# Tell me about neighborhoods in Madison, Wisconsin **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568 "2015-03-09T01:23:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/21 "2015-03-10T13:01:21Z")
> [@UrbanMum](#): > > It turns out that carpooling is available and 50% of students at Madison Country Day are from Madison. If we take the commute to school out of the equation, what neighborhoods would you recommend based on the criteria I listed? … I like my neighborhood a lot. South of Shorewood, east of Midvale. Very close in to downtown but reasonably quiet. But I’m gonna stick with the Regent St. area, a bit further south and east of me. Just don’t get too close to the football stadium. Tenny Park is another very nice neighborhood on the northeast side of campus. ---
**Author:** ![tuesdayweld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@tuesdayweld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tuesdayweld)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/22 "2015-03-10T13:06:24Z")
> [@UrbanMum](#): > > we’d want a reasonably good sized yard > > a neighborhood where the houses are not all the same and where there is evidence of pride in home ownership and homes are well-maintained > > walk to restaurants and shops > > a neighborhood that is good for dog walking > > a commute preferably under 20 minutes to the school Okay, I ran all of the above through my mental spinner and it spat out Middleton. I lived in Middleton for a few years and I think it is an awesome area - in my own mind, I just consider it to be part of Madison’s west side. If I’m recalling correctly, Middleton won the title of ‘best small town to live in’ a few years back (Money or Forbes or some such magazine list) and I think it has only continued to improve since. MapQuest puts Waunakee about 8 miles from Middleton, likely less than a 15 minute drive. Access to the campus area via University Avenue will also be a fairly easy commute for your spouse. Middleton is mostly pristine housing - with a mix of both older and newer homes and condos. The Middleton Hills neighborhood is made up of newer homes and condos, built with a Frank Lloyd Wright aesthetic. Very walkable to shopping and cafes. Very safe. 500K ballpark for a 3 bedroom single family home. Public schools serving Middleton/Cross Plains are rated exemplary, the last time I checked (2 or 3 years ago). Middleton is a very family friendly/Mom & Pop kind of town that I’d put above most vanilla suburbs - it even has its own brewery which has a rocking patio for summertime fun (for the whole family). On weekends, you’d have about a 15-20 minute drive to get to Capital Square for Farmer’s Market (biggest and best in the country - correct me anyone if I am wrong!). Well, there you have my 2 cents, UrbanMum! Best of luck to you! ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/23 "2015-03-10T14:38:39Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Depends if 20 minutes is a “trek” for you. I live very close University and Midvale, just south of Shorewood, and Waunakee is 20 minutes from here, in large part because you would need to drive around the lake. > > I agree that Bishops Bay is an upscale development very conveniently located for Waunakee. It’s south of Waunakee, but north of the lake, so maybe 5-10 minutes away. There’s a lot of more or less undeveloped land in that area, so if you’re looking for something that has a bit more of a rural feel to it, that’s a good are to look in. > > Middleton is reasonably upscale and spreads out to the west from Bishop’s Bay. If you’re looking for an area with somewhat more conventional neighborhoods, it would be a good choice. Yeah well, I was hoping you’d come to this thread:). I haven’t lived in Madison since 1993! ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/24 "2015-03-10T14:49:03Z")
> [@UrbanMum](#): > > It turns out that carpooling is available and 50% of students at Madison Country Day are from Madison. If we take the commute to school out of the equation, what neighborhoods would you recommend based on the criteria I listed? To the poster who suggested another school, MCDS is a K - 12 school, not a daycare. The only other private schools I’ve seen are catholic and since we’re Jewish, that won’t work for us. Thank you all so very much for your help - I really appreciate it! D’oh. I didn’t have kids to worry about when I lived in Madison \ years ago. :smack: I’m leaning towards Maple Bluff, given the overall variables. Larger lots for gardening. Closer to the day school. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/25 "2015-03-11T00:42:56Z")
> [@UrbanMum](#): > > To the poster who suggested another school, MCDS is a K - 12 school, not a daycare. The only other private schools I’ve seen are catholic and since we’re Jewish, that won’t work for us. Is it important to you that your children attend a private school? I ask because Madison is considered to have good public schools, so it may be that whatever kinds of programs or services you want from a school are available in the public system. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/26 "2015-03-11T11:26:03Z")
Seattle is the greatest place to live in the summer, Madison the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/27 "2015-03-12T01:42:25Z")
Personally I think Madison has terrific simmers alternating with horrific winters. It it not particularly unusual for -20 to -30 in winter, with wind child dropping the perceived temp anther 20 degrees. Invest in very good winter wear. Today, though, it hit 60 for the first time this year :). 3 weeks ago we were hovering around 0 for quite a while before that. One thing that argues for a location in or quite near to Waunakee is winter driving. You’ll be dependent on just a few state and county roads to get there, and they are not as well plowed as city roads. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/28 "2015-03-12T05:55:52Z")
I no expert in Madison real estate, but I worked in Shorewood Hills in college in the 80s. It’s beautiful place, but the houses are starting to age (many built from 1930’s to 1950’s) Considering the brutal weather, I’d make sure the the homes have been well maintained and updated. My in-laws lived in a big house on a big lot on a hill overlooking a park, and when the sold the house in around 2000, I was shocked at how little it went for. Looking at some of the house values, the higher end ones $600-$800K) have appreciated less that 20% in the last 10 years. Some places in the country would love that, but for a big leafy city with a huge University, that’s not great. Madison, while a wealthy city, doesn’t have a ton of really big wealth, so selling property at those prices seems to be a slow process. My old friends who still live there have confirmed my impressions. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/29 "2015-03-12T09:56:31Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Personally I think Madison has terrific simmers alternating with horrific winters. “Simmer” pretty much covers it for me. I didn’t mind the subzero Wisconsin winters, but later when I was in Luzon with the steam venting off the hillsides it was no different than those humid cornfields back home. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568/30 "2015-03-12T12:42:46Z")
Spend a Friday evening in the summer on the Terrace at the Memorial Union on campus with a cool beer from the Rathskeller. Good friends, live music, watching sailboats on the lake as the sun sets. So nice. I was partial to [sailing and windsurfing](http://www.hoofersailing.org/) - which can pick up again in the winter with their [hard water](http://iceboat.org/) equivalents. But there are more than enough opportunities for summer recreation. Summer in Madison can be great. The area has good bike trails, water activities on the lake, a and a vibrant social scene, particularly downtown. And winter [may bring](http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=25115) a [rather unique visitor to Madison](https://www.google.com/search?q=madison+liberty+on+the+lake&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=A4gBVbutIs21sQTe5oDgBg&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=669). Only in Madtown. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-neighborhoods-in-madison-wisconsin/714568.md?page=1)