Madison, WI is home to one of the Big 10 schools and is famous for the Wisconsin Badgers. The 2014 estimated population of this progressive city is about 245, 691. A mixture of working professionals, college students, and families live here.
If you want to relocate, you might be wondering where to live in Madison, WI without a car. One of the most popular forms of transportation besides walking is taking the bike. You can even put your bike on a rack when taking a bus to help you reach certain destinations faster. Another option is to rent a BCycle or just live within walking distance of grocery stores, restaurants, theaters, etc.
A majority of people living in this area still rent. However, if you want to buy and sell real estate here, you have the opportunity to market houses based on the fact that owning might be less expensive than renting. With that in mind, even people who now rent might put owning a home a priority over having a vehicle. After all, there are plenty of initiatives in the state for encouraging the use of greener transportation. Many people prefer not to drive to help preserve the environment.
One recommended place to live without a car is west of the Wisconsin State Capital. A variety of houses, condos, and apartments are found on West Washington Avenue, North Broom Street and North Wilson Street. You also can find places to live east of the Capital on East Miffin Street, and there’s a new construction project taking place on North Webster Street.
You will find several restaurants and grocery stores in this neighborhood on the west and east side of the capital. Tornado Steak House, Maharani Indian Restaurant, Capital Centre Market and Madison Food Market are to name a few. Several delis and coffee shops are also located here including Milio’s Sandwiches, Bluephies, Good Day Coffee Shop, Bradbury’s Coffee, Quiznos and Starbucks. Bar & grills located here include Chasers, The Rigby, and Argus.
For the more conservative people who move here, this area is also home to a few churches of various religions, and the Marcus Point and Sundance movie theaters are nearby. You could also shop for a while at the South Town Mall.
Local parks in the area include Elizabeth Link and Period Garden Park. You will also find banks, the post office and museums here. Some families live here, but crime is more likely to take place in downtown Madison. Therefore, this area is about 75% single people.
If you have a family, this neighborhood might be better for you than Capital Square. It has more parks and walking trails (i.e. Garner Park, Robin and Oscar Rennebohm Parks) that you can find downtown. However, several apartments, condos, and houses are still close to the bus line. This area is also home to the Van Hise Elementary School, Hamilton Middle School and Lighthouse Christian School.
Clusters of restaurants in the neighborhood are mostly located near Mineral Point Road. These include Otto’s Restaurant & Bar, Olive Garden and La Mestiza. Southeast of here near highway 255 is another group of restaurants, and these include the Vintage Brewing Co. Laredo’s Casual Mexican and Margarita Restaurant and Tai’s Asian Bistro. For the kids, there’s also Applebee’s and Rocky Rococco. Further east near Lake Wingra is Jacs Dining and Tap House.
There is also the Sundance Cinemas for catching a movie and Odana Hills Golf Course when the weather permits. This area also has the University Book store, fitness centers, shopping centers and grocery stores. You will also find several churches representing a variety of denominations.
This is one of the most happening locations in Madison. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is located here, so mostly college students live here. There may be some amount of partying within the vicinity, especially on a Badgers game day. However, you can still find some relatively quiet places to live.
Schools for children in the area include the Luther Memorial Preschool on University Avenue. Three additional schools are located on or near Regent Street, and these include the St. James Catholic School, Randall Elementary and the Madison Jewish Community Day School.
This area also has plenty of popular nature spots in it including the Botanical Gardens, Hoyt Park Pyramid, and Bear Mound Park. These sites provide plenty of opportunity for family fun and leisure. You will also find libraries and movie theaters nearby.
Restaurants and bars in this neighborhood include Porta Bella, Nitty Gritty, Buffalo Wild Wings, The Library Cafe and Bar and Jordan's Big 10 Club. The Camp Randall Stadium, the place where the Badgers play, is also found in this neighborhood.
This area is livable both by single people as well as families. One of the prominent attractions to this location is the opportunities to spend time outdoors when weather permits. For instance, you could take a walk along the Yahara River in some spots. Otherwise, you can find a place to picnic on Burr Jones Field, Tenney Park, or Pennsylvania Parks.
Places to eat in the area include Pasqual's Cantina, Lao Laan-Xan, Roman Candle and the Monty’s Blue Plate Diner. Grocery stores include the Willy Street Co-Op East, Capitol Centre Market and Madison Food Mart and there are several others. Life and Sundance Cinemas are also located nearby if you want to catch a movie.
Education for children and teens is provided at Lapham Elementary, East High, and O’ Keeffe Middle schools. This are is also home to the Creative Learning Preschool. The Marquette Neighborhood is west of the college campus, and it is probably a bit quieter than other Madison locations.
