History, tradition and growth in Wisconsin’s capital city
Originally called “the land of four lakes” by the Ho-Chunk people, Madison sits on the isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona. The capital of Wisconsin, it’s often near the top of “best cities to live in” rankings by publications such as U.S. News & World Report.
John Nolen, for whom a major thoroughfare is named, was instrumental in the landscape architecture and some elements of the city planning. “This idea of Nolen’s ‘model city’ included community access to waterfronts, parks and green space,” says Ben Anton, a Realtor with Lauer Realty and host of the “Real Estate in the 608” podcast. “Because of Madison’s relative youth, the city planning benefited from that preexisting knowledge: axial street design, public space. I mean, so much of what we see in our lived environment is about what came before. We’re living in a history book. This didn’t just happen.”
Home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison or UW — the city’s largest employer — and a growing technology industry highlighted by Epic Systems, a medical software company, the population has expanded by 8 to 15 percent each decade since the 90s. As of the 2020 census, nearly 270,000 people call Madison home. This continued growth brings opportunities and challenges as the city seeks to balance its surging population with its cherished, offbeat vibe, typified by former mayor Paul Soglin’s proposed city slogan: “77 square miles surrounded by reality.”
Madtown, as it’s often called, is known for its vibrant arts and music scenes, plentiful outdoor activities in all seasons and its history of progressive politics. U.S. News and World Report ranks UW Health’s University Hospital as the top hospital in Wisconsin, and residents can cheer on UW sports teams.
Ice boat racing happens each winter on Monona Bay, and can be viewed from downtown.
Madison's Alumni Park is a congregation spot for UW students and visitors alike.
Epic Systems in nearby Verona is one of the biggest employers in Madison.
You can even enjoy live music at Northside Farmers Market in Madison's Lake View Hill neighborhood.
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence is felt around the city
While Madison’s home prices are slightly below the national average, they have increased rapidly in recent years as the population and demand outstrip supply. From April to May 2023, Madison had the sharpest home price percentage increase in America, according to reporting by the Cap Times. The median price for a single-family home is $440,000, and the average listing stays on the market for about 30 days.
Downtown and the neighborhoods along the isthmus tend to be a mix of renters and owners, and the homes are typically older. Tenney-Lapham, for example, is 70% renters. Generally, homes on the west side tend to be larger and more expensive than those on the east side, due partly to the east side’s industrial history — Oscar Meyer had a large plant there until 2017 — while the west side is closer to the UW campus and Epic Systems.
Madison is known for midcentury modernist architecture, particularly Prairie School designs like those of Frank Lloyd Wright, who lived and taught from Taliesin, his home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Several of Wright’s students — and Wright himself — designed homes and other buildings in Madison. These styles feature prominently in the University Hill Farms, Waunona and Walnut Grove neighborhoods. Other contemporary styles proliferate throughout newer developments.
Rapid growth has brought opportunities and challenges. “The city is in the process of a new west side development plan to create more high-density housing. That’s a bit of a controversial element,” says Chris Delamarter, a Realtor with Keller Williams and Walnut Grove Homeowner’s Association board member. There is a fair amount of commitment to maintaining things the way they are. “For all its progressiveness, Madison can be a little resistant to change,” says Mary Browning, a broker associate and Realtor with Compass Realty. Madison is also a high-tax area. “It’s high taxes, but you get services and a high quality of life,” Browning says. The city has a history of passing school referendums, including $500 million in 2024. Free city perks include the Henry Vilas Zoo and the Chazen Museum of Art.
Most houses in Madison's Worthington Park sit on quarter-acre or smaller lots, with modest yards.
Madison's historic district of Tenney-Lapham contains several prairie-style homes.
Madison's Sigma Phi Society house, with Prairie-style architecture, is a National Historic Landmark.
You can warm up at the indoor primate exhibit in Madison's Henry Vilas Zoo.
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Year-round fun on the lakes and a vibrant music scene
The lakes are major attractions during all seasons. “We’re literally between two lakes,” says Patty Prime, member chair of the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association. People canoe, kayak, fish, or sip beers and watch live music at UW’s Memorial Union Terrace on the shore of Lake Mendota. Winter brings pick-up hockey games on the frozen lakes, and ice-fishing huts bloom like mushrooms.
Large green spaces lie scattered throughout the city. Owen Conservation Park offers nearly 97 acres of prairie in the Parkwood Hills neighborhood. Elver Park, near the Meadowood neighborhood, is known for its 18-hole disc golf course and one of the city’s great sledding hills. The 1,200-acre UW Arboretum is one of the world's oldest examples of prairie restoration. “Sixty active research projects are happening,” says Maddie Smith, the Arb’s community education coordinator. “All this in addition to trail use and all our community programming.”
Throughout the summer, over 3,500 people flock to Madison’s parks for the Madison Ultimate Frisbee Association’s Summer League. Madison has the most playgrounds per capita of anywhere in the U.S.
Residents can explore the Chazen Museum and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art downtown. The Arts & Literature Laboratory, or ALL, has a gallery space, plus classes and events in the Marquette neighborhood. “We do all the arts. People come for a concert and discover the small press library or take an art class,” says Rita Mae Reese, Co-Director of ALL. The Overture Center hosts Broadway productions. “The theater scene in Madison is excellent,” says longtime resident Lorilee Hamann. “Every time we go, it’s so rich.”
Madison’s music scene includes the recording of several seminal albums at Smart Studios, where Butch Vig engineered records for Nirvana, L7 and the Smashing Pumpkins in the early 1990s. Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown’s drummer from 1965 until 1970, made Madison his home in 1971 and played weekly at the old King Club downtown for decades before passing away in 2017. National touring acts can play at the Sylvee, the Orpheum or Breese Stevens Field. Local and regional bands play the High Noon Saloon, Mickey’s Tavern, or the Crystal Corner Bar, all in or near the Marquette neighborhood.
Ice fishing is a midwestern past time that can be done with lake access from Downtown Madison.
The Arboretum Spring Trail extends past its main boundary on the west side of Madison.
Bridge-Lakepoint residents are a short trip from the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Orpheum Theater in Downtown Madison showcases a variety of live entertainment, from music to standup.
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The University of Wisconsin is the academic and cultural center of Madison
The Madison Metropolitan School District, which Niche rates a B-plus, serves over 25,000 students. Four high schools are spread across the city. Shabazz City High School is an alternative program that requires an application into a lottery system.
The University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus welcomes over 34,000 undergraduates and 14,000 graduate students annually. Located just west of downtown, the UW campus is a major cultural hub for the city, and its athletes have competed in the Big 10 Conference since 1896.
Madison College is the area’s community college, offering nearly 200 degree and training programs. Its main campus is on the north side of the city. Tucked between Lake Wingra and Monroe Street sits Edgewood College, a private Catholic school that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees to approximately 2000 students.
Shabazz City High School in Madison has a student-teacher ratio of 9 to 1.
Most UW Madison students live off-campus, with about 25% residing in downtown Madison.
Camp Randall Stadium is the oldest stadium included in the Big Ten Conference.
Edgewood Campus School in Madison's Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood is situated near the shore of Lake Monona.
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Curds, brats and Friday Fish Fry pair with supper club cocktails and craft beer
Shopping centers include East Towne and West Towne malls and Hilldale, an upscale outdoor shopping center. State Street, which stretches 8 blocks between the UW campus and the Capitol, hosts numerous local shops and restaurants.
On the east side, East Washington Avenue has undergone a profound transformation since the 1990s, with new apartment complexes, restaurants and cafes popping up. Williamson Street and Atwood Avenue are two east-side streets with stretches of shopping and dining.
A robust brewery scene has developed over the recent decades, including Working Draft Brewery, Giant Jones and Delta Beer Labs. EVP Coffee and Colectivo Coffee are local roasteries.
Residents can sip craft beers and Old Fashioneds — served Wisconsin-style, meaning muddled sugar and orange with brandy and soda — at the many bars, including the namesake bar on the Capitol Square. Friday Fish Fry is a Wisconsin staple. Cheese curds, whether fresh and squeaky or battered and fried, are another favorite. Madison also hosts the World’s Largest Brat Fest each Memorial Day Weekend. Since 1983, the event has served over 4 million bratwursts and raised over $2 million for local charities.
Beyond brats and curds, Madisonians can sample from a city's wide range of restaurants, with several James Beard award finalists and winners, including L'Etoile, a farm-to-table restaurant downtown.
With its many chain stores, East Towne Mall is a great place for Madison residents to shop.
Madison's outdoor Hilldale Mall boasts over 50 stores and services.
Colectivo Coffee in Madison's Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood is a local favorite for coffee and food.
Brat Fest in Madison is an opportunity to build a better community while having fun.
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Winter weather and climate mitigation strategies
In winter, residents should expect snow, sleet and stretches of sub-zero temperatures. Summers are warm and humid with regular thunderstorms, though sustained bouts of triple-digit temperatures are uncommon.
Madison is considered climate-resilient, though 2018 summer storms caused flooding that left standing water on major downtown streets and in parts of Middleton for several weeks. The city has implemented flood mitigation plans, including restoring greenways, creating drainage easements and ponds and regularly cleaning basins. Another environmental concern is noise from F-35 fighter jets, which began using Truax airfield in 2017.
According to the FBI's Crime Data Explorer, Madison’s reported violent crime rate is significantly lower than the national rate and close to Wisconsin’s overall rate. Reported property crime rates tend to be higher than both the national and state figures, however. The Madison Police Department’s 2023 annual report reflected a 1% increase in part 1 violent crime rates between 2022 and 2023. During the same time period, part 1 property crime rates fell by 1%.
Growing traffic and 200 miles of bike trails
As the city has grown, traffic has increased, especially on the Beltline Highway that runs around the southern edge of Madison. However, Madison’s traffic isn’t like huge American cities. “It’s not like Chicago where you need an hour to get anywhere,” Browning says. Interstates 90, 94 and 39 run east of the city, connecting to Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis.
A new rapid transit bus line is now operational. “I think the upgraded transit system is really going to impact things,” Browning says. Madison has 200 miles of paved bike paths slicing through the city and wrapping around Lake Monona and is recognized as one of the most bike-friendly cities in America.
The Dane County Regional Airport, on Madison’s north side, sends direct flights to major cities around the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington D.C.
UW sports, neighborhood festivals and live music across the city
Over 75,000 fans can crowd Camp Randall Stadium for Wisconsin Badger college football games, shaking the arena during the traditional “Jump Around” before the fourth quarter. The men’s and women’s Badger basketball and women’s volleyball teams have also enjoyed success and popularity. Madison Forward FC and the Madison Radicals, a professional Ultimate Frisbee team, play at Breese Stevens Field. “Everyone benefits from the local sports and concerts at Breese Stevens,” says Ali Kane, a broker associate with Stark Company Realtors.
Summer brings live music to parks all over the city, including concerts on the Capitol lawn and neighborhood street festivals that stretch from Fitchburg to Atwood Avenue. Each August, the Great Taste of the Midwest invites nearly 200 craft brewers from around the Midwest to Olin Park. The Wisconsin Book Festival hosts free author readings throughout the year, culminating in their fall festival.
Forward Madison FC is one of Madison's prize sports teams.
Breese Stevens Field is the largest sporting and music venue in Madison's Tenney Lapham neighborhood.
The Madison Night Market features buskers and even stage performances from local musicians.
Live country music is one of the main draws of the Taste of Madison event.
With over thirty-one years in direct sales and nine years in commercial real estate, Angi has branched out into the residential arena and is excited to team up with you to achieve your goals! In her free time, Angi enjoys traveling, entertaining, spending time with family/friends, and working on home improvement projects. She loves remodeling, design, staging, and helping clients picture what their home or space could be. Angi looks forward to helping you successfully buy and sell your home and have fun doing it!
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