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Green and growing in Wisconsin Madison-Middleton Metropolitan

By Kay Anderson -- Casual Living, 11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Wisconsin’s capital city is also home to the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin with its more than 28,000 undergraduates.

Earlier this year Madison was rated as one of the nation’s top 10 metros for income growth by Bizjournals, the online media division of American City Business Journals, a publisher of metropolitan business newspapers. Bizjournals editors cited an emerging biotechnology sector as a key to the area’s economic growth, where per capita income has risen 160% since 1985.

In June, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance newsletter named Madison as one of the 10 best cities for Empty Nesters, citing its many amenities, including the arts, ethnic restaurants, pubs and shopping that are attracting folks “ready to trade in the suburbs for easy urban living.”

Built on an isthmus between lakes Monona and Mendota, the city is well-known for its beautiful scenery. A total of five area lakes and more than 260 city parks create settings for a variety of year-round outdoor activities, ranging from hiking, biking, swimming and sailing to cross-country skiing, snow sailing and ice fishing.

Long known for being “green,” Madison has received several awards this year alone:

One of the Top 10 Best Outdoor-Oriented Towns, Yahoo! Real Estate, Fall 2007
Dane County Regional Airport awarded a Wisconsin Sustainability & Energy Efficiency Leadership Award, September 2007
Dane County Regional Airport received Environmental Achievement Award, Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA), August 2007
Dane County Farmers Market named Best in Nation, Eating Well, August 2007
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center awarded a Silver Certification under the LEED program for existing buildings, August 2007
One of the Top 10 Greenest Cities, Yahoo! Real Estate, May 2007
Ranked No. 1 Walking City, Prevention, April 2007
One of the Top 25 Best Places to Live, Country Home, April 2007
One of the Top 10 Best Green Large Cities, Country Living, April 2007

	2006	2011	CHANGE
Total population	542,632	578,037	6.5%
Median age	33.7	34.1
Average household size	2.30	2.25

	2006	2011	Change
Deck/patio/pool furniture	$6.27	$8.18	30.4%
BBQ grills	$6.16	$7.84	27.2%

	2006	2011	Change
Total housing units	237,742	258,250	8.6%
Number owner occupied	139,399	150,360	7.9%
Median value of owner households	143,648	143,629	-0.01%
Median rent	$611	$610	-0.2%

	2006	2011	Change
Hispanics may be of any race
White	208,308	223,066	7.1%
African-American	6,754	8,418	24.6%
Asian-American	6,704	8,496	26.7%
Other	6,351	8,522	34.2%
Hispanic	5,925	7,611	28.5%
White, Non-Hispanic	195,526	205,556	5.1%

	2006	2011	Change
Median	$54,960	$69,980	27.3%
Under $25,000	43,858	35,218	-19.7%
$25,000 to $34,999	23,904	19,996	-16.3%
$35,000 to $49,999	36,049	30,211	-16.2%
$50,000 to $74,999	51,653	48,580	-5.9%
$75,000 or more	72,653	114,497	57.6%

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