What do you think of Madison? (Milwaukee, Green Bay: fit in, credit, neighborhood)

[stanley47inripon]

I prefer Appleton morethan both Madison and Milwaukee, cuz I'm a small town guy. But since the debate is started already I would choose Milwaukee over Madison as far as bigger Wi cities. Madison is nice for families, has better schools, and decent food scene. But there is an element of snootiness to Madison. Not sure if that comes from Chicago influence there or what but it exists. Milwaukee is more blue collar, but in recent years has done a good job I think of reinventing itself. Milwaukee is truly its own city compared to Madison. There are pro sports, symphony, theatre, world class concerts and comedians, a giant music festival, fine dining, also good cheap eats, and alot of history and tradition in Milwaukee. Madison has some of thatbut Milwaukee leans more toward world class than Madison IMO. It's easier to get around than a mega city like Chicago or L.A. So what if there is suburban sprawl and segregation. Look at Chicago.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by Derry8107

I know UW-Madison is more difficult university than the University of Mississippi "Ole Miss" where I got my BA. I wouldn't consider UW if I wasn't a very serious student. Also, I feel that my education at Ole Miss prepared me for the real, competitive world. Of course, I want the top school in my field, but location is also very important. When I move again, I want it to be an ideal place that I know it fits me very well. So far, Madison matches what I am looking for in a place but I won't make it official until I vist open houses and check Madison out soon. Nothing's wrong with my home state Mississippi but it's not for me at all. What's the point of moving to another state and still be miserable anyway?

Not much, but most people don't come to UW grad school with the idea of living in Madison for the rest of their life.Those that do usually end up working for half of what they could make elsewhere.
There is no ideal place and no geographical cure for being miserable.

[Igor and sven]

Madison rocks. Good economy, great college scene for young adults. It's an up and comer but still not as much to do as Milwaukee.

[TAB1452]

Originally Posted by stanley47inripon

I prefer Appleton morethan both Madison and Milwaukee, cuz I'm a small town guy. But since the debate is started already I would choose Milwaukee over Madison as far as bigger Wi cities. Madison is nice for families, has better schools, and decent food scene. But there is an element of snootiness to Madison. Not sure if that comes from Chicago influence there or what but it exists. Milwaukee is more blue collar, but in recent years has done a good job I think of reinventing itself. Milwaukee is truly its own city compared to Madison. There are pro sports, symphony, theatre, world class concerts and comedians, a giant music festival, fine dining, also good cheap eats, and alot of history and tradition in Milwaukee. Madison has some of thatbut Milwaukee leans more toward world class than Madison IMO. It's easier to get around than a mega city like Chicago or L.A. So what if there is suburban sprawl and segregation. Look at Chicago.

change pro sports to college sports and the Milwaukee to Madison and that sentence is 100% the same

[Megan1967]

Since the "haters" have chimed in I feel like I should, too. I love Madison and have never felt quite as centered when living any place else. I think you'll find pretentious, "my town (side of town) is better than yours" kind of people everywhere. It has been my experience in Janesville, Eau Claire and Mequon. Or maybe it's just a Wisconsin thing...

• I've traveled extensively in BIG cities and I have to say that Madison has a decent number of good restaurants of various "flavors," more so than some cities much bigger than it.

• Everything is really accessible geographically (if you have a car - note above poster's comment re: public trans is right on).
• There are a variety sub cultures that you can plug into to find like minded people.
• People DO things here. Check out the Isthmus. If you cant' find something to do it says more about you than it does about the city.
• The city is physically beautiful.
• The people are friendly. Note you must have what psychiatrists call "boundaries" in order to "get" this, however. If you are the kind of person who thinks people should be inviting you to their kid's baptism after one conversation you won't find Madisonians friendly.
• There are a lot of smart interesting people associated with the University (and some who aren't ). Seriously, it is a great place to go to school. There is a ton of comraderie (sp?) among the students even though you couldn't possibly know everyone.
• There are oodles of cool, little, indie businesses. Madison really supports the little guy so there are more home grown, unique shopping opportunities than you'd typically find in a city the size of Madison and because it is a smaller city it seems like there are a lot of them because they aren't scattered about a huge geographic area.

[JoshB]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

Since the "haters" have chimed in I feel like I should, too. I love Madison and have never felt quite as centered when living any place else. I think you'll find pretentious, "my town (side of town) is better than yours" kind of people everywhere. It has been my experience in Janesville, Eau Claire and Mequon. Or maybe it's just a Wisconsin thing...

• I've traveled extensively in BIG cities and I have to say that Madison has a decent number of good restaurants of various "flavors," more so than some cities much bigger than it.

• Everything is really accessible geographically (if you have a car - note above poster's comment re: public trans is right on).
• There are a variety sub cultures that you can plug into to find like minded people.
• People DO things here. Check out the Isthmus. If you cant' find something to do it says more about you than it does about the city.
• The city is physically beautiful.
• The people are friendly. Note you must have what psychiatrists call "boundaries" in order to "get" this, however. If you are the kind of person who thinks people should be inviting you to their kid's baptism after one conversation you won't find Madisonians friendly.
• There are a lot of smart interesting people associated with the University (and some who aren't ). Seriously, it is a great place to go to school. There is a ton of comraderie (sp?) among the students even though you couldn't possibly know everyone.
• There are oodles of cool, little, indie businesses. Madison really supports the little guy so there are more home grown, unique shopping opportunities than you'd typically find in a city the size of Madison and because it is a smaller city it seems like there are a lot of them because they aren't scattered about a huge geographic area.

Very well said!

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I attended UW for my undergrad and lived in Madison for a few years before going to grad school.

Madison is one of the top college towns in the country. It's the ultimate collegiate experience. The campus is beautiful and totally dominates the town. State Street, Capitol Square, the lakes, etc, are all very nice and accessible. There is hardly any traffic and crime is hardly a concern at all. In fact when I lived there in the late 1990s many people I knew left their doors unlocked. Virtually no one gave one whit of thought to their personal security day or night.

While I had a blast going to school there, I did not care for living in Madison as a non-student. So much of life there revolves around the university; as a non-student you feel like you're on the outside looking in, not a part of "the scene." And outside of the university bubble, Madison's reputation of having "so much going on" just doesn't hold water. At the end of the day Madison is not a vibrant city. It's a town with a vibrant university community at its core.

And I wholeheartedly agree with my fellow Milwaukeeans in their assessment of Madison's tendancy to hold itself in high regard. This is not inferiority complex talking, it's not bashing. It's something you notice when you've both lived in Madison and outside of Madison.

The Madison bubble keeps people insulated, and many folks there have a very provincial attitude. They think that having a smattering of community theater groups (a few more than Green Bay) makes their town a "center of peforming arts." They think their handful of galleries somehow makes the town a major "center in the visual arts." It's a pretentious place. People ride a bike once or twice a year to work and brag about it as if they've reduced their carbon footprint 75%. They wear their political viewpoints and supposed "eco friendly" practices (like joining a co-op or a CSA) on their sleeves, almost advertising these things as proof of how amazingly intelligent and aware they are. In Madison you get A LOT of unsolicited lectures from people and "leading by example."

Again, these are things you notice more being a non-student in Madison. Most students in Madison are in and out, there for a short time, and actually know relatively little of life on the outside of the university bubble.

[gold*dust1]

^^Touche' As a native Madisonian the fact that I am laughing and concurring with most of your post is proof not everyone drinks the Madison kool-aid.

How could anyone that has truly been around think Madison has an edge on diversity and arts, or that they have much in the realm of dining or entertainment venues compared to many other places? It's amazing but your description has a lot of truth to it.

It is what it is>>>rather ordinary really.

[edsg25]

What do I think of when I think of Madison?

the best damned middle sized city in the nation. Madison is one of the true jewels of the midwest.

[Drover]

If Madison were a Greek mythology character, it would be Narcissus, lovingly admiring its own reflection in the pool. I can't think of any place I've ever been that adores itself so much that it has no conception of the posibiity that it might have shortcomings. I still like the place though, but I have to admit that it will lose a lot of its luster for me if it ever stops serving as the craft-beer mecca of the upper Midwest.