Moving to Madison, Commuting to Janesville (Fitchburg, Sun Prairie: sales, real estate, daycare)

[drewen]

My husband is being transferred to Janesville but we really want to live close to Madison and shopping/restaurants. He is willing to drive up to an hour, since he does now in Detroit. I hope to find a job in Madison. We are looking at Fitchburg and wonder if anyone can explain the schools there (elementary). We have a 2 and 5 year old. Looks like Leopold or Stoner Prairie? Test scores are way different, is that a good indicator of quality of school? Should we stay away from Leopold? Also, does anyone know of a good daycare/preschool? We are looking for a 4 bedroom home $300-350. Any other recommendations within an hour of Janesville? We do not want to be as far away as Stoughton, and McFarland is a good location but didn't seem to have much.. housing or otherwise.
Thanks!

[Chelito23]

You are right about McFarland not having much....other than location. Monona might be a viable alternative, although most of the housing stock is older and smaller and consequently cheaper. Most of your major shopping would be 10 to 15 minutes away at the East Town Mall area.

Fitchburg is nice, and yes, the schools vary widely. Leopold is a Madison school, as Stoner Prairie is in the Verona School District. Many of the Madison schools are going through big budet and enrollment changes as the district diversifies and ages, while a younger and more diverse population replaces the decline.

Leopold is not a bad school, just very diverse and large. Maybe 800 students strong? Stoner Prairie has it's share of diversity as well, especially for a suburban school in the area, but it also serves a more affluent area. Remember that Leopold will feed into Madison Middle and HIgh Schools, while S. P. wil go to Verona. And yes, the scores speak for themselves, the proof is in the pudding. Different areas of concern and priority at each school I suppose.

The area between Madison and Janesville is very rural, so there isn't much to choose from inbetween. Stick to the far east side of Madison or Fitchburg or Verona, for close shopping and decent schools, as well as a reasonable 45 minute commute to Janesville.

[Drover]

Sun Prairie might be a decent alternative too, though I don't know much about the schools.

[wisconsinfan]

Even though you said you think Stoughton is too far it is really a great location if you don't want to live in Janesville (although it is a really good city and a quick drive to Madison). The commute is straightforward. I-90 is readily accessible and the other county roads are just as quick to get to Janesville and Madison. It takes between 30-45 min. to get to Janesville from there and even less to Madison, depending on what side of the city you need to get to. Stoughton is filled with history and the neighborhoods and people are nice. My brother lives there with his family and he and his wife work in Madison because it is more affordable. My family is all from Janesville and getting from Janesville to Stoughton is very easy. But beware of the winter storms if you plan on commuting. The ride can be very nasty!

[drewen]

Thanks for the responses! Chelito23, you confirmed exactly what I was thinking. Because of schools we are going to try to find something in Verona schools. I was also looking at homes further west but closer to the beltline in Crestwood El or Stephens El. But I have heard with traffic it would be a long drive from there. My husband is temporarily staying in McFarland so he will do some test drives to see what is doable for him. Nothing against Janesville or Stoughton. I really did like Stoughton and the history. But we want to be closer to shopping areas on the west side of Madison as well as downtown. I've lived my whole life in a suburb in Michigan with the closest city being Detroit 45 minutes away. Or Flint 30 minutes away if you consider it a city. Not exactly the kind of cities you want to be close to. We just want a slightly more urban experience. I can't wait to become a Wisonsonite and Packers fan (easy to switch from the Lions!). It will be harder to give up University of Michigan.

[ChevyBob]

Moving to Madison, Commuting to Janesville
Check out schools here - Compare Public Schools - Public School Review
The Murder, rape and child molestation rates in Janesville is about 1/3 of those rates in Madison, Fitchburg, or Stoughton.
Regarding a house, you said, “We are looking for a 4 bedroom home $300-350.”
The property tax on a house in the $300,000 - $350,000 range is $15,000 to $17,500 per year in Madison, where as in Janesville the same house would cost half of that! ($7500 - $8750)
In Janesville you can buy a very nice 4 bedroom, in a nice part of town, for half the price of one in Madison. The Taxes would then only be ($3,750 - $4,775)
From my perspective, why commute to and from 5 days a week to be close to shopping? How many days do you shop? You are going to have an extra bunch of money a year ( property tax savings ) to spend shopping! Like, somewhere in the 10 grand neighborhood - and that is a nice neighborhood to be in.
Do you want to live in Madison for the culture? Drive from Janesville the 2 or 3 nights a week Remember that you are living in a house that costs $150,000 you have hundreds of extra dollars a week because you are not spending it on house payments.
You may think that I’m lacking the understanding of your problem; I’m not. I commuted to Rockford Il for 25 years. Why did I put myself out for a quarter of a century? Good schools, good neighborhoods, good people, and yes good shopping. All within walking distance. Before working in Rockford, I rode a bicycle to from the West and East sides of Janesville to my job, near the Chevy plant (9-months of the year). Janesville is a small town or a fair sized city. You can remain anonymous or you can have your name in the paper on a regular basis. It’s that kind of town.
Another thought; a place in the country. 1 plus acres to 40 acres. It will be more costly than Janesville, but cheaper than Madison.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ChevyBob

The Murder, rape and child molestation rates in Janesville is about 1/3 of those rates in Madison, Fitchburg, or Stoughton.

This is unmitigated BS. How exactly can Janesville's murder rate be 1/3rd that of Stoughton and Fitchburg? Neither of those places have reported a single murder in the last 8 years for which data is readily available, whereas Janesville has average 0.84 murders per 100,000 over those same 8 years. Janesville has a higher murder rate than these places. It is lower than Madison's murder rate (though not 1/3rd lower as you claim); but at an average 1.93 per 100,000 per year over the last 8 years, Madison still has an exceptionally low murder rate. The bottom line is there is a fantastically minimal chance of being murdered in any of these places. Madison isn't Detroit or St. Louis. It's not even Des Moines.

As for the claim that it has 1/3rd the rape rate, Janesville has averaged 40 rapes per 100,000 per year over the last 8 years whereas Fitchburg's average over the same time period is 36.5 per 100,000 and Stoughton's is zero per 100,000. Again, Janesville has a higher rape rate than Fitchburg or Stoughton. Madison's is higher than Janesville at 75.3 per 100,000 per year over the previous 8 years (though again, not anywhere near 3 times higher like you claim), but that can probably be largely explained by the fact that there's a massive college campus in the middle of town. Your average local citizen who does not live in a dorm or attend college drinking parties is probably not nearly as likely to fall victim to rape as the figures alone suggest.

I'd like to know what your source is for rates of child molestation in all of these respective places. If it's the same source you used for your other claims, I'm going to guess that claim is also nonsense.

[ChevyBob]

Originally Posted by ChevyBob
The Murder, rape and child molestation rates in Janesville is about 1/3 of those rates in Madison, Fitchburg, or Stoughton.

Reply By Drover:This is unmitigated BS. How exactly can Janesville's murder rate be 1/3rd that of Stoughton and Fitchburg?

Dover is correct - my data was in error and additionally, to make matters worst I interpeted it wrong! My most sincere and humble appology.

Money Magazine: Best places to retire 2006: Madison, WI snapshot
Moderator cut: links removed



Reply By Drover:
If it's the same source you used for your other claims, I'm going to guess that claim is also nonsense.

The balance of my comments are correct. by ChevyBob

[drewen]

Thanks for the clarification. Either way, both cities are WAY safer than Detroit and Flint. You make a good point about housing costs and taxes, and no, I do not shop every day. But I might if I lived close enough. Just kidding.

The real estate listings I have been looking at in Fitchburg have been showing $6000-$8000 in taxes. Maybe they are just talking about summer or winter..?
Does Wisconsin have state income tax? That may be a difference from Michigan (we have state income tax and if you work in Detroit there is city income tax). Where does all the property tax money go in Wisconsin?

Another reason we are leaning towards Madison/Fitchburg is boating. We live on a lake in MI and will be bringing our boat and want to be close to the lakes in Madison. Lake Koshkonong near Janesville does not look that good for boating/swimming... correct me if I'm wrong.

[ChevyBob]

State Sales tax = 5.5%
No city tax in Janesville
Garbage, street sweeping etc included
There is a charge for water

There is a lot of boating on the Rock river

Try this site, it may answer many of your questions about Janesville.

City of Janesville Web Site (http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/citysite/ - broken link)