Moving to WI (Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton: rental, home, neighborhoods)

[UKexpat]

Hi all,

We are considering relocating to WI from Wales as my husband has been offered a job near Madison (Fitchburg). Family of four (girl -4, boy -2)
I would really appreciate if anyone could help with the following:
1) Neighbourhoods - I've been looking at Middleton and Waunakee as they seem nice places with great schools. We want a quiet place, nice community and are not really worried about nightlife etc.
2) My daughter will be 5 in December. What grade would she be in to start this September? Is this half days or full days? She is currently in nursery in the UK 9-11.30am and I am concerned about her going straight into full days as soon as we move. Do most schools have a January intake?
3) The salary is around $120,000. I will be a stay at home mum and so this will be our only income. I know a 'comfortable life' is subjective, but is this a decent amount to live on in WI? We want enough to live in a nice area, eat out maybe twice a week (as a family, so not $$$ meals!) run 2 cars (we drive 8yr old cars now, so not bothered about flashy ones) and afford a vacation once a year, along with kids activities etc.

We've lived in Texas before (pre-children) and so have some idea of what living in the US is like (obviously the weather is to a different extreme there) but moving with children is a whole new ball-game. If there is any advice you can give us, either about the place or relocating to WI, we would be extremely grateful.

[ranger17]

Hi OP, i'll let others with small children add info on schools, etc but if your husband is going to be working in the Fitchburg area (south side of Madison) i would highly recommend against living in the Waunakee area (north side). It's a nice community, but transit on a good day (no rain/snow/road construction) could be a bear, and any drive time can double when the conditions worsen.

So my first thoughts would be the Middleton area, perhaps Verona as well.

I'll defer to those who live in those communities for better feedback for you.


I will add that a salary as mentioned can and will work for living here. Property taxes are high but as you research you'll be able to get a good feel for how that affects housing.

[brrabbit]

2) K-grade. Or K5, which is same. Full days. Not sure if Madison has K4 which would be half-day, but there are plenty of private (paid) preschools which would be happy to take your kid. Your daughter would love full days, they mostly play and have fun there in K-grade.

3) With the salary around $120,000, you shall live a veeeeeery comfortable life. You would still live a reasonably comfortable life with half of that salary

[No Happy]

120k good living and can get you by just fine and then some in Wisconsin. That shouldn't be an issue. Wisconsin has been rated as having some of the best public schools in the nation. I had always read that Middleton was ranked #1 in the country for best place to live, don't know if it still has that spot, but it is nice.

[sgw99]

1) I agree with a previous poster that the drive to Waunakee is probably not worth it, even though it seems like a very nice small town. Middleton or Verona would be good, I think. I have heard there's some overcrowding in the schools in both communities because they have grown rapidly, but that's just hearsay - I would check with the school districts. Madison also has a good variety of neighborhoods (urban and suburban). If you want a smaller community, Mount Horeb is a bit farther out but not a difficult commute to Fitchburg. I'm a parent and also moved long distance to this area. It is difficult to assess the quality of schools from afar, for sure. I think Middleton and Waunakee have the best reputations. Madison has some great schools, and some struggling ones.
2) If she turns 5 in December 2016, she would be in preschool or "4k" this fall, not kindergarten. The communities around here require kids to be 5 by September 1st to start elementary school. Some communities (most?) in the area offer half-day free 4k through the public school system. It varies by school district, so I would recommend looking it up as you narrow down your housing options. I know Mt. Horeb -- it's 4 days per week, 8 am to 11:30.
3) Yes, you should be fine. You won't be living in a mansion, but you won't struggle.

[UKexpat]

Thank you all for the replies. Husband did a recon. trip and also sided with Middleton, so we'll all head out there later in the summer to look round and sort out a short term rental when looking to buy.