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Two good friends of mine are moving to Madison after graduating from the U of Oklahoma. They are going to be looking for a place to live, and don't know anything about rentals, neighborhoods etc.
One of my friends will be newly employed here: Epic Systems Corporation 5301 Tokay Blvd. Madison, WI though they are apparently moving to 300 acres on the south side of town later in the year.
The other will be looking for employment as a mechanical engineer once they arrive. Anyway I know you guys know the area better and can make better reccommendations than I can. They don't know anyone in the area yet, and read OSC. They would make sufficiently good jatraqueros, I just haven't addicted them... yet.
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Hey, this is one of the friends. BannaOJ speaks highly of Hatrackers- I've poked my nose in once or twice, mostly to look at threads she's pointed out to me- but maybe I'll actually stick around for a bit this time. Posts: 24 | Registered: Aug 2005
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We've only lived here for a few years ourselves, but there are some things you have to know:
1) Houses are expensive compared to most other cities with 300,000 people. They're not as pricey as you'd see in downtown Chicago, but neither are they as cheap as you'd see in Houston.
2) Madison taxes are very high. If you plan to own a house, expect to pay around 3% more per month in tax than you're paying anywhere else in the country.
3) For this reason, a lot of people rent. A lot of people. More people per capita rent and/or lease condos in Madison than in any other city its size. This also means that a lot of neighborhoods consist almost entirely of condos and/or cookie-cutter rentals.
4) Despite this, we bought a house. But we bought it just south of Madison, where the taxes aren't so bad. The commute isn't so bad from the south, either, because....
5) ...Madison is shaped like one of those long water balloons being squeezed by a demented clown. It is considerably longer from east to west than from north to south, and bulges at the edges. It narrows down to little more than a quarter-mile wide in the heart of town; this is because the city center is located on an isthmus between two lakes. Driving through town from one side to the other is nearly impossible, therefore, and made more difficult by the continual construction projects that seem to randomly close and/or redirect lanes throughout. (It doesn't help that Madison is laid out on a strictly geometric grid, but the isthmus runs NE/SW and consequently is at a diagonal from all the other roads in town.)
6) For this reason, there is a highway -- 12/18, also called the Beltline -- constructed to the south of town to which most of the major north-south arteries are connected. There is no equivalent road to the north for the same reason that driving through Madison in general is hard: the town is surrounded by three lakes (Mendota, Monona, and Wingra), and has no north. Living to the north of Madison, then, will guarantee you the world's most frustrating and pointless commute. Don't do it.
You also won't want to live on the east side of Madison (technically defined as being on the east side of the isthmus, but in practice really meaning living to the east of John Nolen Dr.) This is because Tokay Rd. is on the southwest side, and your daily commute will take you onto the Beltline. You want to avoid this if you intend to work regular hours, as getting onto the Beltline is a great way to lose thirty minutes of your day.
7) In a way, this is a shame. The east side of Madison is home to most of the older and "cooler" parts of town: Williamson Street (called "Willy Street" by the locals), which is basically a commune in road form; Olbrich Gardens (a great botanical gardens); State Street (a pedestrian shopping mall); Vilas Zoo (a free local zoo); and so forth. One of the cheaper decent suburbs -- Sun Prairie -- is also to the northeast. But if you're working at Epic, you won't want to live here unless you don't mind sitting in your car.
8) The west side of town is newer and consequently considerably less quirky. This is both a good and a bad thing. It has better movie theaters, bigger malls, more chain restaurants, and lots more traditional housing. It also has all the research parks. It also has one of my favorite roads in Madison for one-hour recreational shopping, Odana Rd., which is Tokay's little sister and features a nice second-run theater, the best game shop in town, a comic book store, nine very decent ethnic restaurants, and a major mall.
The near west side (particularly Monroe and Nakoma neighborhoods) is one of the wealthier parts of town, especially along the lakes. Depending on what you'll be doing for Epic, you may find that you can afford something here; it's a very popular area with some of their employees. If you can, I hate you.
9) But if you can't swing a $400,000 home, consider living in one of the outlying suburbs. Both Verona and Mt. Horeb are reasonably close, and where we live -- Oregon -- is actually a shorter commute to most of the city (thanks to its location due south of the center of town) than many areas in Madison itself.
10) Culturally, Madison is not quite as diverse as it'd like to think, but it tries hard and often succeeds. The downtowners tend to be ivy-tower vegetarian bicyclists; the outliers are generally moderates. (Actual conservatives are very rare, although even the liberals in Madison enjoy watching football, drinking copious amounts of cheap beer, and hunting. If you don't own a dog that's capable of running a deer to ground, there are simply some social circles into which you will never gain entry.)
11) Madison politics is insane. The town is run by madmen who have been elected by nutcases to represent them; that's the only explanation I can come up with. In general, the politicians here make all their principled stands based on ideological absolutes, which produces an interesting whiplash effect. In general, nothing in Madison gets done without first involving twenty committees and a special referendum.
12) That said, the area is lovely. People are generally quite friendly, there's an active geek culture, there are lots of recreational opportunities, and lifestyle costs aren't particularly high once you get beyond housing prices.
If you tell me what kind of things you enjoy doing, I'd be glad to give you more pointers.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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My former roommate will also be working at Epic this coming fall. How cool! I just moved out - to Tucson, of all places - and most of what I know is campus-related, so I don't know how much help I can be.
I do know that there are lots and lots of good apartments and condos for rent out on the west side, fairly close to Epic. My friend and a friend of hers are moving out there to be closer to their respective works. I'll try talking to her and see if she's got any recommendations. Good luck!
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:The west side of town is newer and consequently considerably less quirky.
Says the guy who's spent too little time shooting hoops at Elver Park. (And yes, I've finally broken through, thanks to y'all's basketball birthday gift. ) We've got some of the coolest ethnic restaurants and a nicely diverse population, unlike white-bread Madison with its Subaru-Outback version of crunch.
*haughty nose
I would rave endlessly about our apartment complex management, which [was] ridiculously kindhearted and perk-filled (free fresh coffee in the morning, free cat-stitting, homemade cookies and candies delivered to your door on even the remotest holidays, etc), but we've just switched ownership, and the old crew is following the old owners. I'll let you know how it works out.
I can tell you that if you lived where I live, Epic would be a ten-minute bikeride into work, mostly set-aside bikepath.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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*goes to look up Madison on Google Maps to see if it is, indeed, shaped like a squeezed water balloon*
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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TomDavidson: Thank you SO much for your helpful reply!
I know I'm in for a shock as far as housing prices go- that's kind of unavoidable after five years in Oklahoma, though. I've been spoiled by how cheap land is out here. Norman has inflated apartment prices compared to the rest of the area, on account of the university, and it's still inexpensive. Since we're just starting out and I don't have a job lined up for myself yet, we'll probably be renting for at least a year or two before even thinking about buying a place. (And don't worry about having to be jealous, there's no way a pair of new college grads are getting a $400,000 house!) I'll make sure to take a look at the suburbs you mentioned.
I probably won't make my way into the hunting, football, and cheap beer circles, although I do enjoy watching the occasional college football game. I might like it more if I hadn't lived a quarter-mile from OU's stadium for three years. 80,000 people all trying to get there at once made it impossible for me to leave my apartment unless I planned well.
I do like dogs, though. Dog-friendly housing is an absolute MUST for me. I tolerated 'no pets' in my last apartment, but I didn't like it very much, and this time, I'm getting a dog, dangit.
Oklahoma politicians are largely bible-belt fundies; I have a feeling you guys's insanity is friendlier than that.
As far as things I like to do- I would love to get back into horseback riding (took lessons in high school, but didn't have the money for it in college). I'm fond of animals in general- I'll have to check out the zoo you mentioned. Other than that, I like the arts (theatre, music, but especially visual art). I need to find more hobbies, really, because otherwise I'm pretty boring. A lot of what I do in my spare time involves attempting fantasy writing (very bad at this) and drawing (which I'm somewhat better at).
Carrie: I graduated from high school in Tucson! Dad was military and was stationed at Davis-Monthan for two years. I LOVE (love love love love) that city, and really wanted to go back, but the jobs just didn't seem to be there for us. Maybe when I'm old and grey I can become one of the Dreaded Snowbirds that drive all of the natives insane. *grin* There aren't actually that many natives, though; lots and lots of displaced Northerners.
ClaudiaTherese: Wow, that sounds like an awesome place to be. Do they take dogs, as well? I'm allergic to cats.
Thanks again for all of the help, guys!
Posts: 24 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Wow...my partners and I just recently decided we'd like to move to Madison about a year from now, and I was planning on starting a thread like this about six months from now. I have a CS degree and about a year and a half of experience with C# programming, plus whatever experience I can garner in the next year; I wonder if I could get a job with Epic...
Posts: 957 | Registered: Aug 2002
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You should definitely try, Stray. They're in a hiring season- James told me that the company was at 400 people 5 years ago, and now they have about 1900. They've outgrown their facilities and are building a new complex. From what James said after his interview, the company sounds awesome. It's too bad that code is my mortal enemy! I can't program AT ALL.
Posts: 24 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Yes, Aurinona. Many people have one or two dogs here. You do have to "scoop the poop," but otherwise, there haven't seemed to be any issues that came up.
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Aurinona, is actually an extremely good artist and she's selling herself short. Specializes in fantasy art. It crosses my mind that she might actually be able to find the right kind of eclectic fantasy artsy shop in Madison to sell some of her work, if she is able to dabble in her art for a while before she finds a job.
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Hey, CT, Tom, have you guys gone back to the coffeeshop (I forget the name now, the one across from Vilas Zoo) to scope out the chair that Heather and I painted? Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I looked for it, but I haven't seen it yet ("Hatrack" on the back, correct?). I think they are rotating different ones through.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I'd have to look back at the CarrieCon thread to recall exactly what we painted on it, but yeah, I'm pretty sure we wrote Hatrack across the back. And Chicago Bears on the seat LOL. That one was Heather's doing when she saw the colors I was using, though. heeeheeee
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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AJ, this is completely off-topic, but I saw Jake's picture in Canine Chronicle (I think...maybe Showsight?) and he looked great! Just wanted to let you know. Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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He's #4 all systems right now. When the rankings came out for that ad he was only #4 in all breed points. His breed rankings have caught up since then, due to a couple of huge supported entry wins. I'm pretty pleased.
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