Madison, WI, is known for being the 80th largest city in the United States and is part of the Madison Metropolitan area. Madison was founded in 1836 and later incorporated in 1856, and was named after James Madison. Whether you're a native of Wisconsin or moving to the state for the first time, trying to find the best places to live in Madison doesn't have to be an overwhelming process. Regardless if you're trying to find the best neighborhoods in Madison for young professionals, neighborhoods in Madison with good schools, or the safest neighborhoods in Madison, there are plenty of great places to explore!
Here are the best Madison neighborhoods!
Dudgeon-Monroe is a safe and family-friendly community. With a total crime rate being 1,645 per 100k people, which is 30% lower than the national average, this Madison neighborhood is a great place to call home. Their violent crime rate is 61% lower than the national average, and their property crime rate is 24% lower than the national average.
As an affluent neighborhood, Dudgeon-Monroe has a median household income of $103,218, which is well above Madison’s median household income of $67,270. While the cost of living might be on the higher side, the higher income makes this Madison neighborhood still a one-of-a-kind place for young professionals and adults.
With some of the homes being waterfront properties viewing Lake Wingra in Dudgeon-Monroe, most residential options are single-family homes. There is a neighborhood association called DMNA, which has 1,500+ households and businesses within the neighborhood area.
There are plenty of kid activities near Dudgeon-Monroe, Madison, like going to nearby parks, Hoyt Park and Wingra Park & Boat Livery.
As a trendy yet quiet Madison, WI neighborhood, Maple-Prairie is a safe and family-friendly community; it a great place to settle down and start a family. The total crime rate is 1,713 per 100k people, which is 27% lower than the national average. Their violent crime rate is 48% lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 23% lower than the national average. One of the most iconic parks in its neighborhood is Maple Prairie Park (which is dog friendly).
When it comes to real estate in Maple-Prairie, the houses available are single-family homes. The median home prices are very affordable and cheaper than in the city of Madison.
The unemployment rate in Maple-Prairie is only 0.8%, which is much lower than the United States unemployment rate of 3.4%.
Since Maple-Prairie is also known for having some of the best craft beverages, here are some of the popular breweries nearby: Vintage Brewing Co, Hop Haus Brewing Company, and Delta Beer Lab.
As a historic neighborhood, Hill Farms-University is also known as University Hill Farms, so if you hear it a different way, it’s the same Madison neighborhood. According to the city of Madison's website, this neighborhood gets described as the following: "The University Hill Farms neighborhood was developed as a complete community, including residential housing, schools, parks, churches, shopping, and office space”.
The real estate in University Hill Farms is single-family homes, but there are plenty of condos and townhouses right outside of the neighborhood if you're looking for that style of real estate.
When it comes to the total crime rates in Hill Farms-University, it’s 770 per 100k people, which is 67% LOWER than the national average, making it a really safe place to live!
Some of the local places to explore within the neighborhood limits of University Hill Farms include Garner Park, Robin Greenway, Rennebohm Park, and Hill Farm Swim Club.
As a family-friendly Madison neighborhood, Westmorland is a great place to raise your kids. Westmorland has a total crime rate of 1,230 per 100k people, which is 48% lower than the national average. The violent crime rate is 72% lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 43% lower than the national average.
Since Westmorland is a family-friendly community, there are plenty of places to hang out and have fun. A few examples are Tillotson Park, Glenwood Children's Park, Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, Waite Circle Open Space, and Westmorland Park, which is 3.5-mile commute from Bedford St. And close by outside of the neighborhood, there are additional attractions like a zoo and an arboretum.
The available real estate in Westmorland is single-family homes, and it has a wide variety of architectural styles. If you love music, there's something unique about Westmorland because they have their very own walking band that plays at local events!
Wexford is also known as Wexford Village, and it's considered one of the safest neighborhoods in Madison, WI. The total crime rate is 1,059 per 100k people, which is 50% lower than the national average. The violent crime rate is 118 per 100k people, which is 70% lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 941 per 100k people, which is 52% lower than the national average.
When it comes to real estate in Wexford Village, there is a mixture of condos and single-family homes, and this neighborhood gets managed by the Wexford Village Homes Association. If you're looking for Wexford apartments in Madison, there are plenty of places available.
A few of the local attractions and restaurants nearby to check out include Wexford Park, Nitty Gritty-Middleton, Ancho and Agave, Barriques Coffee-Old Sauk, and the Tiedman Pond Nature Preserve.
Being home to the oldest park in Madison: Vilas (Henry) Park, and the local zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo, Vilas is known for being a kid-friendly neighborhood in Madison. In addition to the attractions we mentioned above, a few other popular nature areas are Bear Mound Park, Wingra Dam, and Vilas Park Beach.
If you're trying to find some nearby restaurants to try, consider going to ZuZu Cafe, Pizza Brutta, Marie's Soul Food, Mickies Dairy Bar, and Greenbush Bakery.
Vilas has a low crime rate of 1,594 per 100k people, which is 32% lower than the national average. The violent crime rate is 68% lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25% lower than the national average. With such a low crime rate, Vilas is considered a safe, family-friendly, and kid-friendly community that's great for settling down and planting your roots.
The children of Vilas have the option of attending West High School, which is one of the best high schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District.
If you're looking for the most affordable neighborhood to settle down in Madison, consider moving to Bram’s Addition.
While the total crime rate is on the higher side, 8,345 crimes per 100k people, the majority of those come from property crimes (7,522), and there are still plenty of safe areas of Bram’s Addition to call home.
In addition to affordability, Bram’s Addition is also known for its diversity. There's a mixture of apartments and single-family homes available in Bram’s Addition. While the median household income is lower than the average in Madison, the median sale price for houses is well below the city average, so it balances out.
A few local nearby parks include Penn Park, Quann Park, and Fisher Street Park.
For more information about the local amenities, restaurants, and places to explore, check out this Madison neighborhoods map!
Are you ready to take the leap and move to the beautiful city of Madison, WI? There are plenty of great Madison neighborhoods to settle down and call home. When you're ready to make the relocation, Dairyland Moving & Storage has the best Madison movers out there, and we'd be happy to help make this transition seamless! Call us at (608) 856-6683 for a free estimate!
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