Concerns About Moving to Madison (Milwaukee: how much, home, unemployment)

[Egyptian2009]

Hi we are a musim family , dark skinned , whose wife wear head cover ( scarf) . I thought about moving to Madison due to its low unemployment , quality of life and affordable COL I have two concerns ;First ,about the propability to face bigotry , stares or comments for being dark skinned wearing muslim attire second , how easy is it to get service & retails jobs and how much are those jobs available Appreiate your contributions Thanks h.s

[Megan1967]

I work in a small public library in the area and there are two Muslim families who frequently comes to our programs and volunteer as well. They are open, cheerful and just assume they will be accepted - and they are. I guess I'm trying to say, a lot of it has to do with your own attitude. If you act fearful or stand-offish, people will react to your behavior in a negative way, but if you are friendly, positive and act like you belong there, people will react in a more positive way.

People in the Madison area want to be accepting, so you have that going for you right away. Unfortunately, there are bigots here, as you will find anywhere, and your dress might make you a target in some instances, but I don't think that this would be any worst in Madison than any other city.

[CaseDocWife]

Hello,
We are indian, hindu. But still dark skinned and different we lived in madison for a year and of all the cities I have seen in usa, madison has won my heart. I made so many friends, each of them non Indian. I found the city very open, liberal and filled with educated peole.
Wish you good luck.

[ajjmommy]

Megan and casedoc,

where would you suggest a family seeking diversity live? we are an Indian/Jamaican family.

thanks

[Megan1967]

Ajjmommy-
You could really live anywhere in Madison. Some might argue that the near east side is slightly more diverse than the rest of the city. It is certainly more liberal and therefore possibly more accepting. The Madison population in general is not all that diverse. The diversity we do have is very well integrated meaning there aren't ethnic neighborhoods. Instead people of all races live side-by-side in all parts of the city.

[PBZ1113]

I am also concerned about my possible move to Madison because I do not know much about the area.

Although Madison Metro Area has about 250,000 population, it still feels smaller. Does Madison offer a plenty of things to do for a permanent resident that doesn't revolve around the university?

Do you have to go to either Milwaukee or Chicago often for whatever Madison lacks?

[7G9C4J2]

For a city of its size, Madison has quite a bit to offer. Some of what you'd find here does involve the university, it's true; sporting events and concerts are two types of university events that tend to draw a much wider crowd than just students. But there are other things to see and do and experience here as well.

To start with, I'd suggest you browse this thread: https://www.city-data.com/forum/madis...t-madison.html, which is stickied at the top of the Madison forum. All the links are interesting, and they include data that I think you'd find useful. You might also wish to do some browsing in the Isthmus Annual Manual: The Guide to Madison, 2012-13 that is published each year by The Isthmus, a local free weekly newspaper.

As far as going to Milwaukee or Chicago is concerned, sure, those are fun nearby cities to visit, too, and indisputably they have more action and more to see and do than Madison does. Milwaukee's Summer Fest and professional sports teams, Chicago's museums and shopping and sports - all those are terrific and lots of fun. But at least in my case, I see those more as special-occasion destinations or vacation spots. They're great fun, and don't get me wrong, both cities are terrific places to visit. I just don't feel the need to go elsewhere for entertainment.

[CaseDocWife]

If you are used to a huge city you may initially feel some adjustment period. But if you keep an open mind you can't help but love Madison. However I can see that some people may never like it if they prefer the big city lifestyle.
As for activities, it's the biking capital of Midwest. The whole city is designed to accommodate bikers. And overall it's a very health conscious city. So if you are into nature or athletics you will be delighted.
The drive to Milwaukee is so short that it doesn't feel like a different city. In Chicago or NY people will drive that much to go one place to another inside the city.

I agree that there is no one place to choose to live as far as diversity is concerned. It's well integrated. Rather choose depending on your other lifestyle factors.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by CaseDocWife

The drive to Milwaukee is so short that it doesn't feel like a different city. In Chicago or NY people will drive that much to go one place to another inside the city.

This is a really good point

[Megan1967]

Milwaukee is an easy drive, but I wouldn't say it "feels" like the same city at all. It is a *large* city. Madison is a medium sized city. Madison is down right home spun compared to Milwaukee which is much more urban. Chicago is only 2.5 hours away and well worth the trip if you are going to spend a chunk of time on the road anyway.