Madison ,Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin is the capital and second-largest city in its state. The fast-growing city of 203,704 has ranked on the top of various “best of lists,” including the areas of overall livability, resident health, employment and safety as major bonuses of living in Madison. Madison has, in fact, topped lists in all of these categories within the past decade. Moving to Madison, also known as “Mad City” and “The City of Four Lakes,” allows one to experience the combination of history and vibrancy of this city in south-central Wisconsin.
Economy:
Madison has had low unemployment rates (consistently lower than the national average) over the past decades. The city’s stability results both from its two biggest employers, the state government and the University of Madison, and from its position as a leader in high-tech and biotech industries. Madison’s economic focus in these areas has led to a highly-educated population. Among the companies prominent in Madison are Oscar Mayer, Alliance Energy, Spectrum Brands (formerly known as Rayovac), NetConcepts, Promega and Raven Software.
Tourism:
Madison boasts many museums, cultural events and attractions. Among the city’s museums are the Chazen Museum of Art, the Madison Children’s Museum, the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Outdoor life is enhanced by the Henry Vilas Zoo, the botanical gardens, an arboretum and a series of bicycle trails and street lanes. Madison’s cultural life includes opera and ballet companies, a symphony orchestra and several theaters. The city is also a major college sports town, with the University of Wisconsin Badgers football team drawing regular crowds to Camp Randall Stadium. The two main downtown shopping districts extend outward from State Capitol Square along State and King Streets. You can travel by air to Madison’s Dane County Regional Airport, where more than 100 flights arrive each day from several major hub cities. Public transportation within the city itself is available on the Madison Metro Bus System.
History:
The first white settlers arrived at the lands of the Winnebago tribe during the first half of the 19th century. In 1829, a Wisconsin territorial judge named James Duane Doty purchased the land in order to build a new capital city. Although he had only a street grid mapped on paper, Doty managed to convince the territorial legislature to build a new capital city, to be called Madison, on his land. The legislature approved the plan in 1836 and began construction of Madison’s first capitol in 1837 – the first permanent settlers arrived that same year. By 1846, the village of Madison still had only 646 residents, but the arrival of the University of Wisconsin (1849) and the railroad (1854) transformed it into a city of thousands by the 1850s. Today, moving companies in Madison are flourishing due to people’s interest to relocate to this desirable locale.
Colleges/Universities:
• Cardinal Stritch University
• Concordia University-Wisconsin
• Globe University
• Lakeland College
• Upper Iowa University
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Madison Area Technical College
• Madison Media Institute
Interesting Facts:
• The Town of Madison is unincorporated land surrounding the City of Madison. Over the past century, the City has incorporated most of the Town into its borders, and the remaining Town consists of scattered and unconnected fragments. In 2003, lawmakers reached an agreement to incorporate all of the Town of Madison into the City by 2022.
• Following an official vote in 2009, the city bird of Madison is the plastic pink flamingo.
• Well-known people connected to Madison include actor Chris Farley, Oscar G. Mayer Sr. and Oscar G. Mayer Jr., naturalist John Muir (who attended the University of Wisconsin) singer Otis Redding (whose plane crashed in Madison in 1967), Pulitzer-prize winner Thornton Wilder and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Helpful Links:
• Madison Real Estate
• Madison Insurance
• Greater Madison Convention and Visitor Bureau
• Official City of Madison Website
• Madison Moving Guide