Live in Madison work in Janesville? Questions about Janesville, Madison, Schools .... need Input Please

[Kugelschreiber]

I live in Janesville and commute to Madison everyday. Depending on the job the pay is better. I was born and raised in Chicago. I would not live in Madison to save my life. I sometimes visit on Weekends but would go to Milwaukee, Chicago and Rockford much more often. Rockford does have some crime issues, but I feel comfortable there.
An Asian-Indian family would easily be accepted in Janesville. And Janesville like the rest of the state (except Madison) is very much split on the conservative/liberal spectrum. Madison is very liberal and you better agree or else.
The commute can be bad, about 6-10 days a year because the weather is bad. But, daily the two lanes each way are too few, driving can be agressive and not peaceful. They are planning an expansion.
The Janesville local public schools are overall okay. The High Schools are excellent. Madison schools are having problems with minority disparity. Our children attend a private school but it is religiously based. (Great School - Saint John Vianney) I can not think of a private school that does not have a religious affiliation that I have heard recommended, sorry.

[cheddar]

The better public elementary schools in Janesville appear to be Monroe, Harrison and Kennedy in terms of higher test scores and fewer disadvantaged kids. Rep. Paul Ryan's kids go to St. John Vianney but like the other posters I am unaware of good private nonreligious schools. If the demographic you are looking for is Indian professional parents with high achieving kids, then you would probably find them on the west side of Madison -- that is not a good commute at all.

[jaycobflynn]

Janesville has many interesting things to do movie theater two bowling alleys 4 or 5 gyms a great bike path which goes through and around town making travel easy in anyway of transportation there is also a bunch of smaller towns which go arround janesville including footville milton orfordville afton hanover and beloit has a great mall gets excellent cell coverage with almost all carriers (with the exception of sprint) you could go fishing along the rock river (which runs through Janesville) or in Kiwanis pond or even lions beach and one of Janesvilles best features are its parks there is one on nearly every two blocks sometimes just flat land perfect for picnics and other times with playgrounds also janesville schools are excellent especially there elementary schools (Washington Lincoln van buern ect) and janesville is just a short ride away from Beloit which has an excellent college and good job opportunities at the moment with Pepsi co. hiring at Frito lay and many retail stores although the mall is HORIBLE in beloit there are still many stores to shop at for dining in janesville there are actually so great places there is a buffalo wild wings by the mall also prime quarter has good food along with Texas Rhode house olive garden hometown buffet and a panda express which is in the mall there are plenty of fast food restraints as well 7 McDonald's 5 burger kings two culvers (which is a burger place with great frozen yogurt exclusive to the Midwest) fazolis (which is a fast food Italian restaurant with Amazing bread sticks) an A&W across town by pick n save 7 or so subways and many more there are six grocery stores excluding Walmart there is also many many many MANY MANY churches in almost all religions except there is no mosque there is a great two year college as well which garentees exception into a better four year college like uw white water, UW lacrosse, or uw Madison janesville life is over all pleasant BUT ONE THING MOST PEOPLE ARE HORRID DRIVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough alot of it is do to ignorance like texting and being drunk expect some delays if you going to madison at almost all times of the day and alot of people forget to use blinkers or wait 10 seconds after the light turns green creating slower travel than what is needed

[Megan1967]

I was born and raised in Janesville and, not to be contrary, but everything JacobFlynn notes about Janesville are pretty much the reasons I would never move back. ALL there is is a movie theater and bowling allies. There is a performing art center, but they don't get much in worth watching. The high school musicals are considered some of the best entertainment in the area. Granted there are a lot of talented young people there, but if you are used to a bigger city, you won't be impressed. The shopping sucks, hardly any small independently owned stores, all mc-chains. Same for the restaurants. They have more chain restaurants per capita than any other place I've visited or lived. Small, locally owned restaurants just don't survive there for more than 5-10 years. The Speak Easy was good, but I hear it is closing. I guess what used to be the Metropolitan is pretty good, but they just reopened, so we'll see if they survive. The Armory is WAY over rated. I've been there 4 times and consistently had lousy service and food. Their hours are not consistent either. They will be open Friday one week and closed for a private party the next.

That and the people are really insular. Hard to break into the social circles. It is more racially integrated now than when I was growing up, but the people of color tend to be in the lower socio-economic class, not highly educated or upwardly mobile. This is too bad, because a lot of people who grew up in Janesville never moved and this is their only experience with diversity. Better to live some place like Madison where you have minorities represented in the fields of medicine, lawyers, college professors and other professional fields. Janesville has the unfortunate reputation of being rather racist. My mom will argue that that has changed, but even she says things that make me cringe sometimes.

And it is REALLY conservative socially & politically. If you are left leaning - a Democrat or even a liberal/moderate Republican you will probably be very uncomfortable there. I'm talking Tea Party crazy.

On the positive side, the library is really great. It is one of the best in S. Wisconsin.

I just thought you should hear another perspective. Janesville is not an idyllic little town and not everyone loves it.

[Ragnar]

Sorry jaycobflynn, 7 Subways would not be a big draw for me, nor for most people I'm afraid. But if that's your thing, enjoy eating fresh!

[fattigmann]

Moderator cut: snip

My experience as a professional transplant to Janesville is different. Generally my students regard jvl as a wonderful place to grow up.

I tell people jvl is a suburb of target...and The interstate. There's one of everything you need here in terms of businesses. Affordable, beautiful neighborhoods. Nature. Stellar parks. Proximity to cities. Good schools (despite a teaparty school board...and we'll see how much damage walker can do).

I would say Madison steals jvl's thunder for sure. Moderator cut: snip

When gas prices make commuting to Madison for entertainment relatively rare, the town may change.

My guess is that jvl will away remain family-oriented, with a flavor of rural, small town transplants, and a little Rockford and Beloit shadiness moving up the river. It's 65000 people so you can find what you want and be left alone.

As for diversity, I find the people here tolerant in the extreme, though not always open-minded. This is Wisconsin, not the south. I think they welcome ethnic minority professionals and look askance at the kind of diversity they see in Rockford or Beloit-- which tend to ethnic diversity but socioeconomic uniformity--uniformly poor. I suspect that's the root of jvls perceived racism since the 50s.

I'm a socialist type and I have a lot of respect for the people here.

I don't have a lot of hope for the future, but then Again I don't have a lot of hope for b.a.u. in the whole USA. But then that's a different conversation. As jvl goes, so goes the USA.

It's about perception. Small towns in Dane co. Have been perceived as desirable, wHether they have any inherent advantages besides proximity to madison or not. They then fulfill the perception. Reality doesn't always match perception.

We go to madison every weekend 1/2 hour away. I guess we could pay double and live in Verona or sun prairie, but why?