties? I've definitely worried about how much--because of the large university presence in the city--the social scene is geared toward the "college crowd".

And most importantly 2. Not having Brooklyn pizza and bagels will definitely make me think twice about moving from New York. That's hard to give up!