Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 269,840, making it the second-most populous city in Wisconsin after Milwaukee, and the 80th-most populous in the United States. Madison is named for American Founding Father and President James Madison.
For the now defunct town, see Town of Madison, Wisconsin.
Madison
United States
City
1836
1846
1856
101.53 sq mi (262.96 km2)
79.57 sq mi (206.09 km2)
21.96 sq mi (56.88 km2)
873 ft (266 m)
269,840
272,903
3,391/sq mi (1,309/km2)
450,305 (US: 89th)
3,008/sq mi (1,161/km2)
680,796 (US: 87th)
910,246 (US: 61st)
Madisonian
UTC−6 (Central)
UTC−5 (CDT)
55-48000
1581834[3]
Located on an isthmus and lands surrounding five lakes—Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Wingra, Lake Kegonsa and Lake Waubesa—the city is home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Wisconsin State Capitol, the Overture Center for the Arts, and the Henry Vilas Zoo. Madison is home to an extensive network of parks and bike trails; it has the most parks and playgrounds per capita of any of the 100 largest U.S. cities and is one of five communities to have received a "Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community" rating from the League of American Bicyclists.[6][7] Madison is also home to nine National Historic Landmarks, including several buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, such as his 1937 Jacobs I House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[8]
Residents of Madison are known as Madisonians.[9] Madison has long been a center for progressive political activity, protests, and demonstrations, and contemporary Madison is considered the most politically liberal city in Wisconsin.[10][11][12][13] The presence of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (the largest employer in the state) as well as other educational institutions has a significant impact on the economy, culture, and demographics of Madison.[12][13][14][15][16]
As of 2021, Madison is the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin.[17] Madison's economy features a large and growing technology sector, and the Madison area is home to the headquarters of Epic Systems, American Family Insurance, Exact Sciences, Promega, American Girl, Sub-Zero, Lands' End, Spectrum Brands, a regional office for Google, and the University Research Park,[18][19][20] as well as many biotechnology and health systems startups. Madison is a popular visitor destination, with tourism generating over $1 billion for Dane County's economy in 2018.[21]
Arts and culture[edit]
Food[edit]
The city is home to several James Beard Award winners, gastropubs, and farm-to-table restaurants.[97]
Madison is home to unique foods such as the large spring-rolls sold from the food carts on the Capital Square and State Street, particularly in warmer months.[98] Other foods that are unique to the area are cheese curds, served either fried with dipping sauce, such as ranch dressing, or "squeaky" (not cooked, so called because of the squeaking sound they often make against the teeth when chewed), usually served without dipping sauce. Another popular food is hot and spicy cheese bread, made by some Madison bakeries and available at farmer's markets around the city.[99]
On Saturday mornings in the summer, the Dane County Farmers' Market is held around the Capitol Square, the largest producer-only farmers' market in the country.[100] A smaller version of this market is held on Martin Luther King Boulevard on Wednesdays during the summer.[101] In late fall, this market moves indoors, first as the Holiday Market[102] at the Monona Terrace. Later it becomes the Late Winter Market[103] at the Madison Senior Center. This market attracts numerous vendors who sell fresh produce, meat, cheese, and other products.
Some restaurants in Madison follow the general Wisconsin supper club practice of restaurants serving "Friday fish fry, Saturday prime rib special, Sunday chicken dinner special."[104]
The Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival, established in 1987 and the second-longest-running such event in North America,[105] is held the second Saturday in August. The highly coveted tickets sell out within an hour of going on sale in May.[106]
Over the years, Madison has acquired nicknames and slogans that include: