Life in Madison
Experience the modern Midwest. A wellspring of innovation with global influence.
Top-Rated City
Consistently ranked among the country’s best places to live
Explore endless opportunities in the beautiful capital city of Madison—its beauty and modern feel made all the better by the down-to-earth attitude here.
Explore Madison
Outdoor Activity
- Discover the breathtaking beauty of four distinct seasons that each bring a wealth of opportunities and make Madison fun, inspiring, and memorable
- Try sailing, paddling, water skiing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, bicycling and hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, sledding
- Enjoy Big Ten football when it fills the historic Camp Randall Stadium or Badger basketball and hockey at the Kohl Center
- Experience multiple lakes that lend the city a unique, photo-worthy beauty; UW–Madison sits at the edge of beautiful Lake Mendota, with front row seats to spectacular sunsets—at the shore or on the water
Food, You Ask?
- Madison is a foodie paradise! You can find a little of everything at diverse restaurants and eateries, ethnic specialty food carts, gourmet restaurants, and endless food fests
- Stroll the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country situated in the bustling heart of downtown
- Discover award-winning chefs, a burgeoning slow-food movement, and lots of healthy, hand-picked local ingredients
- On the flip side: Noteworthy fish fries. Boast about the best cheese curds around and indulge with state fair cream puffs
Industry and Tech Buzz
Madison is home base for a number of global companies and successful tech start-ups, including American Family Insurance, Epic, Land’s End, Exact Science, and American Girl
Proximity
Chicago is 122 miles away; it is 234 miles to Minneapolis, and Milwaukee is just 73 miles to the east, so larger urban areas are easily accessible
Family Friendly
Enjoy a highly rated children’s museum, a free zoo, children’s theater companies, abundant parks, and much more. The greater Madison area is known for excellent school systems and family-welcoming neighborhoods
And there’s more!
Madison consistently ranks as an outstanding location by many measures:
- Tech talent and innovation (CBRE, July 2019)
- Educational attainment rate (CBRE, July 2019)
- Educated millennials (Brookings February 2018)
- Livability (2020 Top 100 Best Places To Live)
- Places to raise children (New York Times, September 2018)
- Successful women (smartasset.com, April 2019)
- Work-life balance (smartasset.com, January 2021)
- Cities for recent college grads (livability #7, 2018 Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Grads)
- Job satisfaction (apartmentlist.com, #1 best city for job satisfaction, March 2019)
- Untapped cities for startups (fundera.com, #1 Best Untapped Cities for Startups in 2019, August 2020)
- Affordability for cash-strapped young people (magnifymoney.com, #1, 10 best cities to live in if you’re young & broke)