Moving to Madison Wisconsin. Need advice. (Superior, Fitchburg: apartment complexes, to rent, crime)

[MeMineEye]

Hello all. I'm moving to Madison Wisconsin in March 2024. I have questions. Please answer honestly the questions you can. Much appreciated.

1) where are the safest neighborhoods? What are the best apartment complexes?
2) are the winters really that harsh? How so or how not so?
3) what are summers like?
4) how does humidity affect winter and summer?
5) what is lake effect like?
6) are the people friendly? Warm welcoming to newcomers? What's the vibe of the people?
7) who are the most trusting vehicle mechanics in town?
8) what other info can you offer me?

I'm super grateful to any and all input. Hope you're having a great day!

[SkyLark2019]

Just my experience with Wisconsin-

Winters can get unpleasantly cold....Learn about safe driving in snow, what to buy to de-ice sidewalks, etc.

Summers are heavenly.

Most people are super sweet. There is the odd occasional nasty person.

Alcoholism is a problem there.

There are decent shade tree mechanics there.

Years ago I almost relocated there for work but a chance development changed that. I loved Wisco.

Higher education is very affordable there, as opposed to many other states.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

Just my experience with Wisconsin-

Winters can get unpleasantly cold....Learn about safe driving in snow, what to buy to de-ice sidewalks, etc.

Summers are heavenly.

Most people are super sweet. There is the odd occasional nasty person.

Alcoholism is a problem there.

There are decent shade tree mechanics there.

Years ago I almost relocated there for work but a chance development changed that. I loved Wisco.

Higher education is very affordable there, as opposed to many other states.

I check temps and dewpoints for Madison daily in summer from Massachusetts, and it can often get hot....and muggy! Same with Minneapolis

[Drewjdeg]

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

Just my experience with Wisconsin-

Winters can get unpleasantly cold....Learn about safe driving in snow, what to buy to de-ice sidewalks, etc.

Summers are heavenly.

Most people are super sweet. There is the odd occasional nasty person.

Alcoholism is a problem there.

There are decent shade tree mechanics there.

Years ago I almost relocated there for work but a chance development changed that. I loved Wisco.

Higher education is very affordable there, as opposed to many other states.

Speaking of trees, one underrated positive quality of Madison is that almost every residential street and most, even in industrial or commercial areas, are tree-lined. It is very lush and green in the summer and fall and makes a lot of other cities feel a bit sparse and barren in comparison.

[hikernut]

I lived there in the early 1990s, so I don't have any current info on specific apartments or mechanics. Assuming you're working, I'd try to live on the same side of town as your office location. If you don't need to commute anywhere, I'll toss out the area south of the beltway as a place to consider (for safety). I have friends who have lived in Arbor Hills (in a house) for a long time. There's also Fitchburg. Here's a crime map FWIW... https://communitycrimemap.com/?address=Madison,%20WI

I found the summers to be pretty nice. The house I lived in did not have a/c, which I wouldn't recommend. I expect all the newer apartment have air conditioning.

Well yes, winters are pretty cold. You can make your life more pleasant by getting some good cold-weather clothing and footwear, and if you have a car it helps to have a garage for it (no scraping ice of the car windows in the morning). To my knowledge there's no significant "lake effect".

I found it a fun place to live, although I was a student at the university so it's a bit different experience than if you're working.

[gentlearts]

My grandson has lived there for a couple of years, since college. He hated his commute to work for the first year, but now he lives closer. I don’t think he gets to socialize much, because his company works him like a dog and he also travels for work.

I don’t know how he feels about the politics there, but I hear they are very left wing.

[Back...BackForMore]

There are certain areas to avoid such as around Allied Drive, Badger Road, and an east side neighborhood called Darbo. Are you planning to rent something site unseen or are you planning to come visit first to check out options? I hate to generalize, but you can often tell about the quality of the residents based on the cars parked in the lot.

And just like my other areas I assume, rents are getting out of control.

[badger74]

Property crime has gotten out of control. Avoid the south side of town. Winters seem to be less severe than in the 70s when I lived there. Lake Mendota can be putrid with green algae in the summer. I would not pay extra to live near it.

[Zenstyle]

O.P., where are you moving from?

[Milwaukee City]

There is no inappropriate weather only inappropriate clothing. Dress right and the winters won't bother you, traffic sucks, great restaurants, bikers can be annoying here, not leather bikers but spandex bikers. No lake effect here, that would be Lake Superior or Michigan where you would find that. People seem to be more welcoming in summer and less in winter, kinda makes sense tho. Take up a winter sport and you'll enjoy winter a lot more. Skiing, hiking, winter camping, fat tire bikes while drinking a fat tire.


Buy a Toyota or a Honda and you won't need a mechanic, if you have anything from Germany, Italy or Britain and you'll want 5 mechanics on speed dial along with a tow truck company. Typically apartment complexes and safety don't go hand in hand but do what I call a parking lot test, Drive around and look at the kind of cars that are parked there. Also check out the landscaping, generally the nicer the landscaping the better the management company.


Madison's great you just have to find "Your Madison".