is the east side really that bad?? (Madison, Sun Prairie: apartments, rent)

[is_it_hip]

I'm about 10+ years removed from Madison, so I'm not too familiar with how everything's changed over the past decade.

My wife and I (no kids) have been weighing moving to the east vs. west side for as long as I can remember. It'd be nice to settle it once and for all.

I'm for moving to the east side mostly due to family in the area. But with the movie theater and Menards moving to Sun Prairie, I'm questioning whether that's a good idea or not. Are those red flags or am I looking too much into it?

I'm a little concerned that I don't see see too many people posting how great the east side is on the forums. But that's true about a lot of cities on here; it's easier to ramble on about dislikes.

Help me out: Should I go with my wife on this one and avoid the east side at all costs? Do you have any important reasons you'd choose the east side?

Ideal living situation:
- Good area for walking dogs\dog parks
- Safe\quiet neighborhood and surrounding areas
- Easy access to grocery shopping (I'm a big fan of Woodman's)

Thanks!

[Ragnar]

OP, your three ideals are very general, and can be found in many locations around the Madison area.

Three primary factors that should help narrow it down (at least would for me):

1. Jobs. Where will you and your wife will be working? Regular commuting on the Beltline Hwy to I-90, or through the Isthmus every day would stink, especially during winter.

2. Housing. Also what is your housing budget, and will you rent or buy? Do you want an apartment or a home?

3. Schools. No kids now, but if they are in your future, then schools may play into your decision more. Most of the top performing Madison area schools are not on the East side.

Woodmans has East and West Madison locations, as well as a very nice new Sun Prairie location. There are also several Aldi locations in the Madison area, both East and West.

[is_it_hip]

Thanks for your response Ragnar. I was trying to keep the post general, so they could assist as many people as possible, but to answer your questions as they pertain to my situation:

1. I'll likely be doing either court reporting or 911 dispatch (Dane Co or UW), so access to the Dane Co. Courthouse\gov't building would be pretty important. I'm active duty military with a bachelor's from UWM, so hopefully I'll have something decent lined up before my discharge goes through. My wife is looking at being a vet tech, so her options are a little more open than mine.

2. Housing budget is up in the air. I'll likely start out renting to make sure we like the area first, get an idea of what we can afford, get a nice nest egg going, then make the transition to ownership.

[ranger17]

Hi op. We are from this area but lived in SC '09-14. When we came back, we were almost shocked at how Madison has changed. And not all in a good way.

If you are looking at working downtown, then regardless of where you move you will have to deal with some form of traffic. I would avoid the beltline at all costs; my wife dealing with it for many years and it too has gotten worse. If I were working downtown, living in Sun Prairie (as an example) can be a straight shot in on 151/East Wash. Traffic yes but at least its one road into the downtown area. But Sun Prairie itself has exploded in population; it has some nice retail and eating that has gone in (or is going in) by the area near 151 and some of the downtown has been revitalized as well. But I'd watch out for living on the far side of town, as just cutting thru it every am will cause delays. We actually do most of our shopping in that 151 side, from Costco to Target to Woodmans to yes the new Menards (opened today). Add in the new theater and Cabelas and it is a nice variety for starters.

Madison's east side? The mall has been losing retail, adding in other options. Some areas have seen a spike in crime though as small as Madison is that crime can flow across town in a half hour.
For me, I'd choose areas in Sun Prairie over the actual east side of Madison, only my opinion.

Now depending on your wife's options, you could look into the west side or Middleton areas; if in Middleton coming in 14/University ave to downtown can be done though there again will be traffic. Middleton too has its nice downtown areas and spots like Greenway Center that continue to do well (so it seems vs West Towne).
Basically you seem to be centrally located for work, so I'd keep in mind where she would end up and make that efficient for her as well.

Lastly, good call on renting; the housing market here is nuts and no sense jumping into something you are not 100% in favor of just due to a bidding war. Get settled and learn the areas again, then look at ownership.

[MartiP]

Originally Posted by is_it_hip

I'm about 10+ years removed from Madison, so I'm not too familiar with how everything's changed over the past decade.

My wife and I (no kids) have been weighing moving to the east vs. west side for as long as I can remember. It'd be nice to settle it once and for all.

I'm for moving to the east side mostly due to family in the area. But with the movie theater and Menards moving to Sun Prairie, I'm questioning whether that's a good idea or not. Are those red flags or am I looking too much into it?

I'm a little concerned that I don't see see too many people posting how great the east side is on the forums. But that's true about a lot of cities on here; it's easier to ramble on about dislikes.

Help me out: Should I go with my wife on this one and avoid the east side at all costs? Do you have any important reasons you'd choose the east side?

Ideal living situation:
- Good area for walking dogs\dog parks
- Safe\quiet neighborhood and surrounding areas
- Easy access to grocery shopping (I'm a big fan of Woodman's)

Thanks!

Yes, please be afraid of your own shadow and avoid the east side all together...better yet, just avoid Madison. There are people there. You don't see many people posting in this forum about most areas....so why would you hold a small part of Madison to a higher standard?

Things are moving out to Sun Prairie do to overall growth, land availability and lower taxes - a pretty common situation in many places.

[chiociolliscalves]

Originally Posted by MartiP

Yes, please be afraid of your own shadow and avoid the east side all together...better yet, just avoid Madison. There are people there. You don't see many people posting in this forum about most areas....so why would you hold a small part of Madison to a higher standard?

Things are moving out to Sun Prairie do to overall growth, land availability and lower taxes - a pretty common situation in many places.

I'll bet you kill it with your improv troupe at the coffeehouse.

[chiociolliscalves]

Originally Posted by ranger17

Hi op. We are from this area but lived in SC '09-14. When we came back, we were almost shocked at how Madison has changed. And not all in a good way.

If you are looking at working downtown, then regardless of where you move you will have to deal with some form of traffic. I would avoid the beltline at all costs; my wife dealing with it for many years and it too has gotten worse. If I were working downtown, living in Sun Prairie (as an example) can be a straight shot in on 151/East Wash. Traffic yes but at least its one road into the downtown area. But Sun Prairie itself has exploded in population; it has some nice retail and eating that has gone in (or is going in) by the area near 151 and some of the downtown has been revitalized as well. But I'd watch out for living on the far side of town, as just cutting thru it every am will cause delays. We actually do most of our shopping in that 151 side, from Costco to Target to Woodmans to yes the new Menards (opened today). Add in the new theater and Cabelas and it is a nice variety for starters.

Madison's east side? The mall has been losing retail, adding in other options. Some areas have seen a spike in crime though as small as Madison is that crime can flow across town in a half hour.
For me, I'd choose areas in Sun Prairie over the actual east side of Madison, only my opinion.

Now depending on your wife's options, you could look into the west side or Middleton areas; if in Middleton coming in 14/University ave to downtown can be done though there again will be traffic. Middleton too has its nice downtown areas and spots like Greenway Center that continue to do well (so it seems vs West Towne).
Basically you seem to be centrally located for work, so I'd keep in mind where she would end up and make that efficient for her as well.

Lastly, good call on renting; the housing market here is nuts and no sense jumping into something you are not 100% in favor of just due to a bidding war. Get settled and learn the areas again, then look at ownership.

Violent crime on the east side is increasingly the norm on the local news. Madison is the sort of place where the response from the city council and the intelligentsia is to demand sensitivity training/latter-day encounter groups for the police so that they better comprehend their implicit bias in focusing on violent criminals in one community and ignoring the nearly non-existent criminal violence in others. I mean, get with it boys.

[ranger17]

hi op, below is a link (if it works) to a mapping from Madison's shots fired incidents the past couple years. One thing i noticed when we moved back here, was how it has spread vs what was normally say mostly on the south/southwest side. Often these are targeted and again as Madison is so small it's easy for someone to travel into another area quickly for any retaliation.
Obviously this can happen anywhere and regardless of the zip code chosen one should be diligent and mindful of their surroundings. That can probably be said for about anywhere nowadays.

Would I use a map like this to rule out an entire side of town? No. But would I use it to help narrow down more specific locations that I would not want to be in? Yes. Just my opinion of course.




https://host.madison.com/wsj/news/lo...34d3b1537.html

[Drewjdeg]

East Washington is now lined with high-rise apartments and offices - completely different from 10 years ago. There's tons of new restaurants in Atwood and Willy Street areas. IMO, the east-side has never been better.

Another 10 story office was announced a couple of weeks ago.

https://host.madison.com/wsj/news/lo...57fb33f18.html

Plus a new movie theater just opened at East Towne - so I'm not sure why you're worried about that.

https://host.madison.com/wsj/busines...614cd485f.html

[is_it_hip]

Originally Posted by Drewjdeg

East Washington is now lined with high-rise apartments and offices - completely different from 10 years ago. There's tons of new restaurants in Atwood and Willy Street areas. IMO, the east-side has never been better.

Another 10 story office was announced a couple of weeks ago.

https://host.madison.com/wsj/news/lo...57fb33f18.html

Plus a new movie theater just opened at East Towne - so I'm not sure why you're worried about that.

https://host.madison.com/wsj/busines...614cd485f.html

That’s all really good news. I had no idea. Thx for sharing!