Living in Madison, WI

Madison, the state capital and a city of 200,000 people in a metropolitan area with over 400,000 people, is a vibrant community with a wide range of activities. Over the past few years, Madison has won over a dozen awards from national magazines attesting to the quality of life that can be found in this city.

In 1996 Money magazine ranked Madison as the most livable city in the nation and other publications have ranked Madison as the fourth-best U.S. city for bicycling, the top for canoeing, the healthiest city for women, and the third safest of America’s 100 largest cities.

Cultural activities in town include art festivals, concerts, and theatrical productions. Numerous local performing groups and guest artists from all over the world perform in Madison each year. In addition to the active University arts program, the Madison Civic Center plays host to a wide variety of musical and theatrical groups. All this is surrounded by four lakes allowing water sports such as swimming, wind surfing, sailing, skiing, rowing, and fishing. The University of Wisconsin NCAA sports events provide many opportunities for sport fans.

Madison enjoys all four seasons and offers more than 150 parks within the city limits. Moreover, one is only hours away from wilderness weekends in Wisconsin’s state and national forests, or the attractions of larger cities such as Chicago or Milwaukee.