Overview of Madison

Madison is Wisconsin's capital city, set off by five lakes and crowned in the center with a magnificent, marble, turn-of-the-century State Capitol Building. The lakes and capitol join the University of Wisconsin-Madison to form the heart and soul of this community. This progressive, diverse, and dynamic city is the jewel of the upper Midwest and home to Midwest Teacher Training Program.

Five Lakes
No matter where you are in Madison, you are not far from one of the five dazzling lakes. Lakes Mendota and Monona border the downtown isthmus area and are the largest, but all the lakes are popular places to go sailing, swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, ice fishing, and skating. A five-minute walk from Midwest to a nearby park offers you a sunset view over Lake Mendota.

The Downtown Isthmus Area
The narrow strip of land between the two major lakes in Madison is known as "The Isthmus" and is home to shopping, residential and business areas. Right across the street from Midwest is the magnificent state capitol, built in 1906. The marble hallways and huge tiled dome are impressive in their elegance and exquisite detail. The Capitol is within a 2-block walk of the post office, banks, public library, cafes and theaters. The surrounding Capitol Square plays host to a huge farmer's market, festivals, races and other events.

State Street runs between Capitol Square and the University of Wisconsin and is a visitor's delight, bursting with coffeeshops, ethnic restaurants, boutiques, and galleries. Street musicians and vendors add to the festive atmosphere.

The University of Wisconsin - Madison
The University of Wisconsin - Madison has over 40,000 students, giving Madison the flavor of a university town. The progressive history of both Wisconsin and "UW" have created a liberal and open city, full of ethnically diverse people with a variety of political and social views. As a result, most Madisonians pride themselves on being open-minded and welcoming.

The UW sponsors many events which are open to the public, from musical and drama events to speakers and movies. UW students and members of the community enjoy many activities at the two student unions, such as live music, water sports, international movies, art exhibits and cultural festivals.

Lifestyle
Madison has a lower cost of living than cities on the east and west coasts of the US. In addition, due to the high percentage of students, the lifestyle of Madison residents is often more relaxed and casual than larger cities. Because of its smaller size, Madison also is known for its safety and friendliness, two attributes valued by visitors!

Madison temperatures vary from swimming and canoeing weather in the summer to skiing weather in the winter. We enjoy all the seasons, with biking and outdoor festivals in July to ice skating and cozy cafes in January. If you are coming from a different climate, be sure to be prepared with the appropriate clothes for this range in temperature and weather. You can find long-range weather forecasts and daily updates from WISC TV's website.