Middleton? (Madison, Sun Prairie, Shorewood: transplants, for sale, HOA fees)

[happyhat]

We are contemplating moving from Southern California to the Madison area in the next couple of years. I'm curious about Middleton, particularly in terms of how it compares to Shorewood Hills and Nakoma. At least from afar, what I find appealing about Middleton compared to Madison is a smaller-town feel and (somewhat) cheaper home prices. I'm hoping that you all can help me learn more about:

1) Schools. Are the Middleton schools better than the Madison schools? I see that there are several elementary schools and two middle schools that feed into Middleton High. Are there particular ones that are considered the best?

2) Politics. I realize that Middleton may have less diversity than Madison -- is that correct? What are the politics like? Does Middleton lean progressive or conservative?

3) Commuting to the UW. We would be working at the university. How long would the commute take? I have visited Madison a couple of times (including a quick drive through Middleton) but am not at all familiar with what it would be like in morning/evening traffic. (Does Madison even have significant traffic??) Would it be possible to commute safely by bike?

4) Community. What is the community like for families? We are a husband and wife with two very young children. Are people welcoming or more closed-off (e.g., already have long-standing networks and not eager to bring in newcomers)? Is it easy to make friends there?

5) Neighborhoods. What are the best areas of Middleton to live in? Priorities are schools, walkable/bike paths, convenience to UW, proximity to good streets/trails for running or XC skiing, and a pleasant neighborhood feel (nice houses, lots of trees). And what's up with Middleton Hills -- is it cool or lame? The craftsman-style houses look sort of appealing, but the yards seem quite small, and you're still stuck in this little cluster of streets that feels very suburban (e.g., not on a grid layout).

Thank you! And I really would be very appreciative of any/all thoughts about Middleton & Madison for outsiders. Like I said, I've just barely been there a few times. I grew up in the upper Midwest, though, so you don't need to tell me about the weather.

[7G9C4J2]

Well, at least some of your questions have been discussed at some length in other threads here, but I'll take a stab at responding to those I can.

1) Schools in Middleton are excellent. So are schools in Madison. With very few exceptions, you pretty much can't go wrong with either.

2) Dane County in general tends to lean very liberal. You might find a few more pockets of conservatives the farther out from Madison you go, but I don't think you'd find Middleton to be a bastion of the right wing. Not sure if that's a plus or a minus in your eyes, but there you go.

3) If you commute from Middleton to the UW, you will be in excellent company. Many, many other folks do the same thing. If you ask a native Madisonian about rush-hour traffic along the University Avenue corridor from Middleton to downtown Madison, they'll tell you it's atrocious. If you ask a native of most major cities about it, they'll laugh and tell you it's a piece of cake. It's all in what you compare it to.

4) Pretty much anywhere in the Midwest, you will encounter what is called "Midwest Nice." People are friendly, cordial, but unlikely to invite you over to grill brats before the game. Many transplants to the area have described having a challenging time building solid friendships or feeling comfortable here. The same thing is true to a greater or lesser extent throughout the Midwest. Plenty of ways to deal with it, just don't expect to waltz in and be greeted with open arms by all and sundry.

5) Can't help you with this one, as I live on Madison's east side and am not qualified to provide a compare-and-contrast analysis of Middleton neighborhoods. If Josh stops by, he might be able to offer you more insights in that realm.

I do encourage you to utilize the "Search this Forum" function for the Madison forum and see what else you can find on these topics. There's lots of useful info already posted and available for review.

Good luck in your move.

[Ragnar]

You'd need to take a walk through Middleton Hills to see if it's for you. The lots are small but the houses are very interesting. There are some common green spaces throughout for kids to play. There are not many Madison are neighborhoods like Middleton Hills. Middleton Hills is also very close to Pheasant Branch Conversancy, an excellent place to go hiking, biking and cross country skiing in the winter.

Some folks really like the old downtown area of Middleton. It's very walkable but not as close to nature trails. Nice older homes in the downtown Middleton area do not stay on the market very long, so it can be a tough area to get into because of the high demand.

Shorewood Hills has some very nice older Madison homes, as do some of the neighborhoods near it. If you want a more funky vibe, the Williamson Street/Atwood neighborhoods on Madison's near east side offer many nice older homes close to the lake, although there do tend to be a few dumpy homes scattered throughout these areas. Homes in Shorewood and Nakoma are more likely to be updated, kept up and not purple and pink. Nakoma is very close to the UW Arboretum, an excellent place to go hiking, biking and cross country-skiing in the winter. You may also wish to consider the Vilas and Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhoods on Madison's near west side, also fairly close to the Arboretum.

Some folks prefer acreage a little further out. Many of these homes are on well and septic and do not rely on city utilities. The nice thing about the Madison area is that you really shouldn't need to commit to a work commute longer than 30 minutes, especially when relocating for a job. Middleton to the UW Hospital is easy-peasy with no highway driving. Winter can slow things down a bit on a few snowy days.

Property taxes are high in Madison and Middleton (~2.4%). Some newer neighborhoods have HOA fees, but you will not find any mello roos like are so common in SoCal. Expect to shell out $400k+ for a nice home in any of the above areas. Depending on your housing budget, you may also wish to consider a lakefront home. Coming from SoCal, any Madison/Middleton housing will seem like a steal.

Come take a vacation out here and scout out the area. Nothing beats seeing all of these neighborhoods yourself!

[r_k]

Based on what you posted, I'd rank the areas in this order: Shorewood, Nakoma, Middleton. However, all areas are nice, and you have to compare specific properties. Prices will also decline going from Shorewood to Middleton. Middleton is more suburban, with newer houses and larger lots. Shorewood is more upscale, smaller, much closer to campus etc. Nakoma is a bit like Shorewood but not quite as good a location.

[happyhat]

Thanks, folks! This is very helpful. I will use the search function and hunt down some of the previous threads as well. If price were no question, I think Shorewood would be the top choice... but it's small so there is never much inventory at a given time, and about 80% of the homes I see for sale there are out of our price range.

[JoshB]

Just seen this thread and figured as a Middleton resident for the last 18 months I have to have a valuable opinion.

1) As MWB mentioned schools are said to be great in Middleton. Neighbor has a daughter and he believes its one of the best districts in the state. He says it seems comparable to Waunakee for schools. I couldn't comment on Madisons as I know no one who has children attending there.

2) Ahh politics, it seems to be in pockets. I'd say most people are democrat with a few bleeding heart republicans. I have some very conservative neighbors here at Old Sauk Meadows (Greenway Blvd) but that could be anywhere really.

3) I commute to Sun Prairie for work so I couldn't comment on traffic to UW hospital.

4) Where I live everyone has been pretty welcoming, almost everyone here is from somewhere else. I've made some great friends and some of them have bought houses.... AND invited me over for cookouts (they're from Utah) so they are more friendly . The community as a whole is in my opinion very business friendly, has that small town feel and it doesn't feel like your next to Madison. Middleton has its own identity and that's one of the reasons I love it here.

5) I only like Middleton Hills because of the few houses that have views of the Madison Skyline. I don't care for the tiny streets and small yards. There are some nice homes off Parmenter as you head South of the downtown area around the Striker Pond area. If you dont mind heading further out of town there are some REALLY nice places on Enchanted Valley Road and Blackhawk Road. If I was in a position to own a home I'd really look into the homes just south of downtown, many of them appear to be built in the late 80's early 90's and have decent size yards.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

PS Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Pope Farm Park are must do's for any Middleton resident.