A beautiful shot of the Madison isthmus.

Some nice press for Madison following media scrutiny over three unsolved murders over the past year is a welcome change.  And we are just so freakin' friendly here in Wisconsin's capitol city.  Madison was named one of "The 5 friendliest cities in America" by Today/MSNBC.com.  What makes a city friendly?   

"We looked for certain standards like safety (dicey these days), diversity (for Wisconsin maybe...), pedestrian and bike friendliness (check!), as well as the presence of parks and public spaces (double check!)...Most importantly, we talked to brokers to get their personal stories of friendliness."

They also looked at stats that "help make a place friendly" such as enough bars to have a robust happy hour (don't make me laugh, this is Wisconsin after all), enough hotel rooms to welcome visitors and enough tourists willing to visit. 



Madison, Wisconsin: Friends help friends through the snowstorms

“It’s pretty hard to walk down the street of any neighborhood without getting a friendly smile or a friendly wave. Madison is a very active town with many bike paths, parks and lakes for residents to enjoy. Having so much in the way of outdoor activities really does get Madison’s residents interacting with each other in a fun environment.

Madison gets its share of snowfall every year along with some bitterly cold weather. It's not uncommon to go a week or two without cracking 10 degrees. You might think this would put everyone in a bad mood. It seems to have the opposite effect on many Madison residents, however. This past year, and really every year that I can remember, neighbors have gone way out of their way to help those who need assistance to make it through the winter...  — John Schroeder, Madison real estate broker

Did you know?
--There are 15 farmers markets throughout the city.
--Madison ranks No. 1 on Prevention Magazine’s list of most walkable cities.
--It’s a college town, and the thriving student life at the University of Wisconsin makes the area a vibrant epicenter for music, art and theater.
--State Street is downtown’s pedestrian mall.
--The median single-family home sales price is $217,000. 

-Today/MSNBC.com