Residents Love Living in the Madison, WI, Region

Travel Wisconsin

Thanks to its scenic beauty, just-right size and vibrant political scene, living in the Madison, WI, Region is a draw for transplants across the country – and the globe. Whether folks relocate for education, career opportunities or family, there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with the city. We spoke to three residents about why Madison captured their hearts. 

Winnipeg to Madison Region, WI

Shelley Koch was born in Winnipeg, Canada, and lived all over the world before making Madison her home in 1998. Growing up, she hopscotched across Canada (“Back in the ’80s, when you got promoted, it came with a lot of transfers,” she says of her family’s frequent moves). She met her now-husband, a McFarland, Wisconsin, native, on a visit to the U.S. just before she moved to Japan for several years. After her stint in Asia, Koch joined her then-boyfriend in Madison, where she’s been ever since. 

“This is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere,” she says. “The size of the city is just perfect for us. It’s not a mega-city, but you also don’t know everyone. You can still meet new people. And it’s just beautiful, with the lakes and all the nature. … [But] really, it’s the people.” 

Koch lives on the west side of Madison, where, she says, “We were lucky and landed in a great neighborhood that’s been a village to our children.” Several years ago, she continues, she and her husband were considering moving – they felt cramped with two adults and three kids occupying a three-bedroom house – but the community they’d built in their own backyard kept them there. “We didn’t want to risk ending up in a neighborhood that wasn’t like ours, so we added on to the house,” she says. 

Missouri to Madison Region, WI

Liana Loos-Austin also arrived in Madison in the 1990s; the Missouri native moved there in 1991 to attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied cellular and molecular biology. That set her up perfectly for her current role as chief operating officer of JangoCell and JangoDx, subsidiaries of biotech company JangoBio, which is developing stem-cell therapy to restore hormone balance with the end goal of stopping age-related diseases.

“I stayed because of a promising job market,” she says. “I [also] met the man who would later become my husband shortly after finishing my degree.” 

After exploring the area for over three decades, Loos-Austin has had plenty of time to discover her favorite activities.

“In the summer, I like driving up to the Wisconsin Dells to Devil’s Lake State Park to hang out with friends there, climb the rocks and hike the trails.” 

Loos-Austin also loves living in the Madison, WI, Region because of the city’s restaurants; currently, her preferred eatery is The Harvey House, a modern supper club located in a revamped train depot that recalls the glamor of 1930s train travel. 

In many ways, she says, Madison reminds her very much of her hometown in southeastern Missouri. But it also has something her prior homes – all university towns – were missing: “This is the first state capital that I have lived in,” Loos-Austin says. “I really like the balance of university life and politics that is here in Madison.” 

Bay Area to Madison Region, WI

Mark Greene, a relative newcomer to Madison (he moved to the city in 2009 to attend UW-Madison Law School), also highlighted political awareness in the region. The California native grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley and says, “One thing I noticed right away about living in Wisconsin is that national elections matter here. I thought it was absolutely mind-blowing to see just about every presidential candidate come through as they make their campaign rounds. In California, that never happened. Also, the general public expects a certain level of engagement here that was foreign to me. It’s a great thing.” 

Greene echoes Koch in his appreciation of Madison’s size and mentions something both Koch and Loos-Austin touch on as well: its proximity to major cities. The fact that Milwaukee (an hour drive), Chicago (two hours) and Minneapolis (four hours) are accessible for an easy day or weekend trip is one of Greene’s favorite things about living in the Madison, WI, Region. 

But there are plenty of amenities to keep him in Madison proper: biking the city’s trails, enjoying great dining and attending performances at Overture Center for the Arts. “[Madison] is a beautiful city with lots of great food and things to do,” he says. “I don’t think people appreciate that until they see it firsthand. It’s a great place to experience.”