Observations after living here 15 months (Madison, Sun Prairie: appointed, sale, new home)

[qazzaq9]

First, I would like to thank this site and all the threads and comments that helped me to choose Madison as the town I would relocate to. I moved from Endicott, NY with Binghamton being the closest city. I came to return to college, make ends meet in the meantime, and live in an atmosphere that encourages adults who choose to go back for further education. For this, Madison has been great.

Just for the background, I was 31, tired of working dead end jobs, had no kids or girlfriend, was sick of the negative "everything sucks" attitude in my hometown. I decided that I would no longer wish I finished school and actually do something about it. The U.S.A. was an open map for me (which was fun project in itself) and I just started narrowing areas down until I settled on Madison. I thought since this site was very helpful in my decisions, I would return the favor. These are only my opinions, but I thought I would give my 2 cents as to what I have seen so far as a Upstate NY transplant.

The Good:

1) Bike Paths- As an outsider, I don't know how this effects the area financially, but they are dedicated to these paths. And I say this with a bike overpass bridge being built in my backyard as I type. You can go literally anywhere in this city by path. So whether you like to walk, run, skate, or bike, there are great paths everywhere. I can even say when I would walk on them at 7 am to the bus stop, snow removal had already been done in the middle of winter. And yes, people ride bikes in the winter. Which brings me to .....

2) The People- Of course these are all generalizations. But in my experience, most folks say hello in passing or at least give a smile. If you are new, people will take an interest in you and your story. I found that to be true while working in retail, on campus, and even in pubs. I found it very comforting. Even driving, most people are respectful, and there isn't much road rage, at least that I have seen.

3) Public/Alternate Transportation- If you come from a large city, you might not like Metro Transit. But for an area of this size, I think the bus routes and coverage are very good. They are usually pretty close to the posted times, very accommodating to anyone with special needs, and are some of the cleanest buses I have been on. The prices are reasonable, and there are many discounts available to those who may need it. I thought it was great to get a bus pass from MATC even though I know I paid for it some how, lol. One drawback is you may need to stand at busier times, but as a NY guy I don't care, and if you need to sit most people realize and will get up right away. Another thing that I wasn't used too, was the scooters everywhere. NY would never allow such a thing, lol. But I like the fact that it gives people another low cost way to get around, and it's better for the environment to boot.

4) Police/Fire/Public Safety- Now I guess I have to say that I am white. Not that it should matter, but this is about my experiences and how I see things from my eyes. I have been treated with nothing but respect from everyone. I haven't been pulled over once, but I have spoken with many police/fireman and I always come out thinking that these folks are professional and will show the same respect that you show them. While most people know that Madison is mostly white, I can say that I live in an area that is close to 50/50 white and non-white. I have yet to have a problem with anyone and it is a pleasant change. Now I am a larger guy, so I can't say if this holds true for all people. But I can walk anywhere in my neighborhood day or night without incident. That is a big plus for me.

5) No "Nanny" Laws- Now this is more of a state thing then just Madison. But I love it. I don't ride a motorcycle, but if I did I would wear a helmet. But you don't need a law to tell me that. I should be able to make my own decision, and so should you. Enforcing stuff like that just wastes the police's time and costs taxpayers money anyway. There are too many freedoms from "Nanny" to list here, but people in Wisconsin have a real independent streak in them, and I applaud it. The only one I've seen is no smoking in bars, which is more of a public health issue anyway. But you can find bars outside of official city limits and smoke away if that's your thing.

6) No Red Carpet Roll Up- what I mean is if you are up with the birds, there are things to do. If you look for early evening, night owl, or weekend festivities, there are always things to do. This isn't NYC, but for the most part if you are into it, you can find it. Nuff said. There is plenty of info on-line to research if you are interested.

7) Church- I know that Madison is considered a "liberal" city, but I was pleasantly surprised with how many churches are here and how many different religions and denominations are represented. I think that most people would be able to find a place of worship, and also find a way to be involved in that church and the community if they so choose.

8) Charity- Maybe you are not into organized religion but still want to help your fellow man. Well I can say that the amount of charity here is absolutely amazing. From clothing, to food banks, to anything really that helps others, it is the best charitable town I have lived in or visited. People here really give back and they can always use another helping hand. I give blood and volunteer whenever I can.

9) Higher education- I can't speak for grade school. But if you are looking for a beauty school, or trade school, you are in the right place. The campuses are everywhere. If you are looking for college options, this also is a great place to start. I attend Madison Area Technical College which is an excellent 2-year school. The professors are top notch, the variety of classes and programs are plain crazy, and there is something extra for everyone to get involved in. It is small enough to get individual attention, and big enough to remain totally anonymous if that is your thing. As an adult student, you are in the minority somewhat, but younger students totally accept you, which is a plus for me. And the very reason that made Madison my new home was that if you hold a 3.0 or better at MATC you get an almost automatic transfer into the UW system. That was perfect for me. And UW Madison is where I'm aiming, and is always ranked as a top 50 school in the U.S.

10) The Weather- I know I may take some flack for this one, but I am reminded of some old sayings. "When in Rome..... and " you get what you pay for." What I mean is everyone knows what the weather is like here. Don't move here if you wear sweaters when the temp drops below 70 degrees. Don't come if you are upset that it isn't 95 all summer long. Don't like snow, look elsewhere. All I can say is I'm used to Binghamton, NY weather. It will rain non stop for 3-5 days and always on the weekend. It's cloudy everyday. A good day is when it is "partly cloudy." The wind doesn't stop, ever. Now Madison has many more sunny days than NY does. It gets more snow, but give me snow over rain any day. It gets even colder here than I was used to, but really, what is the difference between 0 and 10 below. To you, maybe everything, to me, not much at all. For me, the weather is similar to NY and well within my comfort zone. I say it is better actually. But this is a guy who sweats non stop when the temp hits 85 and is still wearing shorts and it was 42 today. Nice warm and brisk day if you ask me, lol!

So I have already typed more than I expected to. So I'm interested in seeing how others feel about my observations. I will wait and give people a chance to read and respond to what I listed. Later if people wish, I will provide the areas I found not so good. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope folks find this helpful.

[L.K.]

Thank you qazzaq9! This was so great to read! As a native of Madison who no longer lives there, this was a nice reminder of how wonderful my home town really is. We had to move away to the east coast three years ago for my husband's job and we think of Madison often. Glad you like it and good luck to you!

[Chelito23]

Loved your post. I think it is a very accurate and honest look at Madison. Positive rep point from me!

[Nala8]

Nice post. A rep for you, no doubt.

[gray52]

I would love to hear the negatives. We currently live in State College but we have a job offer in Madison. I've been researching the area for about two months. I would love to hear some negatives other than the "stay away from this street" cliches you find in any city. We'd be in the $400-$500k range for a home so i'm pretty sure we can find nice area on our own. It would be great if you could break down the negatives in a similar way you did the positives? And most importantly... have you found any place that can make a REAL Philly cheese steak?

[Chelito23]

Negatives? Proprty taxes on a $400-$500 home!!! Some of his positives are negatives, it's all in the eyes of the beholder. Not much racial diversity...harsh and long winters, high costs of living...

[ranger17]

Originally Posted by gray52

And most importantly... have you found any place that can make a REAL Philly cheese steak?

Well, there is that one place in the mall...... hey, they look authentic!



Madison & surrounding area can be a nice place to live. It is higher for taxes, etc so keep that in mind when budgeting for a home. And the winters can be ( and at most times are ) harsh; if you can enjoy the outdoors in snow and at times extreme cold temps, it will work for ya. The best suggestion is for you to spend some time there on a visit. Drive around with a realtor to not only get a feeling for the neighborhoods you may want to live in, but learn about the communities as well. Tough to do all that on the internet, or over a weekend.

[ComfortablyNumb]

There is a place on campus started up by 2 or 3 guys from Philadelphia. They claim to make a real cheesesteak and special order their rolls from Philly. I do enjoy them quite a bit.

[gray52]

Just got back from a long weekend trip to Madison... we were a little disappointed. All that land and these towns just insist on jamming houses into as little space as possible... there were 3000sqft single family homes w/ a 3-car garage built on .11 acres... is that possible? and not just one development... a lot of them were like that (or close to it) in Sun Prairie and Middleton. I know... some people like it, some hate it. To each his own and all that stuff.... We knew the taxes would be high, but $9,000-$15,000/year on a $500,000 home? And the almost 7% state income tax. Waunakee smelled terrible, just as it was warned on these boards. But it was a cute town. I read in the local paper as we were leaving that the average sale price on homes were down 6.2% from last year. That's over $46,000 on a $500,000 home... can that be accurate?
The city of Madison is very nice. Young and alive, just like State College. My wife and i were staying downtown next to the capital... In our opinion, Madison is as safe as a city that size can possibly be.
Over-all... I think our trip made us realize how nice we have it... I don't think there'll be a Madison relocation in our future. Good luck to you all.
Oh... and as for the long, cold winters... State College had 4" snow when we flew out on Friday... we know all about winter.

[windhoek7]

I think this is a great post! But I will say, your part of upstate NY is not bad either where housing is a bargain! I have a cousin in Binghamton, and his family bought a descent house there for a VERY low price. The city is gorgeous and surrounded by hill country, plus Ithaca (a beautiful place I might add) is not far away. However, the job picture in Binghamton is bad, and property taxes are thru the roof (like most of New York state) I saw some parts of the downtown area to be depressed, but I did see some revitalization.