Can anyone tell me about Madison, WI

We are considering a move to Madison for grad school. What are the prospects for tech jobs there? Is it really as nice as it looks in pictures? What's the approximate rent for a nicer 2BR apt? How bad do the winters suck?

Thanks for any and all info anyone can give me on this. I really appreciate it!

felonious thunk

But I can tell you that the winters up that way are pretty harsh. You may want to invest in a parka if you move there.

2 in grad school, 2 post grad. When I was there (1993-7) the job market was pretty bad, mostly because you had lots of UW alums who wanted to stay in Madison competing for jobs. The main industries are the state and university, though that may have changed somewhat. I ended up moving back East to return to grad school.

The city is nice, very spread out, with lots to do. The UW area has lots of great shops and bars and restaurants. The outskirts are very much suburbia, with lots of strip malls, apartments, etc.

I don't know what rents are like now, but when I was there they had a high vacancy rate so they had lots of specials with a month's free rent. I paid around $550 for a nice 1BR on the outskirts of town.

I grew up in New England, but even I wasn't prepared for Wisconsin winters. The day the high was -2 was the day I was ready to leave.

UW is a great school -- though huge, and easy to get lost. My department had 300 grad students. And going to their sporting events was a great time -- football, basketball, hockey, etc.

Good luck!

Coming from PA via DC, I'm not sure how I'll be able to handle winters there, but summers here aren't very comfortable either.

The rest of the winter is pretty tolerable, though it is easy for me to say as I've grown up here. I lived in the greater Madison area for 8 years and used to work for the credit union on campus. We always used to shake our heads in pity at the poor students who came from much more tropical regions like Africa and Malaysia. They would come into the credit union in October with parkas on, scarves and gloves just shivering. They didn't know what was about to hit them. It was almost painful to see the expressions on their faces when we would joke that it was going to get much worse. There were a lot of stories of these students finding new schools or going home after that first semester in Madison.

On the other hand, I have a friend who moved from central Wisconsin to PA and she didn't think the winters were all that different. Just a little shorter and no week of zero or below.

For about ten years and loved it.

but visit Madtown frequently.

My son's friends have had no trouble getting Tech jobs while they are at school. There are a lot of innovative tech businesses in and around Madison.

Traffic sucks. Mostly because of Wisconsin's spring blooming orange construction signs.

A parka is a good idea but all-in-all winters aren't that bad; you grow accustomed to them.

Madison is a true haven for liberals/progressives. Former Governor Tommy Thompson (now infamous Secretary of DHSS) used to call Madison, "an island surrounded by reality." That was, of course, his putdown of liberals in general.

The place is beautiful. I've often considered moving there myself but the Mrs and I can't get our act together on synchronizing our respective careers (and we didn't want to pull our son out of a great high school)

My son is considering doing his graduate work at UW also. UW is a great institution! His friends have had excellent luck in finding suitable housing close enough to campus to ride bikes to class. Madison has a great network of bike lanes and a pretty decent public transportation system.

All-in-all, Madison is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. Just stay away from rush hour on Interstate(s) 39/90/94 and everything is cool.

Would be happy to have another DUer join our Wisconin DUers.

so traffic there can't be any worse than here. And I deal with it here. Yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm pushing the wife to UW, knowing that Madison is a progressive city. That's great to hear though. I've got government experience and tech experience, so as long as I can make enough to pay our rent, I'll be happy.

And a good arts scene is nice too, and I understand Madison has one.

Thanks so much for the info!

It's a very pleasant, livable city with a college town feel. Lots of small businesses and independant restaurants.

The winters aren't quite as harsh as Green Bay, but unless you are from Canada or the Great Lakes region, be prepared for a very different kind of winter. There will be snow on the ground and it will be cold ALL WINTER.

I haven't lived there, but I visit the region every year, and I've a friend who moved from Green Bay to Madison, and who likes Madison a lot.

Get ready for a REAL different kind of winter. For example, when it snows there things don't shut down like they do in PA/DC. They'd be shut down all winter if they did. Instead, they've got much more competent snow removal crews, and my friend says most workplaces set up plans where employees with 4WD vehicle pick up the other employees when the roads are bad.

On the plus side, if you like winter sports like skating, hockey or cross country skiing, you'll be in paradise.

It CAN get hot around August, which is when I'm usually out there. However it's usually not as humid as you're used to in PA/DC, and the heat doesn't stick around all summer long.

From the mountains, where there was usually a lot of snow. DC is funny when it snows. We get half an inch, and everything shuts down for 3 days. People try to use the effective gun-it-then-slam-on-the-brakes driving method in the snow.

I would be prepared for a totally different winter. I actually do enjoy snow, but I imagine in about March it becomes less enjoyable.

Nov-Jan, you can deal, bitter cold and all. Its the lingering winter that drives people crazy, Feb into April even.Cabin fever season Plan on taking a vacation during that time, especially if you're used to DC spring.

OK, so I was born and raised here (and would never leave), my dad was a professor at UW Madison, TOTALLY unbiased, as I said.

As to the tech jobs - I have no clue.

However, as to the rentals - it depends on whether you like brand-spankin' new cushy living or older place with character, more where the action is.

We have an older apartment building (sorry, no vacancies!) close to campus, 1 block from buslines, but not in the areas that are filled with students. The rents for our two-bedroom apts range from $550 to $650. We've been told (by our tenants!)that our rents are low, but we have awesome long-term tenants, so we don't want to jack up the rents.

I think that the fancy places more on the outskirts of town start at more like $800.

The winters? Well, are you a wuss? I don't mind winters unless we don't get much snow. It's kinda blah when everything is brown with no snow - and it doesn't seem worth going through the cold if we don't get snow to make it pretty. But normally we have a pretty good layer to keep things looking twinkly. And I have to spend a good deal of time outside, since we have horses at home, and they need to be taken care of even when the weather sucks. I'd say that there are usually only two weeks or so of really bitchin' cold that makes me whine.

The campus IS beautiful, and the lakes, of course, are lovely. My son is a senior at UW (in fact I have to get going in a minute to get his online registration going, since he's in class right now). It's easy to get around the whole city on the busline (free to UW students)if you don't want to drive.

As you know, Madison is quite left-leaning, so any DU member should fit right in. We have two Dem. Senators (Feingold is AWESOME, Kohl is a good guy, but sort of drab in comparison), Dem. Governor, and some great Reps. There is a lot of political action here - we went to the Keynote Event for the National Conference on Media Reform the other night (ran into one of our tenants there), and I took another one of our tenants to the Clark meetup.

OOH, and great libraries! Oh, and a great selection of music, too. :party: And lots and lots of parks...

OK, obviously, I could go on and on with my unbiased assessment of Madison, but like I said, I have to run and do my son's registration, so he gets into his Arabic class! If you have any more questions, let me know - I'm always happy to brag about Madison!

Katy

That's a great review of what sounds like a lovely city. I'm thrilled to hear the rental rates, given that our 1BR in Arlington, VA is $1500 a month. Just being represented by Feingold is enough to sell me! Now I've got to work on the wife, who isn't a fan of cold...

And yes, I am a wuss. Snow is cold.

which I didn't see until after I wrote my other post - you will LOVE the summers here! My son spent the summer in DC (working for Sen. Feingold), and REALLY did not enjoy the heat & humidity (and constant rain) there! And he's not a whiner, like I am.

Now that I finished my son's registration (that was easy - got him into every class), I can go on all day about Madison (but I guess I won't, because I don't want to risk scaring you away).

Tell your wife that I'm a whiny baby, and *I* don't mind winters! And you're right, compared to DC, the traffic here just sails! We spent some time in DC this summer, visiting our son, and we couldn't believe how much the traffic sucks! I drive through Chicago pretty frequently, in a truck pulling a horse trailer, and I'd MUCH rather do that than try to drive a car in DC.

Everything is cheaper here, and you don't have to tip people every time you turn around! :) Just comparing the prices from Whole Foods in DC and Whole Foods in Madison was incredible. You guys must make a whole sh*tload of money out there, in order to afford to eat!

hey, when would you be coming? We have a nice little three-bedroom house on the west side of Madison - huge fenced-in yard with trees and flowers, hardwood floors, lots of windows, two car garage, full basement with washer/dryer, - my daughter is living there now, but it will probably be available for rental at the end of May - that's $1200/mo.

Now, when my son has graduated this summer, and is looking for a job in DC, I'll be writing to YOU! :pals:

It'll be hard waiting until May for it though! I won't miss the humidity if we leave here. Or the traffic. It's one of the main reasons we are considering leaving. The Metro is great, but if you need to trek out to the burbs to shop on the weekends, it can take an hour just to get there! Everything is much more expensive here. I've done salary comparisons, and I'd have to make considerably less out there to be doing fine.

Well, first she has to get accepted to UW, and then we'd be looking to be there sometime next summer. I'm copying and keeping this info though, because that sounds like a good deal on a rental, thanks so much!

Write me when your son gets in town. I've been out of politics for a while, but I still have some connections if that's the sort of thing he's looking to get into.

So much so, that I'm planning for the day, when I can retire to that general vicinity.

Winter shminter.

In the Midwest, a front comes through every 3 or 4 days, good or bad. It's impossible to say that winter is any worse or better than summer. I've BBQ'd in 60 degree weather on Christmas, and I've been chilled to the bone in June.

I love the weather in the Midwest. It makes for a hearty soul.

...I'm going to add to the "I love Madison" chorus.

You should be able to find a nice 2-bedroom apartment for under $1,000. My girlfriend lives in a 2-br she absolutely loves for under $600, heat included. (But there's no garage, no dishwasher, and certain stuck-in-the-70s aspects of the decor which were selling point to her may be negatives to you, so Your Mileage May Vary.)

If you want to start the Madison equivalent of a Clark-vs.-Dean or Mac-vs.-Windows food fight, ask us whether you should live on the east side or the west side. (I vote for east, but the closer-to-downtown areas of both sides are great.)

and hated it. She was from Philadelphia, like me, and we are constitutionally predisposed to hate everything, but she liked the rents and the liberal atmosphere. She disliked the absolute hegemony of the population (white, middle class), the fact that one could barely hear r&b or hip hop on the radio (and she isn't a fan, she just wanted to know it existed), the overall dearth of culture, the food (especially hard to get good non-freshwater seafood), and what she considered the cloistered community.

But I'm sure many people who are looking to escape the east coast find it a felicitous move.

I grew up on the west side, pretty nice neighborhood, with black and Asian families within a block of us. I always figured that's the way everyplace was! Our little apartment building near campus - 5 units - we have one Japanese man, my son and his roommate (two basic white guys), a lesbian couple, a German doctor and a retired woman. :grouphug: I'd say that's a good diversity of people, and I thought fairly typical of Madison. It is definitely more 'white' than DC or Philadelphia, though.

Now, as to the seafood, I guess, if you look at a map, you'll see why it is hard to get fresh seafood here! :) Of course, I don't EAT seafood :puke: , so I don't consider that a drawback. But there are TONS of ethnic restaurants - and lots of places to go to hear music (our Clark meetups are held at Luther's Blues, if that's a clue) :hippie:

OK, I'm going to try not to get defensive! After all, the more we discourage people from moving here, the less the traffic will back up!

I grew up in northern Wisconsin, and travelled 250 miles south-south-east to attend the UW in the mid 70's. Since then, I have lived in many places, including Germany, Hawai'i, Seattle, and the DC area (where I live currently), and although I found something to like in every place, if I had my druthers I would be living in Mad City, Wisconsin.

So why don't I live there now?

(1) In the 70's there were people with Ph.Ds waiting tables because so many people who go to grad school there love it and don't wnat to leave! I can appreciate that attitude, but I wanted to "see the world" (and to some extent I have). I believe there is a much larger tech job market there now, but I have not lived there for 27 years so I do not know first hand.

(2) I have a wife and children (mostly grown) now, who seem to be intimidated by the reports of sub-zero weather.

Do the winters suck? It depends. One Christmas, when I travelled home to northern Wisconsin, the temperature reached -60(F) and as a child I expected the temperature to drop to -30(F) at least once every winter, so for me the winters (down south) in Madison were pleasantly moderate. I should also add that here in DC we frequently get rainy wet wintry days with the temperature around the freezing point and they seem colder to me. When the temperature is below zero in Madison, you can bet the air is very dry.

Culturally, it seemed to me that half of my classmates were from the east coast (NYC, Philly, or DC/Baltimore) and that there was a wide variety of food and entertainment options. But again, my point of comparison was my childhood in a town very much like Lake Woebegon.

Is it really as nice as it looks in pictures? I think it is nicer. But then, I suppose I am biased.

Good luck with your decision.

Regards,
Schmendrick (Badger - Class of 1976)

Loved living there. Lived in Madison while my hubby went to school and in the greater Madison area after graduation. In my experience, it was very diverse and very liberal. Moved away 13 years ago to be closer to family but I return regularly for a variety of reasons.

I do keep up with the market for tech jobs because that is my hubby's field. Occasionally I get a Madison paper and last I saw, the market is still fairly strong. Madison is a bit of a tech island in Wisconsin because of the engineering colleges of the UW. How competitive the salary will be with what you get in DC is another story. But in many ways the cost of living should be cheaper, which should help to compensate.

To help convince your wife and to get an idea of the cost of living and lifestyle, consider getting a subscription to the most liberal non-independent newspaper in the state, the Capital Times, at http://www.madison.com/ Their mail subscriptions aren't too bad, pricewise and it's a lib paper so the money isn't wasted if it doesn't work out.

Reason #57 to live in Madison, the best farmers market in the state every Saturday early spring to late fall on the capital square.