Lake & City Real Estate Blog

Thinking of moving to Madison, WI? Well, you’ll be glad to hear that it truly has something for everyone! Not only does the Madison real estate feature affordable homes for sale - the area itself provides amazing opportunities for outdoor recreation, excellent access to quality education and so much more!

In our opinion, there’s no limit as to what makes Madison the perfect place to live - but here are ten of the best reasons to consider making Madison your new home!

Madison is Friendly

It’s not an exaggeration to say that midwesterners are a friendly bunch: open, good-natured, and eager to help. Madisonians are certainly no exception. Ask someone for directions or advice in Madison and you might wind up making a new friend! Many people who grew up in Madison WI left for years but wound up coming back when they realized how great Madison is. Others came for school and never left!

Madison is Beautiful

Madison's picturesque skyline has been kept in check by a city ordinance prohibiting buildings taller than Madison's beautiful capitol building which, incidentally, is an exact replica of the capitol in Washington, D.C. Another reason Madison is so beautiful is that it has four distinct seasons. Changing colors ranging from the pink and white blooms of spring to the deep blues and greens of summer to the spectacular reds and oranges of autumn to Madison’s magical snowy winters and frozen lakes makes it a vibrant, changing and exceptionally beautiful city all year round.

Madison is Entertaining

Madison features five spectacular lakes in a chain of lakes that glaciers gifted us long ago. Public parks are dotted throughout virtually every neighborhood. Scores of sports events are on offer ranging from Badger football and Ironman Wisconsin to Madison Marathon and Paddle & Portage. The vast arboretum and Madison’s lakes are tremendous resources for running, biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, sailing, waterskiing, ice fishing, ice skating, and even kite flying. And don't forget the ever popular Henry Vilas Zoo.

Madison features live music at many bars and restaurants, as well as a plethora of annual music events including Concerts On The Square, Live on King Street, Make Music Madison, and Opera in the Park just to name a few. Madison's robust art community is thriving with its world class civic center (Monona Terrace), art fairs, craft fairs, and festivals such as Art Fair on the Square, Fantasy in Lights, Orton Park Festival, and Africa Fest. Museums such as the Chazen Museum of Art, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison Children's Museum, U.W. Geology Museum, Wisconsin Science Museum, Wisconsin Veterans Museum and the State Capitol are cherished by all.

Madison boasts an abundance of annual community events such as Ride The Drive, Trucks & Treasures, Willy Street Fair, Wisconsin Book Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, Kids in the Rotunda, Madison Parks Events, and many more. Don’t miss Olbrich Gardens, Madison's many top notch bars, restaurants & breweries, Farmer's Markets and many other smaller events. Most are open to the public and many are low cost or free of charge. In addition, most neighborhoods organize a variety of events such as an annual Easter egg hunt, Fourth of July Parade, Halloween related events, ice cream socials, book clubs, garden tours, movable dinners, and much more. 

Madison is Educated

Madison has a plethora of high quality public schools, international schools, private schools, technical schools, continuing education programs, not to mention its top 10 University of Wisconsin campus and continuing education programs. Wisconsin residents age 60+ can even audit non-participatory lecture courses at the U.W.-Madison for free. Whether you're interested in downtown condos and townhomes, vintage and historic homes, hobby farms and farmettes, lakefront homes and condos, executive residences and luxury homes, new construction homes and condos, or passive income opportunities involving rental homes, duplexes, or multi-unit dwellings, there is a forever home or investment opportunity in the Madison real estate market for every sense and sensibility!

Madison is Delicious

Did I mention what a foodie town Madison is? Madison boasts food fairs in addition to restaurants, bars, & micro breweries. You'll find an ample supply of restaurants of all stripes (old and new diners, ethnic restaurants, family owned restaurants, farm-to-table restaurants, vegan & vegetarian offerings, sports bars, local & national chains, as well as every kind of food cart imaginable on the U.W. campus or on The Square. You're not going to want to miss the exciting foodie related annual events Madison has to offer either such as Taste of Madison, World Dairy Expo, and the many food and drink related events put on by fine makers of cheese, wine, beer, coffee and so much more!

Madison is Vibrant

Madison is a college town with a large student body that cares about its community. Students provide an energetic, enthusiastic, and highly capable workforce for many local businesses and the student population is always morphing which keeps the city constantly changing and evolving. In addition to its sizable student population, Madison has been ranked one of the best places in the U.S. to retire and start a business. As a result, Madison continues to attract new people from around the country and around the world whether to attend undergraduate or graduate school, to work or teach at the university, to contribute to Madison's flourishing biotech and health sectors, to work in the trades, raise a family, retire and start a business, or simply to live in Madison WI and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Madison is Accessible

Not only is it easy to get around Madison by car or bus, there are plenty of well-maintained bike paths and bike lanes in Madison so it is super easy to get around by foot, bicycle, and a variety of other types of small people-powered vehicles. Madison has relatively little traffic compared to other sizable cities in large part due to thoughtful city planning that includes a beltway or "beltline" that encircles Madison and its suburbs, effectively offloading traffic from the interior of the city to the perimeter of the city. Madison also has rentable bikes, community vans, ride sharing services, taxis, ubers, and lyfts. Madison restaurants and the university are also making great use of robots to deliver food on campus, an amusing sight that also makes for cheaper, faster deliveries without the added congestion.

Madison is Livable

Living in Madison has always been relatively easy given its robust economy, plentiful jobs, lack of heavy industry, clean air, excellent city services, progressive policies, abundance of natural attractions and free things to do. Prefer to live in a smaller community, town or village? Not a problem. Madison has a sizable number of small communities all within a 15-20 minute commute to downtown for folks who prefer more of a small town feel, a slower pace, smaller schools, larger yards or land, or perhaps more affordable housing stock than what the Madison real estate market currently has to offer.

Madison is Protected

Recently it was reported in the national news that Madison is one of four U.S. cities least impacted by the destructive forces unleashed more and more frequently by climate change. In Madison WI it is rare or even unheard of to see damage caused by extreme weather events such as forest fires, tornados, hurricanes, extreme snowstorms, or the type of flooding that causes widespread destruction. Such weather events either don’t affect our area at all or typically only cause damage in isolated or limited situations. Despite the sad reality that climate change continues to negatively impact people and property along U.S. coasts and other vulnerable areas of the country, it is becoming clear that Madison is a place relatively unaffected by extreme catastrophic weather events. 

If you're planning on making the move to Madison, we're here to help! 

Our team are experts in Madison real estate - get in touch to arrange a viewing of your dream home today!