Posted: 5/8/2014 9:20:16 AM EDT
| I may have a job offer in the Madison area. North side to be exact. Any advice you could give me on areas to look at for housing would be appreciated. I'm an old fart so it's just my wife and I. Would prefer a small town within a 1/2 hour drive or so. Maybe even a little acreage if I can afford it (2 to 250K). I have a feeling my hobbies may have to change a little. I enjoy shooting of course, so I expect range only for that. And hunting, dirt biking, camping, are all probably available but just different than all the public land in here in Colorado. Anyway, this website has a great in formation network so I appreciate anything you would like to share. |
| Theres Wanakee, Sun Prairie, Deforest, Lodi & Poynette on the north side with the last 2 being the farthest but more likely to find acreage. Camping and hunting areas are around (we hunt near Mauston about an hour north of Madison). Dirt bikes, well cant help ya on that. Mt bikes theres plenty of trails but dont know of a lot for dirtbikes other than up by Black River Falls. |
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I live in DeForest.
If I had to do it over again I would look harder at Lodi and Poynette. Not that much further to drive and they are in Columbia county...kind of a place people seek refuge from the uber liberalism of Dane county. Awesome countryside in Lodi...rolling hills and farmland. What kind of hunting? Theres a decent amount of public land, but mostly marshland. Pretty much the only reason it's public is because it's too swampy to build on. Therefore if into waterfowl, you are GTG. Some of these place get pounded pretty hard, especially during gun deer season. Used to hunt Mud Lake near Rio for squirrels. Hunted pretty hard there one season and only saw 2 squirrels. Shooting: there's a big Gander Mountain in Deforest with an indoor range. Most ranges are private (club) There's a pretty big one in Lodi (Winnequah Gun Club) where they have an indoor range, 1000 yard range, steel silouttes, etc. North Bristol Sportsmans Club (North or Sun Prairie, East of De Forest) is a more affordable option. Been years since I've been in the loop there, but I think they have 1 or 2 nights a week they open to the public. They seem popular for trap shooting leagues. Sun Prairie is nice, but we didn't buy a house their because of their screwy tax assessments. They routinely assess properties above market valve and they made me uncomfortable. Not that any other place in Dane county has 'cheap' property taxes. |
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Avoid Dane County
Black River Falls area for dirt (mud) biking & close to where I grew up and did my dirt riding many years ago. Cheapest acreage probably is more than 5K per acre more like 7,500 or better and that will be out of your 1.5 hour commute. Fun time of the year to drive around....head west and north west to the driftless area 200 miles north to the big woods and big water. And then there's Wisconsin Dells you dont wanna miss that.... |
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As for South, there is Stoughton, Cottage Grove, McFarland, Oregon.
A little hard to find acreage in this area unless you can find a hobby farm (and afford it). Stoughton has an OK conservation club, and there are a few ranges within a short drive. Boating/fishing might become a new hobby, with the chain of lakes in the immediate area, and plenty of other water within almost any length of drive. Most public hunting grounds in the southern half of the state are filled with illannoyians, also call FIB's and FISHTAB's, mostly during deer season and openers. You just have to find the ones you need to hike into. When do you anticipate moving? |
| Lodi or Poynette are great places to look, especially since you will be working on the north side of the People's Republic of Madison. I will go with what most others are saying and recommend staying outside of Dane County. Lodi is probably the closest you can be without being in Dane. Up there you have Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River, which are pretty nice. If you prefer to be East of Madistan, Lake Mills or Jefferson are nice, but taxes are almost as bad as Dane County. |
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Quoted: Wow, thanks for all the responses. This is exactly the information I need. I appreciate it very much. Now off to the real estate sights. Note, be wary of any "short commute on the Beltline" (no such thing). If you want a decent commute, don't live south of the lakes unless you want to move right in downtown Madistan.
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Also remember almost half the year your commute could be on ice/snow covered roads. Being from CO that probably won't scare you, but sometimes the roads are barely maintained. They seem to rely on the traffic to keep roads open. This was one of the considerations why I choose not to live too far from my job.
I guess for some good points for this area...do you like beer? |
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Yes they have all been good suggestions. Note, be wary of any "short commute on the Beltline" (no such thing). If you want a decent commute, don't live south of the lakes unless you want to move right in downtown Madistan. Quoted:
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Wow, thanks for all the responses. This is exactly the information I need. I appreciate it very much. Now off to the real estate sights. Note, be wary of any "short commute on the Beltline" (no such thing). If you want a decent commute, don't live south of the lakes unless you want to move right in downtown Madistan. I was going to say this too. The cheaper, more open land/houses are south of Madison (beautiful country also) but the commute is not always fun (both of my sisters do it every day). I grew up about 30 min south of Madison and never had a problem finding places to shoot, hunt or ride though. If he could stay closer to I94 depending where the job is, he could avoid the Beltline all together maybe? OP: The further north you go in Dane Co the further you get into yuppie-ville, HOAs, minivans with Obummer stickers and male neighbors who sit to pee. North of that is absolutely gorgeous country. |
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I live in the Windsor/Deforest area about 10miles North of the Mad (Hippy) City. Just a little further is the Columbia County line. Three highways get you north south, the Interstate, HWY 51 and HWY 151. 51 is in the process of being converted to four lanes.
As other's have noted, Poynette, Lodi, Arlington, Beaver Dam, Columbus, Sauk City are within range. There are also unincorporated villages such as North Leeds and Leeds. There is no East, West or South Leeds. Morrisonville is just on the Dane side of the line. Good Luck! Tony 
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I'll second Lodi. I have lived here for two years and it is a very nice community. Here is why:
4 miles from the interstate (90/94) 20 minutes to the east side of Madison and 30 minutes to the west side Small grocery store in for when you don't want to go to Portage Wal-Mart or Madison stores 4 gas stations (Mobil, Kwik Trip, Marathon, and BP) Top quality vet clinic (if you have animals) Several segments of the Ice Age Trail run through Lodi Lodi State marsh and wildlife area Winnequah gun club, visit their website to see what they have (lots, including a 1200 yard range and a 50ft indoor range) Only 5 miles to Lake Wisconsin and the WI river 6 miles to the only free car ferry in the state at Merrimac. About 15 miles to Devils Lake State Park. 10 miles to Devils Head Ski resort and Cascade Mountain Ski area 5 miles to Gibralter Rock State Park (now connected to the Ice Age Trail) Spring Creek runs right through the heart of town and is a world class trout stream Lodi also hosts the only fair in the state with free admission. Includes rides, market, animals, and cookout Farmer's markets every Friday in the summer A brand new two million dollar public pool with free admission that is scheduled to open this June Several parks within the city The Lodi Community Recreation Center, with indoor pool, gym, classes, and other amenities Crystal Lake Resort, and Smokey Hollow Campground Medical clinic and pharmacy in town A local curling club and hall And I'm sure I missed some, but there is a lot to do and see in this area of the state. Not as beautiful as Colorado, but better that many other places. And now for the cons: Lots of local businesses are closing. We just lost: Weber's Bakery, The Pizza Pit, Willie's Bar and Grill, Roses On Main gift shop and others. Property taxes just took a major jump due to a local school referendum. They will rise $250 this year, and an additional $50 the next two years on a $220,000 home. With HWY 60 and HWY 113 intersecting at the heart of downtown, and only a 4-way stop, it can become very congested during the morning commute and rush hour. Even though not in Dane County, the town itself seems pretty liberal. Also the Mayor, Paul Fisk, is a member if Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns". The local police dept loves to fish. Every week in the paper there are tons of people pulled over for minor infractions. Like in most of the state, heroin is a major problem. But the community is very proactive. We have LCAT (Lodi Community Action Team) that helps keep youths occupied. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. Although, I would love to live in Colorado, I am very happy in Lodi, and my family and I never run out of stuff to do. ETA: Forgot to mention, for trash in the city you have to buy City of Lodi marked garbage bags. They cost $1.75 per bag, and they will not pick up any other bags. |
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Lodi also hosts the only fair in the state with free admission. Includes rides, market, animals, and cookout The Sauk County Fair in Baraboo is also a free admission fair. Also, been a few years since I have been to it, I think Columbia county fair in Portage is also a free admission fair. Just splitting hairs. lol |
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The Sauk County Fair in Baraboo is also a free admission fair. Also, been a few years since I have been to it, I think Columbia county fair in Portage is also a free admission fair. Just splitting hairs. lol Quoted:
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Lodi also hosts the only fair in the state with free admission. Includes rides, market, animals, and cookout The Sauk County Fair in Baraboo is also a free admission fair. Also, been a few years since I have been to it, I think Columbia county fair in Portage is also a free admission fair. Just splitting hairs. lol I did not know that. I remember reading in the local paper that it was the only one in the state. I'll chalk it up to shoddy reporting. |
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Maybe it is the grand stand that is free or something, not sure. Sorry OP for edging the thread of the tracks! Quoted:
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I did not know that. I remember reading in the local paper that it was the only one in the state. I'll chalk it up to shoddy reporting. Maybe it is the grand stand that is free or something, not sure. Sorry OP for edging the thread of the tracks! No problem. I appreciate all this info. I'm spending hours on Zillow looking at property and getting ideas to check out my next trip. |