View source for Madison, Wisconsin

{{Short description|Capital of Wisconsin, United States}}
{{about|the capital city of Wisconsin|the former town|Madison (town), Wisconsin}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Madison
| settlement_type    = [[List of capitals in the United States|State capital city]]
| nicknames           = Madtown, Mad City, The City of Four Lakes, 100 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality<ref>{{Cite web |last=University of Wisconsin-Madison English As A Second Language Program |title=About Madison |url=https://esl.wisc.edu/about-madison/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026152834/https://esl.wisc.edu/about-madison/ |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |access-date=November 22, 2020 }}</ref>
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
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  | image1             = Aerial View of Campus, with Helen C. White Hall in foreground (14070186173).jpg
  | alt1               = [[Madison Isthmus]]
  | caption1           = [[Madison Isthmus]]
  | image2             = Wisconsin State Capitol and Monument 02.jpg
  | alt2               = Wisconsin State Capitol
  | caption2           = [[Wisconsin State Capitol]]
  | image3             = Monona Terrace, John Nolen Drive, Madison, WI (52745467085).jpg
  | alt3               = Monona Terrace
  | caption3           = [[Monona Terrace]]
  | image4             = Bascom Hall in Madison.JPG
  | alt4               = Bascom Hall at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
  | caption4           = [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]
  | image5             = Thai sala at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.jpg
  | alt5               = Olbrich Botanical Gardens
  | caption5           = [[Olbrich Botanical Gardens]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Madison, Wisconsin (2018).svg
| image_seal         = MadisonWIseal.png
| image_blank_emblem = Madison, WI logo.gif
| blank_emblem_size  = 100px
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
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| map_caption        = Interactive map of Madison
| pushpin_map        = Wisconsin#USA
| pushpin_label      = Madison
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Dane County, Wisconsin|Dane]]
| government_type    = [[Mayor-council]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Madison, Wisconsin|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Satya Rhodes-Conway]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]/[[Progressive Dane|PD]])
| leader_title1      = Body
| leader_name1       = [[Madison Common Council]]
| established_title1 = Founded
| established_date1  = 1836
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = 1846 (village)<br>1856 (city)
| named_for          = [[James Madison]]
<!-- Area -->| total_type         = City
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{Cite web |title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009015452/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |access-date=August 7, 2020 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 262.96
| area_land_km2      = 206.09
| area_water_km2     = 56.88
| area_total_sq_mi   = 101.53
| area_land_sq_mi    = 79.57
| area_water_sq_mi   = 21.96
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = <!-- Population -->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_total   = 269840
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/madisoncitywisconsin,US/PST045219 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511182721/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/madisoncitywisconsin,US/PST045219 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |access-date=August 12, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 2024
| population_est     = 285300 {{gain}}
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusQuickFacts">{{cite web |title=Madison city, Wisconsin |work=QuickFacts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/madisoncitywisconsin |access-date=May 15, 2025 }}</ref>
| population_rank    = US: [[List of United States cities by population|77th]] WI: [[List of cities in Wisconsin|2nd]]
| population_density_km2 = 1309
| population_density_sq_mi = 3391
| population_blank1_title = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
| population_blank1  = 910246 (US: [[List of Combined Statistical Areas|61st]])
| population_metro   = 707606 (US: [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|85th]])
| population_urban   = 450305 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|89th]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,161
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 3,008
| population_blank2_title = [[Demonym]]
| population_blank2  = Madisonian<ref>{{Cite web |last=Henschen |first=Holly |title=What's it like to live in Madison, WI? |url=https://realestate.usnews.com/places/wisconsin/madison |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607211546/https://realestate.usnews.com/places/wisconsin/madison |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=realestate.usnews.com |publisher=[[US News]]}}</ref>
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code          = [[Area code 608|608, 353]]
| postal_code_type   = [[Zip Code]]s
| postal_code        = {{collapsible list
|title                    = ZIP Codes<ref>{{Cite web |title=ZIP Code Lookup |url= https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm?bycitystate |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080101160345/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |archive-date=January 1, 2008 |access-date=December 24, 2024 |publisher=USPS}}</ref>
|frame_style              = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style               = text-align:center;display:none
|53701–53708, 53711, 53713–53719, 53725, 53726, 53744, 53774, 53777, 53782–53786, 53788, 53790–53794}}
| timezone           = Central
| utc_offset         = −6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −5
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|04|29|N|89|23|03|W|region:US-WI|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 873
| website            = {{URL|cityofmadison.com}}
| footnotes          = 
| blank_name         = [[FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 55-48000
| blank1_name        = [[GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1581834<ref name="gnis">{{GNIS|1581834}}</ref>
| unit_pref          = Imperial
}}

'''Madison''' is the [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] of the U.S. state of [[Wisconsin]]. It is the [[List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population|second-most populous city]] in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The [[Madison metropolitan area]] has an estimated 708,000 residents. With a downtown centrally located on an [[isthmus]] between Lakes [[Lake Mendota|Mendota]] and [[Lake Monona|Monona]], the city also encompasses [[Lake Wingra]]. Madison was founded in 1836 and is named after American [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] and President [[James Madison]]. It is the [[county seat]] of [[Dane County]].

As the state capital, Madison is home to government chambers, including the [[Wisconsin State Capitol]]. It is also home to the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], the flagship campus of the [[University of Wisconsin System]]. Major companies in the city include [[American Family Insurance]] and [[TruStage Financial Group]]. Tourism also plays a vital role in the local economy, generating over $1 billion in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Barry |title=Wisconsin's tourism economy continues to hum |language=en |work=Wisconsin State Journal |url=https://madison.com/wsj/business/wisconsins-tourism-economy-continues-to-hum/article_2c5cbdfc-b149-5a4b-ac4d-59fe07b50787.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606184906/https://madison.com/wsj/business/wisconsins-tourism-economy-continues-to-hum/article_2c5cbdfc-b149-5a4b-ac4d-59fe07b50787.html |archive-date=June 6, 2021}}</ref> The city features a variety of cultural and recreational institutions, including the [[Chazen Museum of Art]], [[Henry Vilas Zoo]], [[Olbrich Botanical Gardens]], and [[Overture Center for the Arts]].

As of 2024, Madison is the fastest-growing city in the state.<ref name="growth">{{cite web |title=Wisconsin cities ranks among fastest-growing in the United States |language=en |work=wearegreenbay.com |date=November 7, 2024 |url=https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/wisconsin-cities-ranks-among-fastest-growing-in-the-united-states/ |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112213617/https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/wisconsin-cities-ranks-among-fastest-growing-in-the-united-states/#:~:text=A%20new%20analysis%20from%20personal,54th%20nationally%20in%20population%20growth. |archive-date=November 12, 2024 }}</ref> The city has a longstanding reputation for [[Progressivism|progressive]] political activity and is regarded as Wisconsin's most [[Liberalism in the United States|politically liberal]] city. The presence of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other educational institutions significantly shapes the local economy, culture, and demographics.<ref name="library.wisc.edu" /><ref name="NPR.org" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Meyerhofer |first=Kelly |title=Dane, Milwaukee counties fueled Democratic wins; college students also helped |language=en |work=madison.com |url=https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/dane-milwaukee-counties-fueled-democratic-wins-college-students-also-helped/article_ad003ddb-79b2-53b3-a30e-60f7f2d595e5.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126113833/https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/dane-milwaukee-counties-fueled-democratic-wins-college-students-also-helped/article_ad003ddb-79b2-53b3-a30e-60f7f2d595e5.html |archive-date=January 26, 2019}}</ref> Madison boasts one of the highest numbers of parks and playgrounds per capita among the 100 largest U.S. cities and is widely recognized as a [[Bicycle-friendly communities|bicycle-friendly community]].<ref name="Annual City Parks Data Released by The Trust for Public Land">{{Cite web |title=Annual City Parks Data Released by The Trust for Public Land |url=https://www.tpl.org/media-room/annual-city-parks-data-released-trust-public-land |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607174804/https://www.tpl.org/media-room/annual-city-parks-data-released-trust-public-land |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |publisher=[[Trust for Public Land]]}}</ref><ref name="NEW PLATINUM, NEW GOLD BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES">{{Cite web |date=November 13, 2015 |title=New Platinum, New Gold Bicycle Friendly Communities |url=https://bikeleague.org/content/new-platinum-new-gold-bicycle-friendly-communities |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607174804/https://bikeleague.org/content/new-platinum-new-gold-bicycle-friendly-communities |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |publisher=[[League of American Bicyclists]]}}</ref> Within the city are nine [[National Historic Landmark]]s, including several buildings designed by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]].<ref name="The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright">{{Cite web |title=The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1496 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709141412/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1496 |archive-date=July 9, 2019 |access-date=July 17, 2019 |publisher=[[UNESCO]]}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:madison 1855.jpg|thumb|View of Madison from the Water Cure, south side of [[Lake Monona]], 1855]]

===Native Americans===
Before Europeans, humans inhabited the area in and around Madison for about 12,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Madison |url=https://morgridge.wiscweb.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/02/History_of_Madison.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221134602/https://morgridge.wiscweb.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/02/History_of_Madison.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |website=morgridge.wiscweb.wisc.edu}}</ref> The [[Ho-Chunk]] called the region {{langr|win|Teejop}} ({{IPA|win|teːdʒop}}) meaning 'land of the four lakes' (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Teejop (Dejope): significance and history |url=https://tribalrelations.wisc.edu/dejope/ |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=Tribal Relations |language=en-US}}</ref> Numerous [[effigy mounds]], constructed for ceremonial and burial purposes more than 1,000 years earlier, dotted the rich prairies around the lakes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2012 |title=Life in Early Madison |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2904 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041537/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2904 |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |website=Wisconsin Historical Society}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/home-and-lifestyle/the-story-of-madison-s-indigenous-people/article_b0e24a81-4ddd-502e-9034-1fa1d9a0b68c.html|title=The story of Madison's indigenous people|first=Maggie|last=Ginsberg|website=Channel3000.com|date=November 19, 2015 }}</ref> Dugout canoes found near many small lakes and rivers are prompting new anthropological research projects.<ref>Kehoe, Jacqueline, ''[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-using-sunken-dugout-canoes-learn-indigenous-history-america-180985638/ Archaeologists Are Finding Dugout Canoes in the American Midwest as Old as the Great Pyramids of Egypt]'', Smithsonian, January–February 2025</ref>

===Founding===
[[File:Madison WI Barber 1865p439cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|View of downtown and Capitol from Washington Street, 1865]]

Madison's modern origins begin in 1829, when former federal judge [[James Duane Doty]] purchased over a thousand acres (4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of swamp and forest land on the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, with the intention of building a city in the Four Lakes region. He purchased 1,261 acres for $1,500. When the [[Wisconsin Territory]] was created in 1836 the territorial legislature convened in [[Belmont, Wisconsin]]. One of the legislature's tasks was to select a permanent location for the territory's capital. Doty lobbied aggressively for Madison as the new capital, offering [[American bison|buffalo]] robes to the freezing legislators and choice lots in Madison at discount prices to undecided voters.<ref>Mollenhoff, David V. (2003) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NwrIKM0rBd4C&q=buffalo+robes&pg=PA26 Madison, a History of the Formative Years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116173314/https://books.google.com/books?id=NwrIKM0rBd4C&q=buffalo+robes&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q=buffalo+robes&f=false |date=January 16, 2017 }}'' Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. {{ISBN|0-299-19980-0}}. Page 26.</ref> He had James Slaughter [[plat]] two cities in the area, Madison and "The City of Four Lakes", near present-day [[Middleton, Wisconsin|Middleton]].

Doty named his city for [[James Madison]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2024 |title=Madison {{!}} Wisconsin, Population, Map, & University {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Madison-Wisconsin |access-date=September 11, 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> the fourth President of the U.S., who had died on June 28, 1836, and he named the streets for the other [[Signing of the United States Constitution|38 signers]] of the [[U.S. Constitution]].<ref>Historic Madison, Inc., [http://www.historicmadison.org/Madison%27s%20Past/madisonspast.html Madison's Past – Early History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623093154/http://www.historicmadison.org/Madison%27s%20Past/madisonspast.html |date=June 23, 2012 }}</ref> Although the city existed only on paper, the territorial legislature voted on November 28, 1836, to make Madison its capital, largely because of its location halfway between the new and growing cities around [[Milwaukee]] in the east and the long-established strategic post of [[Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin|Prairie du Chien]] in the west, and between the highly populated [[lead]] mining regions in the southwest and Wisconsin's oldest city, [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]], in the northeast.<ref>[https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/supreme/hearingroom.htm Supreme Court, History: The Supreme Court Hearing Room] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112101826/https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/supreme/hearingroom.htm |date=January 12, 2018 }} Wisconsin Court System.</ref><ref name="briefhistory">{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2012 |title=Madison, Wisconsin - A Brief History |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2401 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110014319/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2401 |archive-date=January 10, 2019 |access-date=January 9, 2019 |website=Wisconsinhistory.org |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society}}</ref>

===Expansion===
[[File:Pinckney St., Madison, Wisconsin LCCN93500418.jpg|thumb|Pinckney Street, 1901]]
[[File:Detroit Photographic Company (0894).jpg|thumb|The third [[Wisconsin State Capitol]], which burned down in 1904]]

The cornerstone for the [[Wisconsin State Capitol|Wisconsin capitol]] was laid in 1837, and the legislature first met there in 1838. On October 9, 1839, [[Kintzing Prichett]] registered the [[plat]] of Madison at the registrar's office of the then-territorial [[Dane County]].<ref name="platted1839">{{Cite book |title=Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Wisconsin |publisher=E.E. Hale & Co. |year=1858 |volume=6 |location=Beloit |page=215 |chapter=Vilas vs. Reynolds |access-date=July 24, 2011 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qf4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA215 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316154927/http://books.google.com/books?id=Qf4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA215 |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Madison was incorporated as a village in 1846, with a population of 626. When Wisconsin became a state in 1848, Madison remained the capital, and in 1849 it became the site of the University of Wisconsin (now [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]). The [[Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad]] (a predecessor of the [[Milwaukee Road]]) connected to Madison in 1854. Madison incorporated as a city in 1856, with a population of 6,863, leaving the unincorporated remainder as a separate [[Town of Madison, Wisconsin|Town of Madison]].<ref>[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=header;pview=hide;id=WI.MadDane ''Madison, Dane County and Surrounding Towns''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724115343/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=header;pview=hide;id=WI.MadDane |date=July 24, 2014 }}, Madison: Wm. J. Park, 1877, pp. 543–558.</ref> The original capitol was replaced in 1863 and the second capitol burned in 1904. The current capitol was built between 1906 and 1917.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin State Capitol Tour |url=http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_capitol_tour.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527102024/http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_capitol_tour.html |archive-date=May 27, 2007 |access-date=May 24, 2007 |publisher=State of Wisconsin}}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Madison served as a center of the [[Union Army]] in Wisconsin. The intersection of Milwaukee, East Washington, Winnebago, and North Streets is known as Union Corners because a tavern there was the last stop for Union soldiers before leaving to fight the Confederates. [[Camp Randall]], on Madison's west side, was built and used as a training camp, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] soldiers. After the war, the Camp Randall site was absorbed into the University of Wisconsin, and [[Camp Randall Stadium]] was built there in 1917. In 2004 the last vestige of active military training on the site was removed when the stadium renovation replaced a firing range used for [[ROTC]] training.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

===1960s and 1970s===
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Madison [[counterculture]] centered on the neighborhood of Mifflin and Bassett streets, known as "Miffland". The area contained many three-story apartments where students and counterculture youth lived, painted murals, and operated the cooperative grocery store the Mifflin Street Co-op. Residents of the neighborhood often came into conflict with authorities, particularly during the administration of Republican mayor [[William Dyke|Bill Dyke]]. Students saw Dyke as a direct antagonist in efforts to protest the [[Vietnam War]] because of his efforts to suppress local protests. The annual [[Mifflin Street Block Party]] became a focal point for protest, although by the late 1970s it had become a mainstream community party.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, thousands of students and other citizens took part in [[Opposition to the Vietnam War#Growing protests|anti-Vietnam War marches and demonstrations]], with more violent incidents drawing national attention to the city and UW campus. These included the 1967 student protest of [[Dow Chemical Company]], with 74 injured; the 1969 strike to secure greater representation and rights for African-American students and faculty, which resulted in the involvement of the Wisconsin [[United States National Guard|Army National Guard]]; and the 1970 fire that damaged the Army [[ROTC]] headquarters housed in the [[University of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium]]. It culminated with the [[Sterling Hall bombing]] in 1970, which was intended to destroy the university's Army Mathematics Research Center. It also caused massive destruction to other parts of the building and nearby buildings and resulted in the death of researcher [[Robert Fassnacht]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Reinke|first1=Clifford|title=Van's Blast at UW Center Kills One and Hurts Four|url=http://host.madison.com/archives/topics/pages_from_history/pages-from-history-aug/article_681633c2-41c7-11e5-b7ea-dbea691a063b.html|access-date=October 26, 2017|newspaper=Wisconsin State Journal|date=August 26, 1970|archive-date=October 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026213822/http://host.madison.com/archives/topics/pages_from_history/pages-from-history-aug/article_681633c2-41c7-11e5-b7ea-dbea691a063b.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

These protests are the subject of the 1979 documentary [[The War at Home (1979 film)|''The War at Home'']].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eleanor Mannikka |date=2012 |title=The War at Home (1979) Review Summary |work=[[The New York Times]] |department=Movies & TV Dept. |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/52754/The-War-at-Home/overview |url-status=dead |access-date=July 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710222747/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/52754/The-War-at-Home/overview |archive-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref> [[David Maraniss]]'s 2004 book ''[[They Marched into Sunlight]]'' incorporates the 1967 Dow protests into a larger [[Vietnam War]] narrative. Tom Bates wrote the book ''Rads'' on the subject ({{ISBN|0-06-092428-4}}). According to Bates, Dyke's attempt to suppress the annual [[Mifflin Street Block Party]] "would take three days, require hundreds of officers on overtime pay, and engulf the student community from the nearby Southeast Dorms to [[Langdon Street Historic District|Langdon Street's]] fraternity row. Tear gas hung like heavy fog across the Isthmus." In the fracas, student activist [[Paul Soglin]], then a city [[alderman]], was arrested twice and taken to jail. Soglin was later elected mayor of Madison.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

===21st century===
In early 2011, Madison was the site of [[2011 Wisconsin protests|large protests]] against a bill proposed by Governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]] that abolished almost all [[collective bargaining]] for public worker unions.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Davey |first1=Monica |last2=Greenhouse |first2=Steven |date=February 17, 2011 |title=Angry Demonstrations in Wisconsin as Cuts Loom |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17wisconsin.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209063952/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17wisconsin.html |archive-date=December 9, 2016}}</ref> The protests at the capitol ranged from 10,000 to over 100,000 people and lasted several months.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 13, 2011 |title=Up to 100,000 protest Wisconsin law curbing unions |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wisconsin-protests-idUSTRE72B2AN20110313 |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031748/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wisconsin-protests-idUSTRE72B2AN20110313 |archive-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref>

On October 31, 2022, the city of Madison annexed the majority of the remaining [[Madison (town), Wisconsin|Town of Madison]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://captimes.com/news/government/a-midwest-goodbye-the-town-of-madison-merges-with-madison-and-fitchburg/article_0bb4f7c7-daec-5181-aa83-1fef281a0eae.html|title=A Midwest Goodbye: The Town of Madison Merges With Madison and Fitchburg|date=October 19, 2022 }}</ref> On December 16, 2024, a [[Mass shootings in the United States|school shooting]] occurred at [[Abundant Life Christian School]] on the city's east side, resulting in three deaths and six injuries.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 16, 2024 |title=Live updates: 3 dead in shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/abundant-life-school-shooting-madison-live-updates-rcna184404 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216181839/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/abundant-life-school-shooting-madison-live-updates-rcna184404 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Jones | first=Kyle | title=Three dead, including suspect, in shooting at Abundant Life Christian School | publisher=Channel3000.com | date=December 16, 2024 | url=https://www.channel3000.com/news/madison-police-investigate-shooting-at-abundant-life-christian-school/article_207c213c-bbd1-11ef-8bd0-db64a8c48a39.html | access-date=December 16, 2024 | archive-date=December 16, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216180412/https://www.channel3000.com/news/madison-police-investigate-shooting-at-abundant-life-christian-school/article_207c213c-bbd1-11ef-8bd0-db64a8c48a39.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Madison Wisconsin 05-04-2015 110 (17349544126).jpg|thumb|[[List of tallest buildings in Madison|Skyline of Madison]] in 2015 |alt=Madison, Wisconsin skyline]]

Madison is in the center of Dane County in south-central Wisconsin, {{convert|77|mi|km|0}} west of [[Milwaukee]] and {{convert|122|mi|km|0}} northwest of [[Chicago]]. Downtown Madison is on an [[Madison Isthmus|isthmus]] between [[Lake Mendota]] and [[Lake Monona]]; the city's trademark "Lake, City, Lake" reflects this geography.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=11096|title=Capital Cities USA & The Journey Beyond &#124; Lake, City, Lake|website=capitalcitiesusa.org}}</ref> Madison completely surrounds the suburbs of [[Maple Bluff]], [[Monona, Wisconsin|Monona]], and [[Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin|Shorewood Hills]]. Madison shares borders with its largest suburb, [[Sun Prairie, Wisconsin|Sun Prairie]], and three other suburbs, [[Middleton, Wisconsin|Middleton]], [[McFarland, Wisconsin|McFarland]], and [[Fitchburg, Wisconsin|Fitchburg]]. Other suburbs include [[Cottage Grove, Wisconsin|Cottage Grove]], [[DeForest, Wisconsin|DeForest]], [[Verona, Wisconsin|Verona]] and [[Waunakee]] as well as [[Mount Horeb, Wisconsin|Mount Horeb]], [[Oregon, Wisconsin|Oregon]], [[Stoughton, Wisconsin|Stoughton]], and [[Cross Plains, Wisconsin|Cross Plains]] further into Dane County.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|94.03|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|76.79|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|17.24|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{Cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |access-date=November 18, 2012 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The city's lowest elevation is the intersection of Regas Road and Corporate Drive on the east side, at {{Convert|836.9|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The highest elevation is located along Pleasant View Road on the far west side of the city, atop a portion of a terminal [[moraine]] of the Green Bay Lobe of the [[Wisconsin glaciation]], at {{Convert|1190|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tarr |first1=Joe |title=City's Highest / Lowest Point |url=https://isthmus.com/news/cover-story/highs-and-lows-views-from-above-and-below/ |access-date=January 5, 2023 |work=[[Isthmus (newspaper)|Isthmus]] |date=July 21, 2016 |language=en-us}}</ref>

The city is sometimes described as "The City of Four Lakes", comprising the four successive lakes of the [[Yahara River]]: Lake Mendota ("Fourth Lake"), Lake Monona ("Third Lake"), [[Lake Waubesa]] ("Second Lake") and [[Lake Kegonsa]] ("First Lake"),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dictionary of Wisconsin History: Four Lakes |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=9293&term_type_id=2&term_type_text=Places&letter=F |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523184708/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=9293&term_type_id=2&term_type_text=Places&letter=F |archive-date=May 23, 2006 |access-date=October 24, 2006 |publisher=[[Wisconsin Historical Society]]}}</ref> although Waubesa and Kegonsa are not actually in Madison, but just south of it. A fifth smaller lake, [[Lake Wingra]], is within the city as well; it is connected to the Yahara River chain by Wingra Creek. The Yahara flows into the [[Rock River (Mississippi River)|Rock River]], which flows into the [[Mississippi River]].

===Neighborhoods===
[[File:Madison 05-26-2012 012 (7398591826).jpg|thumb|[[State Street (Madison)|State Street]] connects Capitol Square to the University of Wisconsin campus.]]

Local identity varies throughout Madison, with over 120 officially recognized neighborhood associations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City of Madison Website, Communities and Neighborhoods |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/residents/Community/index.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307231044/http://www.cityofmadison.com/residents/Community/index.cfm |archive-date=March 7, 2011 |access-date=March 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Elbow |first=Steven |title=Madison's Williamson-Marquette neighborhood named one of nation's top 10 |language=en |work=madison.com |url=https://madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/steven_elbow/madison-s-williamson-marquette-neighborhood-named-one-of-nation-s/article_0175770c-9f42-532c-b9d2-9fac08f86d1b.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718030525/https://madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/steven_elbow/madison-s-williamson-marquette-neighborhood-named-one-of-nation-s/article_0175770c-9f42-532c-b9d2-9fac08f86d1b.html |archive-date=July 18, 2018}}</ref> Historically, the north, east, and south sides were [[blue collar]] while the west side was [[white-collar worker|white collar]], and to a certain extent this remains true. Students dominate on the University of Wisconsin campus and to the east into downtown, while university faculty have been a major presence in the neighborhoods to its south and in [[Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin|Shorewood Hills]] to its west.

Capitol Square is Madison's central business district, featuring high-rise apartments, hotels, restaurants, shops, museums and the [[Wisconsin State Capitol]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Capitol Neighborhoods |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/14.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326012936/http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/14.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=City of Madison }}</ref> It hosts public events including the [[Dane County Farmers' Market]], [[Concerts on the Square]], and the [[Art Fair on the Square]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Armitage |first=Lynn |title=Capitol Neighborhoods: The heart of the city |url=https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/city-life/capitol-neighborhoods-the-heart-of-the-city/456666567 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326012928/https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/city-life/capitol-neighborhoods-the-heart-of-the-city/456666567 |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=Channel3000 |publisher=Madison Magazine}}</ref> [[State Street (Madison)|State Street]] connects the University of Wisconsin campus to Capitol Square and is home to numerous bars and theaters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2016 |title=5 Great Things About State Street: Downtown Madison's 'Forever Street' |url=https://www.theedgewater.com/the-madison-experience/5-great-things-state-street-downtown-madisons-forever-street/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827223859/https://www.theedgewater.com/the-madison-experience/5-great-things-state-street-downtown-madisons-forever-street/ |archive-date=August 27, 2020 |access-date=September 6, 2020 |website=The Edgewater}}</ref> [[Langdon Street Historic District|Langdon Street]] is another main road in the area, known for its [[fraternity]] and [[sorority]] houses.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mosiman |first1=Dean |title=UW students seek Langdon-area historic district |url=https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/university/uw-students-seek-langdon-area-historic-district/article_f3036d52-f8a6-5502-a666-628a01a5e30d.html |website=Madison.com |date=September 15, 2013 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal |accessdate=March 28, 2019}}</ref>

The Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood neighbors downtown Madison. It is located around Monroe Street, a commercial area which has local shops, coffee houses, dining and galleries and features Wingra Park, where people rent paddle boats and canoes at a boathouse on [[Lake Wingra]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/19.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326005853/https://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/19.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=City of Madison }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Canoe & Kayak Rental - Parks - City of Madison, Wisconsin |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/canoekayakrental/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302171311/https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/canoekayakrental/ |archive-date=March 2, 2021 |access-date=February 5, 2021 |website=www.cityofmadison.com}}</ref> The Hilldale area comprises the Hill Farms-University neighborhood, Sunset Village neighborhood, and part of Shorewood Hills. The area contains [[Hilldale Shopping Center]] and a suburban setting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Barry |title=University Hill Farms neighborhood features long-time residents, newcomers and development |url=https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/neighborhoods/university-hill-farms-neighborhood-features-long-time-residents-newcomers-and/article_d5750023-42ab-5c82-86e5-28420a54158b.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326005848/https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/neighborhoods/university-hill-farms-neighborhood-features-long-time-residents-newcomers-and/article_d5750023-42ab-5c82-86e5-28420a54158b.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=Madison.com |date=September 26, 2016 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref>

The Marquette neighborhood sits on the near-east side of Madison and Williamson Street, its main thoroughfare, is known for locally owned shops and restaurants, including the [[Willy Street Cooperative|Willy Street Co-op]]. Houses in the Marquette neighborhood are included in the [[Marquette Bungalows Historic District]] and [[Orton Park Historic District]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Marquette Neighborhood Association |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/49.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326005856/http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/profile/49.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=City of Madison }}</ref> The area is also the location of festivals like the Waterfront Festival, [[La Fete de Marquette]], Orton Park Festival, and Willy Street Fair. The Williamson-Marquette area is a hub for Madison's [[bohemian culture]], known for colorfully painted houses and murals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Barry |title=Iconic Madison neighborhoods Willy Street, Monroe Street celebrate 40th year events |url=https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/iconic-madison-neighborhoods-willy-street-monroe-street-celebrate-th-year/article_dfd89f86-4389-5283-8501-70b62add72dc.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326005848/https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/iconic-madison-neighborhoods-willy-street-monroe-street-celebrate-th-year/article_dfd89f86-4389-5283-8501-70b62add72dc.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=Madison.com |date=September 17, 2017 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref>

Park Street, a diverse area in southern Madison, passes through several neighborhoods including Burr Oaks and Greenbush. It has been described as the "most racially and economically diverse area of Madison" and is home to ethnic restaurants and stores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rath |first=Jay |title=Welcome to Madison's Park Street: Its checkered past gives way to a bright future |url=https://isthmus.com/archive/scenes/welcome-to-madisons-park-street-its-checkered-past-gives-way-to-a-bright-future/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326005848/https://isthmus.com/archive/scenes/welcome-to-madisons-park-street-its-checkered-past-gives-way-to-a-bright-future/ |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=Isthmus |quote=''"It's by far the most racially and economically diverse area of Madison," says Lindsey Lee, owner of Cargo Coffee, 1309 S. Park St. Lee''}}</ref>

===Climate===
Madison, along with the rest of the state, has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfa''), characterized by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal temperature variance: winter temperatures can be well below freezing, with moderate to occasionally heavy snowfall and temperatures reaching {{convert|0|°F|1|disp=or}} on 17 mornings annually; high temperatures in summer average in the lower 80s °F (27–28&nbsp;°C), reaching {{convert|90|°F|1}} on an average 12 afternoons per year,<ref name="NOAA" /><!--{{Cite web |date=August 2011 |title=NCDC: U.S. Climate Normals |url=http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/wi/474961.pdf |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]}}</ref>--> with lower humidity levels than winter but higher than spring. Summer accounts for a greater proportion of annual rainfall, but winter still sees significant precipitation.

{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Madison, Wisconsin ([[Dane County Regional Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1869–present{{efn|Official weather records for Madison were kept at downtown from January 1869 to December 1946 and at KMSN since January 1947. For more information, see [http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ ThreadEx].}}
|collapsed =
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 58
|Feb record high F = 70
|Mar record high F = 83
|Apr record high F = 94
|May record high F = 101
|Jun record high F = 101
|Jul record high F = 107
|Aug record high F = 102
|Sep record high F = 99
|Oct record high F = 90
|Nov record high F = 77
|Dec record high F = 68
|year record high F = 107
|Jan avg record high F = 46.2
|Feb avg record high F = 51.3
|Mar avg record high F = 67.1
|Apr avg record high F = 79.1
|May avg record high F = 85.6
|Jun avg record high F = 91.0
|Jul avg record high F = 92.2
|Aug avg record high F = 90.4
|Sep avg record high F = 87.6
|Oct avg record high F = 79.4
|Nov avg record high F = 63.9
|Dec avg record high F = 50.8
|year avg record high F = 94.1
|Jan high F = 27.0
|Feb high F = 31.2
|Mar high F = 43.6
|Apr high F = 56.9
|May high F = 69.0
|Jun high F = 78.6
|Jul high F = 82.1
|Aug high F = 79.9
|Sep high F = 72.9
|Oct high F = 59.6
|Nov high F = 44.8
|Dec high F = 32.3
|year high F = 56.5
|Jan mean F = 19.4
|Feb mean F = 23.0
|Mar mean F = 34.4
|Apr mean F = 46.3
|May mean F = 58.1
|Jun mean F = 68.0
|Jul mean F = 71.9
|Aug mean F = 69.7
|Sep mean F = 62.0
|Oct mean F = 49.7
|Nov mean F = 36.7
|Dec mean F = 25.3
|year mean F = 47.0
|Jan low F = 11.8
|Feb low F = 14.9
|Mar low F = 25.1
|Apr low F = 35.8
|May low F = 47.1
|Jun low F = 57.4
|Jul low F = 61.6
|Aug low F = 59.5
|Sep low F = 51.0
|Oct low F = 39.8
|Nov low F = 28.7
|Dec low F = 18.2
|year low F = 37.6
|Jan avg record low F = -10.6
|Feb avg record low F = -5.5
|Mar avg record low F = 4.2
|Apr avg record low F = 21.3
|May avg record low F = 32.1
|Jun avg record low F = 43.2
|Jul avg record low F = 49.9
|Aug avg record low F = 48.1
|Sep avg record low F = 35.8
|Oct avg record low F = 25.3
|Nov avg record low F = 12.2
|Dec avg record low F = -2.6
|year avg record low F = -13.9
|Jan record low F = −37
|Feb record low F = −29
|Mar record low F = −29
|Apr record low F = 0
|May record low F = 19
|Jun record low F = 31
|Jul record low F = 36
|Aug record low F = 35
|Sep record low F = 25
|Oct record low F = 12
|Nov record low F = −14
|Dec record low F = −28
|year record low F = -37
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.47
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.52
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.26
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.78
|May precipitation inch = 4.10
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.28
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.51
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.16
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.43
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.77
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.22
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.63
|year precipitation inch = 37.13
|Jan snow inch = 13.7
|Feb snow inch = 12.8
|Mar snow inch = 7.0
|Apr snow inch = 2.6
|May snow inch = 0.1
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.6
|Nov snow inch = 3.0
|Dec snow inch = 12.0
|year snow inch = 51.8
|Jan snow depth inch = 8.0
|Feb snow depth inch = 8.4
|Mar snow depth inch = 5.5
|Apr snow depth inch = 1.4
|May snow depth inch = 0.1
|Jun snow depth inch = 0.0
|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0
|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0
|Sep snow depth inch = 0.0
|Oct snow depth inch = 0.2
|Nov snow depth inch = 1.4
|Dec snow depth inch = 6.0
|year snow depth inch = 10.7
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.6
|Feb precipitation days = 9.7
|Mar precipitation days = 10.6
|Apr precipitation days = 12.6
|May precipitation days = 12.7
|Jun precipitation days = 11.7
|Jul precipitation days = 10.2
|Aug precipitation days = 9.4
|Sep precipitation days = 9.2
|Oct precipitation days = 10.1
|Nov precipitation days = 9.6
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|year precipitation days = 126.4
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 10.1
|Feb snow days = 8.6
|Mar snow days = 5.3
|Apr snow days = 1.9
|May snow days = 0.1
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.5
|Nov snow days = 3.2
|Dec snow days = 8.2
|year snow days = 37.9
|Jan humidity = 74.5
|Feb humidity = 73.1
|Mar humidity = 71.4
|Apr humidity = 66.3
|May humidity = 65.8
|Jun humidity = 68.3
|Jul humidity = 71.0
|Aug humidity = 74.4
|Sep humidity = 76.8
|Oct humidity = 73.2
|Nov humidity = 76.9
|Dec humidity = 78.5
|Jan sun = 143.0
|Feb sun = 152.3
|Mar sun = 187.3
|Apr sun = 206.7
|May sun = 263.1
|Jun sun = 293.1
|Jul sun = 304.9
|Aug sun = 270.2
|Sep sun = 213.8
|Oct sun = 172.5
|Nov sun = 111.4
|Dec sun = 109.5
|Jan percentsun = 49
|Feb percentsun = 52
|Mar percentsun = 51
|Apr percentsun = 51
|May percentsun = 58
|Jun percentsun = 64
|Jul percentsun = 66
|Aug percentsun = 63
|Sep percentsun = 57
|Oct percentsun = 50
|Nov percentsun = 38
|Dec percentsun = 39
|year percentsun = 54
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)<ref name="NOAA">{{Cite web |title=NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mkx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508190345/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mkx |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |access-date=June 13, 2021 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref><ref name="NOAA txt">{{Cite web |title=Station: Madison Dane RGNL AP, WI |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014837&format=pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519012213/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014837&format=pdf |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=June 13, 2021 |website=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref><ref name="NOAAsun">{{Cite web |title=WMO Climate Normals for MADISON/DANE CO REGIONAL ARPT, WI 1961–1990 |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72641.TXT |access-date=March 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713060131/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72641.TXT |archive-date=2020-07-13 |url-status=dead |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1840 = 172
| 1850 = 1525
| 1860 = 6611
| 1870 = 9176
| 1880 = 10324
| 1890 = 13426
| 1900 = 19164
| 1910 = 25531
| 1920 = 38378
| 1930 = 57899
| 1940 = 67447
| 1950 = 96056
| 1960 = 126706
| 1970 = 171809
| 1980 = 170616
| 1990 = 191262
| 2000 = 208054
| 2010 = 233209
| 2020 = 269840
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 285300
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003185009/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |archive-date=October 3, 2014 |access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref><ref name="USCensusQuickFacts" />
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[2020 United States census]],<ref name="2020-census-5548000">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census: Madison city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5548000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> the population was 269,840. Madison was the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin over the 2010s.<ref name="growth" /> It is the second-most populous city in the state, the [[List of Midwestern cities by size|16th-most populous city]] in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], and [[List of United States cities by population|77th-most populous city]] in the United States.

The [[population density]] was {{convert|3,391|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 126,070 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,584|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. Ethnically, the population was 8.7% [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 71.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 9.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 7.4% [[Black (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 0.5% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.8% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 7.8% from two or more races.

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;
|+ Racial and ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census]]<ref name="2020-census-5548000-P2">{{cite web|title=Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino By Race: Madison city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5548000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! Race or Ethnicity<br /> ''(NH = Non-Hispanic)''
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total{{Efn|The total for each race includes those who reported that race alone or in combination with other races. People who reported a combination of multiple races may be counted multiple times, so the sum of all percentages will exceed 100%.}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|69.2|%|2||background:gray}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|73.6|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|9.5|%|2||background:purple}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|11.0|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[African American]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|7.2|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|9.0|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Hispanic and Latino origins are separate from race in the U.S. Census. The Census does not distinguish between Latino origins alone or in combination. This row counts Hispanics and Latinos of any race.}}
|aline=right| {{bartable}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|8.7|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:gold}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|1.2|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] (NH)
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.05|%|2||background:pink}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.10|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|aline=right| {{bartable|0.4|%|2||background:brown}}
|aline=right| {{bartable|1.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|}

The 2020 census population of the city included 548 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities and 9,909 people in university student housing.<ref name="2020-P5-5548000">{{cite web|title=Group Quarters Population, 2020 Census: Madison city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5548000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P5 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Madison city, Wisconsin – Racial and Ethnic Composition'''<br /><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Madison city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?q=p004&g=160XX00US5548000|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Madison city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US5548000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Madison city, Wisconsin|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US5548000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|170,509
|176,463
|style='background: #ffffe6; |186,764
|81.95%
|75.67%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |69.21%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|11,987
|16,507
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,557
|5.76%
|7.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.25%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|648
|763
|style='background: #ffffe6; |710
|0.31%
|0.33%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|12,000
|17,126
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25,547
|5.77%
|7.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.47%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|73
|67
|style='background: #ffffe6; |140
|0.04%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|300
|374
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,158
|0.14%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.43%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|4,025
|5,961
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,556
|1.93%
|2.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.65%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|8,512
|15,948
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,408
|4.09%
|6.84%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.67%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''208,054'''
|'''233,209'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''269,840'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

According to the [[American Community Survey]] estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $67,565, and the median income for a family was $96,502. Male full-time workers had a median income of $56,618 versus $48,760 for female workers. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $39,595. About 6.0% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="2020-EconChar-5548000">{{cite web|title=Selected Economic Characteristics, 2020 American Community Survey: Madison city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5548000&y=2020&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP03 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> Of the population age 25 and over, 95.9% were high school graduates or higher and 58.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name="2020-SocChar-5548000">{{cite web|title=Selected Social Characteristics, 2020 American Community Survey: Madison city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5548000&y=2020&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP02 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Madison-Janesville-Beloit CSA.png|thumb|Madison-Janesville-Beloit CSA: {{legend|#FF0000|Madison MSA}} {{legend|#0000FF|Janesville-Beloit MSA}} {{legend|#FFFF00|Baraboo μSA}}]]

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="FactFinder">{{cite web|title=American FactFinder|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=November 18, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 233,209 people, 102,516 households, and 47,824 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|3037|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 108,843 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1417|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 78.9 percent white, 7.3 percent black, 0.4 percent American Indian, 7.4 percent Asian, 2.9 percent other races, and 3.1 from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.8 percent of the population.

There were 102,516 households, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 53.3% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 30.9 years. 17.5 percent of residents were under the age of 18; 19.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 21.9% were from 45 to 64; and 9.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

===Hmong community===
{{further|Hmong in Wisconsin}}
Per the 2022 [[American Community Survey]] five-year estimates, the Hmong population was 1,985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2022.B02018?q=B02018&g=160XX00US5548000|title=B02018 Total Asian Alone or in Any Combination Population – 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Madison, Wisconsin|date=July 1, 2022|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 17, 2024}}</ref>

===Metropolitan area===
The [[Madison metropolitan area]], as defined by the United States [[Office of Management and Budget]], is the area consisting of [[Columbia County, Wisconsin|Columbia]], Dane, [[Green County, Wisconsin|Green]], and [[Iowa County, Wisconsin|Iowa]] counties anchored by the city of Madison.<ref name=OMB_13-01>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b13-01.pdf |title=OMB Bulletin No. 13-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas |publisher=[[United States Office of Management and Budget]] |date=February 28, 2013 |access-date=May 22, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121004708/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b13-01.pdf |archive-date=January 21, 2017 }}</ref> As of the 2020 census, the metro area had a population of 680,796. The Madison–[[Janesville, Wisconsin|Janesville]]–[[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]] [[combined statistical area]] consists of the four counties in the Madison metro area as well as [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock County]] (Janesville–Beloit metropolitan area) and [[Sauk County]] (Baraboo micropolitan area). The population of this region as of the 2020 census was 910,246.<ref name=OMB_13-01 />

===Religion===
[[File:Gates of Heaven Synagogue 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Gates of Heaven Synagogue]]]]

Madison is the [[episcopal see]] for the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison home page |url=http://www.madisondiocese.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122064200/http://www.madisondiocese.org/ |archive-date=November 22, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Madisondiocese.org }}</ref> [[InterVarsity Christian Fellowship]]/USA has its headquarters in Madison.

The [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]] has three churches in Madison: Eastside Lutheran Church,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastside Lutheran |url=https://www.eastsidelutheran.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302234334/https://www.eastsidelutheran.org/ |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> Our Redeemer Lutheran Church,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Redeemer |url=https://www.orlmadison.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302234334/https://www.orlmadison.org/ |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel |url=https://www.wlchapel.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302045003/https://www.wlchapel.org/ |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> The [[Evangelical Lutheran Synod]] has fifteen churches in Madison, including Grace Lutheran Church,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Grace Lutheran Church. |url=http://www.grace-els.org/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302234336/http://www.grace-els.org/index.html |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> Holy Cross Lutheran Church,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Holy Cross Church! |url=https://www.holycrossway.org/holy-cross-lutheran-church |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302234332/https://www.holycrossway.org/holy-cross-lutheran-church |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Saviour's Lutheran Church |url=https://www.yellowpages.com/madison-wi/mip/our-saviours-lutheran-church-13240658 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302234332/https://www.yellowpages.com/madison-wi/mip/our-saviours-lutheran-church-13240658 |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref>

Most American Christian movements are represented in the city, including mainline denominations, evangelical, charismatic and fully independent churches, including an [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] [[stake (LDS)|stake]]. The city also has multiple [[Sikh]] Gurdwaras, [[Hindu]] temples, three [[mosques]] and several [[synagogues]], a community center serving the [[Baháʼí Faith]], a [[Quaker Meeting House]], and a [[Unity Church]] congregation. The nation's third largest congregation of [[Unitarian Universalists]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walton |first=Christopher |date=January 9, 2012 |title=What size are Unitarian Universalist congregations? |url=http://uuworld.org/ideas/articles/188538.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214034600/http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/188538.shtml |archive-date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=January 6, 2013 |website=Uuworld.org}}</ref> the [[First Unitarian Society of Madison]], makes its home in the historic Unitarian Meeting House, designed by one of its members, [[Frank Lloyd Wright]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tours |url=https://fusmadison.org/welcome/meeting-house/tours/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722180047/https://fusmadison.org/welcome/meeting-house/tours/ |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |access-date=January 12, 2018 |publisher=First Unitarian Meeting Society}}</ref>

The [[Gates of Heaven Synagogue]] in [[James Madison Park]] is the [[List of the oldest synagogues in the United States|eighth-oldest-surviving synagogue]] building in the U.S., having been completed in 1863. Madison is home to the [[Freedom from Religion Foundation]], a non-profit organization that promotes the [[separation of church and state]].

===Crime===
{| {{Table|hide|sort|class=floatright}}
! Year!! Homicides!! Robbery!! Burglary
|-
! 1976<ref name="annualReport2006">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Annual Report |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2006.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508115644/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualreport2006.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2018 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |publisher=Madison Police}}</ref>
| 6
| 114
| 2292
|-
! 1977<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 4
| 122
| 2440
|-
! 1986<ref name="annualReport2006" />
| 3
| 211
| 1988
|-
! 1996<ref name="annualReport2006" />
| 1
| 301
| 1389
|-
! 1999<ref name="annualReport2006" />
| 6
| 265
| 1356
|-
! 2000<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 4
| 286
| 1267
|-
! 2001<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 6
| 295
| 1358
|-
! 2002<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 5
| 269
| 1570
|-
! 2003<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 6
| 282
| 1611
|-
! 2004<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 3
| 292
| 1467
|-
! 2005<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 3
| 330
| 1462
|-
! 2006<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 4
| 435
| 1627
|-
! 2007<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 8
| 410
| 2059
|-
! 2008<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 10
| 368
| 2038
|-
! 2009<ref name="annualReport2009" />
| 4
| 364
| 1523
|-
! 2010<ref name="annualReport2011" />
| 2
| 333
| 1652
|-
! 2011<ref name="annualReport2011" />
| 7
| 272
| 1446
|-
! 2012<ref name="annualReport2013" />
| 3
| 249
| 1594
|-
! 2013<ref name="annualReport2013" />
| 5
| 301
| 1360
|-
! 2014<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 5
| 225
| 1126
|-
! 2015<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 6
| 222
| 1208
|-
! 2016<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 8
| 235
| 1001
|-
! 2017<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 11
| 223
| 936
|-
! 2018<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 5
| 266
| 1078
|-
! 2019<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 4
| 243
| 1081
|-
! 2020<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 10
| 190
| 1316
|-
! 2021<ref name="annualReport2015" />
| 10
| 158
| 978
|}

There were 53 homicides reported by Madison Police from 2000 to 2009.<ref name="annualReport2009">{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Annual Report |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2009.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805215040/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2009.pdf |archive-date=August 5, 2013 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |publisher=Madison Police |quote=Page 17 lists violent crime totals for 2000 to 2009}}</ref> The highest total was 10 in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2010 |title=Homicides 2008 |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/crimestats/documents/homArrests2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131024906/http://cityofmadison.com/police/crimestats/documents/homArrests2008.pdf |archive-date=January 31, 2010 |publisher=City of Madison}}</ref> Police reported 28 murders from 2010 to 2015, with the highest year being 7 murders in 2011.<ref name="annualReport2011">{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Annual Report |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508115747/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualreport2011.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2018 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |publisher=Madison Police}}</ref><ref name="annualReport2013">{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Annual Report |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2013.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508115943/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualreport2013.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2018 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |publisher=Madison Police}}</ref><ref name="annualReport2015">{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Annual Report |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2015.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222175114/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/annualReport2015.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |publisher=Madison Police}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|Category:Companies_based_in_Madison,_Wisconsin|l1=Companies based in Madison, Wisconsin}}
[[File:Wisconsin State Capitol from Monona Terrace.jpg|thumb|View of the [[Wisconsin State Capitol]] from [[Monona Terrace]]]]

Madison's economy is marked by the sectors of government, education, [[information technology]] and [[healthcare]], and is supplemented by [[agribusiness]], food and precision [[manufacturing]] in the greater Madison region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/economicdevelopment/documents/connect%20madison%2012_19_16.pdf |title=City of Madison Economic Development Strategy |publisher=City of Madison |date=December 2016 |access-date=June 9, 2024 }}</ref> Many businesses are attracted to Madison's skill base, taking advantage of the area's high level of education; 48.2% of Madison's population over the age of 25 holds at least a bachelor's degree.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} The University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UW Health), and Wisconsin state government remain the largest employers in the city, while [[Epic Systems]] is the largest private sector employer.<ref name="largest employers">{{cite web|url=https://madisonregion.org/largest-employers/#:~:text=Leading%20national%20brands%20call%20the,food%20processing%20to%20healthcare%20IT |title=Largest Employers |date=August 4, 2021 |publisher=Madison Region Economic Partnership |access-date=June 9, 2024 }}</ref>

The Madison metropolitan area is home to multiple [[financial services]] companies, including the headquarters of the [[Credit Union National Association]] (CUNA), [[American Family Insurance]], [[CUNA Mutual Group]], and [[National Guardian Life]].

''[[The Onion]]'' satirical newspaper, as well as the pizza chains [[Glass Nickel Pizza Company]] and [[Rocky Rococo]], originated in Madison.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story, Rocky's Roots |url=http://www.rockyrococo.com/rockys-roots.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115105824/http://www.rockyrococo.com/rockys-roots.aspx |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Rockyrococo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 5, 1997 |title=About Us &#124; About Us |url=http://www.glassnickelpizza.com/About-Us/about-us.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123162731/http://www.glassnickelpizza.com/About-Us/about-us.html |archive-date=November 23, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Glassnickelpizza.com }}</ref>

===Government and education===
As Madison is the [[state capital]] of Wisconsin, it is home to the primary offices of most state agencies. It also has multiple federal-level bureaus, such as the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin]], and government-adjacent [[nonprofit organization]]s and lobbying groups such as [[CatholicVote.org]], the [[Center for Media and Democracy]], [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]], [[League of Wisconsin Municipalities]], and [[MacIver Institute]]. Other non-governmental business and research associations and organizations are also based in Madison, including [[Advanced Media Workflow Association]], [[International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association]], [[Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco]], [[Soil Science Society of America]], and [[Tavern League of Wisconsin]].

Madison also contains the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], a research institution that employs over 25,000 faculty and staff.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UW Facts and Figures |url=https://www.wisc.edu/about/facts/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412045839/https://www.wisc.edu/about/facts/ |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |access-date=April 12, 2019 |publisher=The University of Wisconsin-Madison}}</ref> It is the official state university of Wisconsin and the flagship campus of the [[University of Wisconsin System]].

===Biotechnology and health sciences===
[[File:UW Health and UWSMPH.jpg|thumb|[[UW Health University Hospital]], the [[University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health|Health Sciences Learning Center]], and the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research viewed from [[Lake Mendota]]]]

Madison is home to a large biotech and health information technology scene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Judy |title=Wisconsin's biohealth industry is healthy and growing, a report shows |url=https://madison.com/wsj/business/technology/biotech/wisconsin-s-biohealth-industry-is-healthy-and-growing-a-report/article_d7080ae6-8c8e-51a6-8639-eb0396d6a616.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325165048/https://madison.com/wsj/business/technology/biotech/wisconsin-s-biohealth-industry-is-healthy-and-growing-a-report/article_d7080ae6-8c8e-51a6-8639-eb0396d6a616.html |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=Madison.com |date=October 21, 2018 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref> Notable companies headquartered in Madison in this field include [[Epic Systems]], [[Invitrogen|Panvera (now part of Invitrogen)]], [[Exact Sciences (company)|Exact Sciences]], and [[Promega]]. [[Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Biotech, Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Companies |url=https://biopharmguy.com/links/state-wi-all-geo.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325163707/https://biopharmguy.com/links/state-wi-all-geo.php |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=biopharmguy}}</ref> Thermo Fischer Scientific, [[pipette]] manufacturer Gilson, [[Catalent]], and [[Fortrea]] have operations in the city.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://madison.com/news/local/business/health-care/animal-research-labcorp-usda-peta/article_8d535898-8248-11ee-a91f-a7ce2efc3a96.html | title=Labcorp fined after animal research violations in Madison | first=David | last=Wahlberg | work=[[Wisconsin State Journal]] | date=November 13, 2023 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The [[University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics]] is an important regional teaching hospital and regional trauma center, with strengths in transplant medicine, oncology, digestive disorders, and endocrinology.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Best Hospitals 2006: University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6450820.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060114125414/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6450820.htm |archive-date=January 14, 2006 |access-date=September 12, 2006 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report }}</ref> Other Madison hospitals include [[St. Mary's Hospital (Madison, Wisconsin)|St. Mary's Hospital]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Mary's Hospital |url=http://www.stmarysmadison.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022105205/http://www.stmarysmadison.com/ |archive-date=October 22, 2017 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Stmarysmadison.com}}</ref> [[Meriter Hospital]], and the [[VA Medical Center]].

Information technology companies in Madison include [[Broadjam]], [[Zendesk]], [[Full Compass Systems]], [[Raven Software]], [[EatStreet]], and [[TDS Telecom]]. Madison's community [[Hackerspace|hackerspaces/makerspaces]] are Sector67, which serves inventors and entrepreneurs, and The Bodgery, which serves hobbyists, artists, and tinkerers. Start-up incubators and connectors include StartingBlock, [[gener8tor]] and the University Research Park.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Wisconsin gains national attention as start-up technology hub |language=en |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2017/04/08/wisconsin-gains-national-attention-start-up-technology-hub/99997634/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091039/https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2017/04/08/wisconsin-gains-national-attention-start-up-technology-hub/99997634/ |archive-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Googling Madison: Software engineers boost tech giant |work=news.wisc.edu |url=https://news.wisc.edu/googling-madison-software-engineers-boost-tech-giant/ |url-status=dead |access-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126164333/https://news.wisc.edu/googling-madison-software-engineers-boost-tech-giant/ |archive-date=January 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About - University Research Park Madison |url=https://universityresearchpark.org/about/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126115440/https://universityresearchpark.org/about/ |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |access-date=January 26, 2019}}</ref> [[Epic Systems]] was based in Madison from 1979 to 2005, when it moved to a larger campus in the nearby Madison suburb of [[Verona, Wisconsin|Verona]]. Other firms include Nordic, [[Forward Health]], and Forte Research Systems.<ref>Guy Boulton. "[https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2017/10/06/epic-systems-effect-thesupporters-state-incentives-foxconn-can-only-hope-investment-someday-rivals-e/696053001/ As Epic Systems has soared, Madison has become a center for health information technology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522150805/https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2017/10/06/epic-systems-effect-thesupporters-state-incentives-foxconn-can-only-hope-investment-someday-rivals-e/696053001/ |date=May 22, 2018 }}". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', October 6, 2017.</ref>

===Manufacturing and agriculture===
The Madison metropolitan area is home to the headquarters or manufacturing of three notable bicycle brands: [[Trek Bicycle Corporation|Trek]], [[Mongoose (company)|Mongoose]], and [[Pacific Cycle]]. The area is home to the luxury appliance companies [[Sub-Zero Refrigerator|Sub-Zero & Wolf Appliance]] and [[Spectrum Brands]] (formerly [[Rayovac]]). Other advanced manufacturing and consumer goods companies headquartered in the area include [[American Girl]], [[Lands' End]], [[Shopbop]], [[Colony Brands]], and [[John Deere]].<ref name="largest employers" />

Supported by naturally fertile soil, Madison's infrastructure supports food production, processing, and distribution. Major employers include [[Hormel Foods]], [[Del Monte Foods|Del Monte]], and [[Frito-Lay]].<ref name="608today.6amcity.com">{{Cite web|url=https://608today.6amcity.com/city-guide/work/top-industries-employers-madison-metro-area|title=The top industries and employers in Wisconsin's Madison region|date=February 6, 2024|website=608today}}</ref> The meat producer [[Oscar Mayer]] was a Madison fixture for decades, and was a family business for many years before being sold to [[Kraft Foods]]. Its Madison headquarters and manufacturing facility were shuttered in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2015/11/25/oscar-mayer-closes/ |title=Investors Win, Workers Lose as Oscar Mayer Closes Iconic Plant |author=Reingold, Jennifer |publisher=Fortune |date=November 25, 2015 |access-date=June 9, 2024 }}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
{{See also|List of public art in Madison, Wisconsin}}

===Attractions and museums===
[[File:Olbrich thai elephant1.jpg|thumb|[[Sala (Thai architecture)|Thai sala]] at the [[Olbrich Botanical Gardens]]]]

The [[Memorial Union (University of Wisconsin–Madison)|Memorial Union]] is a central gathering place on [[Lake Mendota]]. Memorial Union Terrace is home to uniquely designed "terrace chairs" with a sunburst design that have become a symbol of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uwunionstory.org/story/34/sunbursts-on-the-lake |publisher=Wisconsin Union |title=
Sunbursts on the Lake: The History of the Terrace and its Iconic Chairs |access-date=September 2, 2024 }}</ref> The Memorial Union hosts concerts, plays, and comedy and is home to multiple restaurants and ice cream shops serving both the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus and the greater city.

[[Henry Vilas Zoo]] is a {{Convert|28|acre|adj=on}} public [[zoo]] owned by Dane County which receives over 750,000 visitors annually.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moe |first1=Doug |title=Zoo Gig Adds to 'Amazing Life' |url=https://madison.com/news/local/zoo-gig-adds-to-amazing-life/article_2664042b-213c-5273-a02f-49e63000c1b3.html |access-date=March 18, 2023 |work=[[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date=July 23, 2009 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |page=A2 |language=en |id={{ProQuest|391531838}}}}</ref> It is one of ten remaining free zoos in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.henryvilaszoo.gov/about-us/|access-date=December 19, 2020|website=Henry Vilas Zoo|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Axelrod |first1=Emma |title=Henry Vilas Zoo falls short on conservation mission, raising questions on place in Madison community |url=https://badgerherald.com/opinion/2021/09/21/henry-vilas-zoo-falls-short-on-conservation-mission-raising-questions-on-place-in-madison-community/ |access-date=March 18, 2023 |work=[[The Badger Herald]] |date=September 21, 2021 |quote="It also prides itself on being one of ten zoos in the U.S. that remains free to the public."}}</ref>

[[Olbrich Botanical Gardens]] contains a 16-acre outdoor [[botanical garden]] and 10,000-square-foot [[conservatory (greenhouse)|conservatory]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Clark|first=Brian E.|title=Wisconsin botanical gardens and arboretums are a tropical escape in winter|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/weekend-getaway/2019/12/27/wisconsin-botanical-gardens-arboretum-winter/2740841001/|access-date=December 12, 2020|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|language=en-US|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204020039/https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/weekend-getaway/2019/12/27/wisconsin-botanical-gardens-arboretum-winter/2740841001/|url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1952 and named for its founder, [[Michael Olbrich]], the gardens are owned and operated jointly by the City of Madison Parks and the non-profit Olbrich Botanical Society. Noteworthy is the [[Sala (Thai architecture)|Thai sala]], a gift to the University of Wisconsin–Madison from the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the government of [[Thailand]] through its king, [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Splinter |first1=Heron |title=Olbrich's Royal Thai Pavilion Needs Repair |url=https://www.wortfm.org/royal-thai-pavilion-repair-nearly-underway/ |access-date=March 18, 2023 |work=WORT-FM 89.9 |date=May 31, 2022 |archive-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128105847/https://www.wortfm.org/royal-thai-pavilion-repair-nearly-underway/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Next to Olbrich is the Garver Feed Mill, a former industrial mill that is now home to  various restaurants, an event space, artisan markets, and an assortment of festivals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitmadison.com/listings/garver-feed-mill/185207/|title=Garver Feed Mill &#124; Madison, WI|website=www.visitmadison.com}}</ref>

Art museums include the University of Wisconsin–Madison's [[Chazen Museum of Art]] and the [[Madison Museum of Contemporary Art]], which annually organizes the Art Fair on the Square. Madison also has independent art studios, galleries, and arts organizations, with events such as [[Art Fair Off the Square]]. Other museums include [[Wisconsin Historical Museum]] (run by the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Historical Museum |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050930233830/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/ |archive-date=September 30, 2005 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Wisconsinhistory.org}}</ref> the [[Wisconsin Veterans Museum]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Veterans Museum |url=http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016071235/http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/ |archive-date=October 16, 2006 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Museum.dva.state.wi.us}}</ref> the LR Ingersoll Physics Museum,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.physics.wisc.edu/ingersollmuseum/|title=L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum|website=L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum}}</ref> and the [[Madison Children's Museum]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Children's Museum |url=http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.com/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050924230423/http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.com/index.php |archive-date=September 24, 2005 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Madisonchildrensmuseum.com}}</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:Madison 1-3-2011 019 (6793958672).jpg|thumb|[[Monona Terrace]] convention center as seen from [[Lake Monona]]]]

Madison's architectural landmarks reflect a wide range of styles, ranging from the first [[Usonia]]n house designed by modern architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] to imposing [[brutalist]] buildings on the campus of UW–Madison and [[art deco]] towers interspersed through the downtown. Some of the most prominent buildings on the skyline include the Beaux-Arts [[Wisconsin State Capitol]], the Renaissance Revival [[University of Wisconsin Memorial Union]], the Wright-designed [[Monona Terrace]], and the postmodern [[Overture Center for the Arts]] designed by [[César Pelli]].

The height of Madison's skyline is limited by a state law that restricts building heights in the downtown area. All buildings within one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) of the Wisconsin State Capitol have to be less than {{Convert|1032.8|ft|}} above sea level to preserve the view of the building from most areas of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 12, 1990 |title=1989 Wisconsin Act 222 |url=http://www.legis.state.wi.us/acts89-93/89Act222.pdf#search=%22site%3Awi.us%2016.842%22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011104440/http://www.legis.state.wi.us/acts89-93/89Act222.pdf#search=%22site%3Awi.us%2016.842%22 |archive-date=October 11, 2006 |access-date=October 3, 2006 |publisher=[[State of Wisconsin]]}}</ref> The State Capitol dome was modeled after the dome of the [[United States Capitol]] and was erected on the high point of the isthmus. Capitol Square is located in Madison's urban core.

[[File:Jacobs First House - living room 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House|Jacobs First House]] is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]]]

Madison is [[List of Frank Lloyd Wright works|home to eight buildings]] by renowned Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright, more than any city outside the Chicago area. Wright, who spent much of his childhood in Madison and briefly attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, worked from his [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin studio]] in nearby Spring Green. Notable designs in Madison include Monona Terrace, the city's lakefront convention center, and Wright's first Usonian house, the [[Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House]], which is a [[The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright|UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref name="Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture by City and State">{{Cite web |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture by City and State |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/architecture-by-frank-lloyd-wright-3573373 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615195747/https://www.thoughtco.com/architecture-by-frank-lloyd-wright-3573373 |archive-date=June 15, 2019 |access-date=July 17, 2019 |publisher=[[ThoughtCo]]}}</ref><ref name="The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright" />

Other prominent prairie style and Usonian architects, including [[Louis Sullivan]] and [[Claude and Starck]], also have notable works in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Property/HI5802|title=3219 TOPPING RD &#124; Property Record|date=January 1, 2012|website=Wisconsin Historical Society}}</ref> The [[Harold C. Bradley House]], located in University Heights, was a 1908–1910 collaboration between Sullivan and [[George Grant Elmslie]].<ref name="sigma">{{Cite web |title=Our House, Sigma Phi of Wisconsin |url=http://sigmaphi.startlogic.com/sigmaphiofwisconsin/house.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620060820/http://sigmaphi.startlogic.com/sigmaphiofwisconsin/house.html |archive-date=June 20, 2009 |access-date=July 29, 2008}}</ref> Claude and Starck designed over 175 buildings in Madison, many still standing, such as [[Breese Stevens Field]], Doty School (now condos), and many private residences.<ref>"[http://www.madisonmagazine.com/article.php?story_id=152147&xstate=view_story Behold&nbsp;... The Genius Of Claude And Starck] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929164757/http://www.madisonmagazine.com/article.php?story_id=152147&xstate=view_story |date=September 29, 2008 |publisher=Madison Magazine}}</ref>

Downtown Madison features numerous examples of art deco and [[art moderne]] styles. Notable examples include Quisling Terrace, with its rounded corners and terracing, and [[Tenney Building|Tenney Plaza]], distinguished by lake views, marble and brass lobby details, and vertical lines, marking the city's first steel-frame high-rise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geiger |first=Ally |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Architecture Styles in Madison, WI |url=https://608today.6amcity.com/architecture-styles-madison-wi |access-date=June 16, 2024 |website=608today |language=en}}</ref>  The art deco [[State Office Building (Madison, Wisconsin)|State Office Building]], the tallest office building in Madison, was built in 1931 and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 1, 2015 |title=1 West Wilson Street: History of the State Office Building {{!}} Wisconsin Department of Health Services |url=https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/1ww/history.htm |access-date=June 16, 2024 |website=www.dhs.wisconsin.gov |language=en}}</ref> The [[Orpheum Theatre (Madison, Wisconsin)|Orpheum Theater]], also on the National Register, is located a block from the state capitol on State Street and is recognized as the city's best-surviving [[movie palace]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2316|title=Orpheum Theater|date=January 2012 |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society|access-date=August 28, 2023}}</ref> The UW–Madison campus has numerous buildings in the brutalist style, including the George L. Mosse Humanities Building designed by [[Harry Weese]] and the [[Chazen Museum of Art]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMahan |first=Kip |date=April 20, 2021 |title=The Mosse Humanities Building: An Unfortunate History & Future |url=https://d1t7dpw65z19lw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/04/Mosse-Humanities-Badger-Talks-Live.pdf |website=Badger Talks LIVE}}</ref>

===Cuisine===

[[Image:Dane county farmers market.JPG|thumb|[[Dane County Farmers' Market]] is the largest producers-only farmers' market in the U.S., and is held every Saturday on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Wisconsin since 1972.]]

Madison's cuisine is deeply influenced by its agricultural surroundings and ethnic history. The city's proximity to numerous [[dairy farms]] has made dairy a central element of its food culture, with notable cheesemakers like [[Uplands Cheese Company]], Hooks Cheese Company, and Landmark Creamery contributing to local offerings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin's Award-Winning Cheese{{!}} Travel Wisconsin |url=https://www.travelwisconsin.com/article/cheese-factories/six-ways-to-enjoy-wisconsins-award-winning-cheese |access-date=June 16, 2024 |website=TravelWisconsin |language=en}}</ref> Popular dishes include [[cheese curds]], often served fried or "squeaky," and [[hot and spicy cheese bread]], made by some Madison bakeries and available at farmer's markets around the city.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siciliano-Rosen |first=Laura |title=Wisconsin's To-Die-For Spicy Cheese Bread |url=https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/wisconsins-to-die-for-spicy-cheese-bread/81821 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403183438/https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/wisconsins-to-die-for-spicy-cheese-bread/81821 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |website=Ozy.com}}</ref> Morning Buns, a variety of [[sticky bun]] made with [[croissant]] dough, were invented in Madison at the former Ovens of Brittany restaurant by chef [[Odessa Piper]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richman |first1=Phyllis C. |author1-link=Phyllis Richman |title=Flour Children |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1984/06/03/flour-children/38bc8cd5-8daf-4171-bbd1-7687358ff0d1/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=September 3, 2024 |date=June 2, 1984}}</ref>

Additionally, Madison's culinary scene is enriched by local produce, including [[cranberries]], snap beans, and potatoes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Agriculture & Farms {{!}} Travel Wisconsin |url=https://www.travelwisconsin.com/things-to-do/entertainment-attractions/animals-agriculture |access-date=June 16, 2024 |website=TravelWisconsin |language=en}}</ref> On Saturday mornings in the summer, the [[Dane County Farmers' Market]] is held around Capitol Square, the largest producer-only farmers' market in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Market |url=http://dcfm.org/about-the-market/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212115437/http://dcfm.org/about-the-market/ |archive-date=December 12, 2016 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |publisher=Dane County Farmers' Market }}</ref> The city's [[farm-to-table]] culture is reflected in its many [[James Beard Award]] award-winning restaurants and gastropubs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.madisonfarmtofork.org/|title=Check out have we have developed and nurtured a local food system in Ennis Montana|website=www.madisonfarmtofork.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allman-Baldwin |first=Lysa |title=Madison, Wisconsin - A Delicious Destination |url=http://travelsquire.com/madison-wisconsin-a-delicious-destination/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411033056/http://travelsquire.com/madison-wisconsin-a-delicious-destination/ |archive-date=April 11, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=Travelsquire}}</ref>

Madison is home to numerous Wisconsin-style [[supper club]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/dining/2024/04/17/top-chef-wisconsin-episode-5-recap-supper-club-showdown-in-madison-the-harvey-house/73291208007/ |title='Top Chef: Wisconsin' Episode 5 recap: It's a supper club showdown at Madison's Harvey House |author=Bernhard, Rachel |publisher=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |date=April 17, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 }}</ref> An all-you-can-eat Friday night [[fish fry]] is particularly common at Wisconsin supper clubs, as are [[Old fashioned (cocktail)|old fashioned cocktails]]. 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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conklin |first=Aaron R. |date=February 21, 2013 |title=6 fabulous fish fries in the Madison area |url=https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/city-life/9-fabulous-fish-fries-in-the-madison-area/161936741 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327221832/https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/city-life/9-fabulous-fish-fries-in-the-madison-area/161936741 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=Channel3000.com}}</ref>

Madison's food culture also embraces its ethnic diversity. German immigrants introduced rich culinary traditions, influencing local restaurants and [[beer hall]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Society |first1=courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical |last2=Allen |first2=Terese |title=The Stuff of History: Sausage in Wisconsin |url=https://ediblemadison.com/stories/the-stuff-of-history-sausage-in-wisconsin |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Edible Madison |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Topbas |first=Zehra |date=2022-10-07 |title=Prost! brings Munich to Madison |url=https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/dining-and-drink/prost-brings-munich-to-madison/article_01aca9d1-8c18-51ed-ab24-597f29a61f66.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Channel3000.com |language=en}}</ref> Madison is also home to a large [[Hmong people|Hmong]] population, leading to a variety of [[Laos|Laotian]] and Hmong restaurants that make the city a "national hub of [[Hmong cuisine]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://608today.6amcity.com/culture/celebrating-hmong-heritage-month-in-madison#:~:text=There%20is%20plenty%20of%20Hmong%20cuisine%20to%20consume%20in%20the%20608.&text=The%20Asian%20grocery%20store's%20deli,a%20sweetened%20coconut%20dessert%20drink.&text=Pork%20laab%2C%20spring%20rolls%2C%20steamed,other%20offerings%20can%20be%20had |title=Celebrating Madison's Hmong culture through food |author=Shipley, Jonathan |publisher=608today |date=April 15, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 }}</ref> The city offers unique foods such as the large [[spring rolls#United States|spring rolls]] sold from the food carts on Capital Square and State Street, particularly in warmer months.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Broudy |first=Julia |title=Spring roll cart offers ideal dining experience for busy UW students on a budget |url=https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2018/07/27/spring-roll-cart-offers-ideal-dining-experience-for-busy-uw-students-on-a-budget/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403183440/https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2018/07/27/spring-roll-cart-offers-ideal-dining-experience-for-busy-uw-students-on-a-budget/ |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |website=The Badger Herald }}</ref>

Madison is home to the food festivals, such as [[Brat Fest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmtv15news.com/content/news/Multiple-counties-in-viewing-area-under-tornado-watch-510409701.html |title=The history of Brat Fest |publisher=[[WMTV]] |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2024 }}</ref> The Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival, established in 1987 and the second-longest-running such event in North America,<ref>{{Cite news |title=FAQ |language=en-US |work=Great Taste of the Midwest |url=https://greattaste.org/faq/ |url-status=dead |access-date=October 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025031231/https://greattaste.org/faq/ |archive-date=October 25, 2018}}</ref> is held the second Saturday in August. The highly coveted tickets sell out within an hour of going on sale in May.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 5, 2011 |title=Madison Home Brewers and Tasters Guild |url=http://mhtg.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028081352/https://mhtg.org/ |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Mhtg.org}}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:Concerts on the square.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Concerts on the Square]]]]

Madison's music scene covers a spectrum of musical culture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Music Events, Shows & Things To Do |url=http://www.zvents.com/z/madison-wi/music |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225202932/http://www.zvents.com/z/madison-wi/music |archive-date=February 25, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |publisher=Zvents}}</ref> Several venues offer live music nightly, ranging from Barrymore Theatre and High Noon Saloon on the east side<ref>{{Cite web |title=Live Music Venue Madison WI – High Noon Saloon |url=http://www.high-noon.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007022904/http://www.high-noon.com/ |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=High-noon.com}}</ref> to small coffee houses and wine bars. The biggest headliners sometimes perform at the Orpheum Theatre, the [[Overture Center]], [[Breese Stevens Field]], the [[Alliant Energy Center]], or the UW Theatre on campus. Other major rock and pop venues include the Majestic Theatre, the Sylvee, and The Bartell. During the summer, the Memorial Union Terrace on the University of Wisconsin campus, offers live music five nights a week. The Union is located on the shores of Lake Mendota.

In the summer, Madison hosts many music festivals. [[Concerts on the Square]] is a weekly Madison tradition during the summer. On Wednesday evenings, the [[Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra]] performs free concerts on the capitol's lawn,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra |url=http://www.wcoconcerts.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050202183020/http://wcoconcerts.com/ |archive-date=February 2, 2005 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Wcoconcerts.com}}</ref> and spectators can listen to the music while picnicking on the grass. Other annual music events include the Waterfront Festival, the Willy Street Fair, Atwood Summerfest, the Isthmus Jazz Festival, the Orton Park Festival, 94.1 WJJO's Band Camp, Greekfest, the WORT Block Party and the Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival, and the Madison World Music Festival. One of the latest additions is the [[La Fete de Marquette]], taking place around [[Bastille Day]] at various east side locations and celebrating French music with Cajun influences. Madison also hosts an annual [[electronic music]] festival, Reverence, and the Folk Ball, a [[world music]] and [[Folk dance]] festival held annually in January. Madison also plays host to the National Women's Music Festival.<ref name="National Women's Music Festival">{{Cite web |title=2008 National Women's Music Festival |url=http://www.wiaonline.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308021644/http://www.wiaonline.org/home.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2008}}</ref> UW-Madison also hosts the annual music and arts festival, Revelry, on campus at the Memorial Union each spring. The festival is put on by students for students as an end of the year celebration on campus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=revelryfest |url=http://www.revelryfest.com/ticketing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326061431/http://www.revelryfest.com/ticketing |archive-date=March 26, 2015 }}</ref>

The [[Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps]] is a competitive [[Drum and bugle corps (modern)|drum corps]] group based in Madison that competes and tours across North America as part of [[Drum Corps International]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.forwardperformingarts.org/madison-scouts/about/about-us |access-date=December 26, 2022 |website=www.forwardperformingarts.org}}</ref> The [[University of Wisconsin Marching Band]] performs at various local concerts and parades.

Madison has an independent rock scene, with local [[independent record labels]] including [[Crustacean Records]], Science of Sound,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Science of Sound – Independent Record Label – Madison Wisconsin |url=http://www.scienceofsound.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127135613/http://www.scienceofsound.com/ |archive-date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=February 6, 2016 |website=scienceofsound.com }}</ref> Kind Turkey Records,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kind Turkey Records |url=http://www.kindturkeyrecords.com/about1/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121234339/http://www.kindturkeyrecords.com/about1/ |archive-date=November 21, 2016 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |publisher=Kind Turkey Records }}</ref> and Art Paul Schlosser Inc. Madison was home to [[Smart Studios]], [[Butch Vig]] and [[Steve Marker]]'s longtime studio where many alternative rock records of the 1990s and 2000s were recorded and/or produced. A [[Dr. Demento]] and weekly live [[karaoke]] favorite is [[The Gomers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=High Noon Saloon |url=http://www.high-noon.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007022904/http://www.high-noon.com/ |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=High-noon.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scene Newspaper – the Online Magazine for Everyone |url=https://www.scenenewspaper.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123033447/http://scenenewspaper.com/cdreviews.html |archive-date=November 23, 2008 |website=scenenewspaper.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 1, 1986 |title=The Gomers |url=http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/artist_details.aspx?ArtistID=2883 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204001940/http://themadmusicarchive.com/artist_details.aspx?ArtistID=2883 |archive-date=February 4, 2010 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Themadmusicarchive.com}}</ref> They have performed with fellow [[Wisconsin]] residents [[Les Paul]] and [[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Foundation for School Music : 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://www.wsmamusic.org/foundation/news/achievement_award.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930010448/http://www.wsmamusic.org/foundation/news/achievement_award.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref>

Madison is also home to notable artists such as [[Paul Kowert]] of [[Punch Brothers]], [[Mama Digdown's Brass Band]], [[Clyde Stubblefield]] of [[Funky Drummer]] and [[James Brown]] fame, and musicians [[Roscoe Mitchell]], [[Richard Davis (double bassist)|Richard Davis]], [[Ben Sidran]], [[Sexy Ester and the Pretty Mama Sisters]], [[Reptile Palace Orchestra]], Ted Park, [[DJ Pain 1]], [[Killdozer (band)|Killdozer]], [[Zola Jesus]], [[VO5 (band)|VO5]], [[Caustic (band)|Caustic]], [[Phox (band)|Phox]], [[Masked Intruder]], and [[Lou & Peter Berryman]], among others. The band [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]] formed in Madison in 1994, and has sold 17 million albums.<ref name="behindthemusic">{{cite episode | title = Garbage | series = Behind The Music | series-link = Behind The Music | credits = Jim Forbes (narrator) | network = [[VH1]] | airdate = March 31, 2002}}</ref>

===Nightlife===
Much of the city's nightlife is centralized to the downtown area which includes a variety of bars, restaurants, and performance venues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hauge |first=Ruthie |date=May 20, 2020 |title=Madison nightlife, redefined |url=https://madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/madison-nightlife-redefined/article_bfd8f096-9a04-11ea-800b-abc7315efc5e.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519185842/https://madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/madison-nightlife-redefined/article_bfd8f096-9a04-11ea-800b-abc7315efc5e.html |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=May 19, 2021 |website=madison.com |publisher=[[The Capital Times]]}}</ref> [[State Street (Madison)|State Street]] and the surrounding area are popular with tourists and University of Wisconsin-Madison students.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Lucas |title=NIGHTLIFE AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON |url=http://www.gobeyondthebrochure.com/nightlife-at-university-of-wisconsin-madison/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331000738/http://www.gobeyondthebrochure.com/nightlife-at-university-of-wisconsin-madison/ |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=Go beyond the brochure}}</ref> Venues in the Capital Square neighborhood are popular with local young professionals and provide many [[happy hour]] specials.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davidoff |first=Judith |title=When the Clock Strikes 4 |url=https://isthmus.com/food-drink/drinks/happy-hour-discount-food-booze/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325175245/https://isthmus.com/food-drink/drinks/happy-hour-discount-food-booze/ |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=Isthmus.com}}</ref> Another center of nightlife is the Williamson (Willy) Street Neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neighborhood |url=https://willystreetcentral.com/neighborhood/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519185843/https://willystreetcentral.com/neighborhood/ |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=May 19, 2021 |website=willystreetcentral.com}}</ref> Madison is also home to a number of [[nightclub]]s, [[gay bar]]s and live music venues. The [[Mifflin Street Block Party]] and the [[State Street Halloween Party|Freakfest Halloween Party]] also attract thousands of partygoers.

===Performing arts===
[[File:Yost’s Department Store Building, State Street and Fairchild Street, Madison, WI (52734293705).jpg|thumb|[[Overture Center for the Arts]]]]

The [[Madison Opera]], the [[Madison Symphony Orchestra]], Forward Theater Company, the [[Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra]], and the [[Madison Ballet]] are some of the professional resident companies of the [[Overture Center for the Arts]]. The city is also home to a number of smaller performing arts organizations, including a group of theater companies that present in the Bartell Theatre, a former movie palace renovated into live theater spaces, and [[Opera for the Young]], an opera company that performs for elementary school students across the Midwest. Music Theatre of Madison is a professional musical theater company that performs new and lesser-known musicals in a variety of venues. The Wisconsin Union Theater (a 1,300-seat theater) is home to seasonal attractions and is the main stage for Four Seasons Theatre, a [[community theater]] company specializing in [[musical theater]], and other groups. The Young Shakespeare Players, a theater group for young people, performs uncut [[Shakespeare]] and [[George Bernard Shaw|George B. Shaw]] plays.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Community-based theater groups include Children's Theatre of Madison, Strollers Theatre, Madison Theatre Guild, the Mercury Players, and [[Broom Street Theater]] (which is no longer on Broom Street).{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Madison has one [[comedy club]], Comedy on State (which has hosted the Madison's Funniest Comic competition every year since 2010), owned by the Paras family. Madison has other options for more alternative humor, featuring several improv groups, such as Atlas Improv Company, Monkey Business Institute, and [[open mic]] nights.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Madison is home to a large entertainment industry archive at the [[Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research]], part of the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]].<ref>Directors Guild of America, [http://www.dga.org/Craft/VisualHistory/Resources.aspx Visual History Resources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018175919/http://www.dga.org/Craft/VisualHistory/Resources.aspx |date=October 18, 2012 }}. Retrieved December 3, 2012.</ref>

===Other cultural events===
Madison was host to [[Rhythm and Booms]], a large fireworks celebration coordinated to music. It began with a fly-over by [[F-16s]] from the local [[Wisconsin Air National Guard]]. This celebration was the largest fireworks display in the Midwest in length, number of shells fired, and the size of its annual budget.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rhythmand Booms - San Francisco Real Estate Photographer |url=http://www.rhythmandbooms.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917193004/http://www.rhythmandbooms.com/about/index.php?category_id=696 |archive-date=September 17, 2009 |website=Rhythm and Booms}}</ref> Effective 2015, the event location was changed to downtown and renamed Shake The Lake.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2015 |title=New fireworks show to replace Rhythm and Booms |url=http://www.channel3000.com/news/report-new-fireworks-show-to-replace-rhythm-and-booms/32148558 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229180144/http://www.channel3000.com/news/report-new-fireworks-show-to-replace-rhythm-and-booms/32148558 |archive-date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Severson |first=Gordon |title=Rhythm & Booms replaced with Shake the Lake in downtown Madison |url=http://www.wkow.com/story/28704047/2015/04/02/rhythm-booms-replaced-with-shake-the-lake-in-downtown-madison |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052333/http://www.wkow.com/story/28704047/2015/04/02/rhythm-booms-replaced-with-shake-the-lake-in-downtown-madison |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2015 }}</ref>

There are several cooperative organizations in the Madison area, ranging from grocery stores (such as the [[Willy Street Cooperative]]) to housing co-ops (such as [[Madison Community Cooperative]] and [[Nottingham Housing Cooperative]]) to worker cooperatives (including an engineering firm, a wholesale organic bakery and a cab company).{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Every April, the Wisconsin Film Festival is held in Madison.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin Film Festival {{!}} Madison |url=http://www.wifilmfest.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908122947/https://wifilmfest.org/ |archive-date=September 8, 2019 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |website=www.wifilmfest.org}}</ref> This five-day event features films from a variety of genres shown in theaters across the city. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute sponsors the Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Arts Institute |url=https://artsinstitute.wisc.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531233133/https://artsinstitute.wisc.edu/ |archive-date=May 31, 2018 |access-date=October 28, 2015 |website=artsinstitute.wisc.edu}}</ref>

Madison's official bird is the [[plastic flamingo]], a type of lawn ornament.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 2, 2009 |title=Council Makes Plastic Flamingo Madison's Official Bird |publisher=WISC-TV |url=http://www.channel3000.com/news/20678416/detail.html |url-status=dead |access-date=September 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903083954/http://www.channel3000.com/news/20678416/detail.html |archive-date=September 3, 2009}}</ref> The city council adopted the plastic flamingo in 2009 following a campaign by a local newspaper columnist in reference to a 1979 prank by UW–Madison students who planted 1,008 plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 2, 2009 |title=Madison, Wis., names the lawn flamingo its official bird |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/la-unleashed/story/2009-09-02/madison-wis-names-the-lawn-flamingo-its-official-bird |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |accessdate=October 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dominguez |first=Rosario |date=May 31, 2017 |title=UW exhibit pays tribute to 'man behind the pink flamingos' |url=https://captimes.com/entertainment/city_life/uw-exhibit-pays-tribute-to-man-behind-the-pink-flamingos/article_d380105a-3272-5b13-a7dc-d3a2e5661870.html |work=The Capital Times |accessdate=October 29, 2024}}</ref> The flamingo appears in the logo of the city's professional soccer team, [[Forward Madison FC]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Joyce |first=Jason |date=November 26, 2018 |title=A fierce flamingo: The making of Forward Madison F.C.'s team identity |url=https://captimes.com/news/local/city-life/a-fierce-flamingo-the-making-of-forward-madison-f-c-s-team-identity/article_de1d1671-bc2e-573c-9fdd-68f22d0d475f.html |work=The Capital Times |accessdate=October 29, 2024}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:Camp Randall Stadium aerial (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Camp Randall Stadium]] is home to the [[Wisconsin Badgers football]] team.]]

Madison's most prominent athletics are centered on the University of Wisconsin–Madison, whose teams compete as the [[Wisconsin Badgers]] in [[NCAA Division I]]. The [[Wisconsin Badgers football]] team plays at [[Camp Randall Stadium]] where crowds of as many as 83,000 have attended games. The [[Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball]] and [[Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey]] teams play at the [[Kohl Center]], while the [[Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey]] team plays at LaBahn Arena. Some events are played at the county-owned [[Alliant Energy Center]] and the university-owned [[Wisconsin Field House]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baggot |first=Andy |title=Andy Baggot: Home ice advantage at new LaBahn Arena |url=https://madison.com/sports/college/hockey/andy-baggot-home-ice-advantage-at-new-labahn-arena/article_4cc904f8-0c11-11e2-bd78-0019bb2963f4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423034648/https://madison.com/sports/college/hockey/andy-baggot-home-ice-advantage-at-new-labahn-arena/article_4cc904f8-0c11-11e2-bd78-0019bb2963f4.html |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |access-date=August 17, 2020 |website=madison.com |date=October 2, 2012 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref>

[[Forward Madison FC]] became Madison's first professional soccer team in 2018 and are members of [[USL League One]]. They play their home matches at [[Breese Stevens Field]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joyce |first=Jason |title='Embrace the pink!' Forward Madison F.C. soccer team reveals name, logo, colors |url=https://madison.com/news/local/embrace-the-pink-forward-madison-f-c-soccer-team-reveals-name-logo-colors/article_84979950-b272-5f4b-b061-ecd10c96d882.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517160231/https://madison.com/news/local/embrace-the-pink-forward-madison-f-c-soccer-team-reveals-name-logo-colors/article_84979950-b272-5f4b-b061-ecd10c96d882.html |archive-date=May 17, 2021 |access-date=March 31, 2021 |website=madison.com|date=November 18, 2018 }}</ref> A professional women's soccer club will join the [[USL Super League]] in 2025.<ref>{{cite web|title=Madison Awarded Women's Pro Soccer Franchise in USL Super League |url=https://www.forwardmadisonfc.com/news/2023/05/15/madison-awarded-womens-pro-soccer-franchise-in-usl-super-league/ |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=Forward Madison FC |language=en}}</ref> Other pro-level teams in the city include the [[Madison Radicals]], an [[ultimate frisbee]] club of the [[Ultimate Frisbee Association]] which debuted in 2013,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rob Thomas |title=Radical, dude: Pro ultimate Frisbee team debuts in Madison |url=http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/radical-dude-pro-ultimate-frisbee-team-debuts-in-madison/article_4ec88068-8d1a-5d06-8b01-091c18f0dc58.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506100212/http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/radical-dude-pro-ultimate-frisbee-team-debuts-in-madison/article_4ec88068-8d1a-5d06-8b01-091c18f0dc58.html |archive-date=May 6, 2013 |access-date=March 8, 2014 |website=madison.com|date=May 3, 2013 }}</ref> and [[LOVB Madison]], a member of [[League One Volleyball]].

The [[Madison Capitols]] of the junior-level [[United States Hockey League]] were revived in 2014 and play their home games at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 9, 2014 |title=United States Hockey League - Madison Capitols Begin New Era in USHL |url=http://ushl.com/news.php?news_id=2148 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409054117/http://ushl.com/news.php?news_id=2148 |archive-date=April 9, 2014}}</ref> The [[Madison Mallards]] are a college wood-bat summer [[baseball]] league team in the [[Northwoods League]]. They play in [[Warner Park]] on the city's north side from June to August.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maniaci |first=John |title=Steve Schmitt, Madison Mallards |url=https://madison.com/steve-schmitt-madison-mallards/image_11508844-47ef-11df-83c3-001cc4c002e0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029202844/https://madison.com/steve-schmitt-madison-mallards/image_11508844-47ef-11df-83c3-001cc4c002e0.html |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2020 |website=madison.com|date=April 14, 2010 }}</ref> The [[Madison Night Mares]] summer [[softball]] team competes in the same league.<ref>{{cite web|title=Northwoods League Softball Unveils Inaugural Season Schedule |url=https://northwoodsleague.com/blog/2024/01/08/northwoods-league-softball-unveils-inaugural-season-schedule/ |date=January 8, 2024 |access-date=May 9, 2024 |website=Northwoods League}}</ref>

===Former teams===
The Madison Cardinals were an early football team that lost each of the three games they ever played, all coming in 1936. Two were in the [[Northwest Football League]] and the third was a 62-0 exhibition blowout to the [[Green Bay Packers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1936 Madison Cardinals (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives |url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1936nwflmad.html |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=www.profootballarchives.com |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505064034/https://www.profootballarchives.com/1936nwflmad.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Cardinals failed to attract University of Wisconsin graduates as promised, and the La Crosse Old Style Lagers ran up the score in a 100-0 drubbing intending to push them out of the league. The Cardinals folded just days later.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gill |first=Bob |title=Outsiders : minor league and independent football, 1923-1950 |date=2006 |publisher=St. Johann Press |isbn=1-878282-45-X |location=Haworth, NJ |oclc=70129209}}</ref>

The [[Madison Muskies]], a Class-A [[Midwest League]] affiliate of the [[Oakland Athletics]], left town in 1993 after 11 seasons. The [[Madison Hatters]], another Class-A Midwest League team, played in Madison for only the 1994 season. The [[Madison Black Wolf]], an independent [[Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010)|Northern League]] franchise lasted five seasons (1996–2000) before decamping for [[Lincoln, Nebraska]].

===Amateur sports===
[[File:Sailboats on Lake Mendota.JPG|thumb|Sailboats approaching the south shore of [[Lake Mendota]] and northern downtown Madison]]

Madison is home to several endurance sports racing events, such as the [[Crazylegs Classic]], Paddle and Portage, the [[Mad City Marathon]], and [[Ironman triathlon|Ironman]] Wisconsin, which attracts over 45,000 spectators.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ironman Wisconsin |url=http://ironmanwisconsin.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206204308/http://ironmanwisconsin.com/ |archive-date=December 6, 2012 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |website=Ironmanwisconsin.com}}</ref> The [[CrossFit Games]] were held at the [[Alliant Energy Center]] from 2017 to 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Games Move to Madison |url=http://games.crossfit.com/video/games-move-madison |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123065928/http://games.crossfit.com/video/games-move-madison |archive-date=November 23, 2016 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |website=Games.crossfit.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article279485459.html |title=Fort Worth lands another major sports event. This one features world's 'fittest athletes' |first=Harrison |last= Mantas |date=September 19, 2023 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram }}</ref> Madison has several active [[ultimate (sport)|ultimate]] disc leagues organized through the nonprofit Madison Ultimate Frisbee Association.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About MUFA |url=http://www.mufa.org/mufa/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026174609/http://www.mufa.org/mufa/about/ |archive-date=October 26, 2016 |publisher=The Madison Ultimate Frisbee Association}}</ref>

Madison United Rugby senior level clubs include the Wisconsin Rugby Club, the 1998 and 2013 [[USA Rugby]] Division II National Champions, the [[Wisconsin Women's Rugby Football Club]], and the Madison Minotaurs. The Madison Curling Club was founded in 1921 and one of its teams won the 2014 Women's US National Championship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Curling Club |url=http://madisoncurlingclub.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704122547/http://madisoncurlingclub.com/ |archive-date=July 4, 2014 |access-date=July 22, 2014 |website=Madisoncurlingclub.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Curling Club |url=http://madisoncurlingclub.com/2014/04/2014-womens-national-champs/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727050650/http://madisoncurlingclub.com/2014/04/2014-womens-national-champs/ |archive-date=July 27, 2014 |access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> Madison's Gaelic sports club hosts a [[hurling]] team organized as the [[Hurling Club of Madison]] and a Gaelic football club with men's and women's teams.

The roller derby league, [[Madison Roller Derby]], was formed in Madison in 2004 and is a member of the [[Women's Flat Track Derby Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Roller Derby |url=https://www.madisonrollerderby.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301074641/https://www.madisonrollerderby.org/ |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |access-date=February 28, 2019 |website=Madisonrollerderby.org}}</ref> Madison is also home to [[Wisconsin United Roller Derby]], a member league of the [[Men's Roller Derby Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin United Roller Derby |url=https://mrda.org/team/wisconsin-united-roller-derby/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803175844/https://mrda.org/team/wisconsin-united-roller-derby/ |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |access-date=March 29, 2020 |website=MRDA.org}}</ref>

The Blackhawk Ski Club, formed in 1947, provides ski jumping, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. The club's programs have produced several Olympic ski jumpers, two Olympic ski jumping coaches and one Olympic ski jumping director. The club had the first Nordic ski facility with lighted night jumping.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 1, 2021 |title=Blackhawk Ski Club |url=https://usanordic.org/club-directory/blackhawk-ski-club/ |access-date=August 18, 2022 |website=USA Nordic Sport |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
Madison has {{Convert|6,431|acre|km2}} of park space, which is 13.5% of the city's total area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parkscore |url=http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Madison#sm.00006e2grzgvjdymt7y2llnzwr8pk |website=Trust for Public Land }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Parks in the city include [[James Madison Park]], which has views of Lake Mendota; [[Frank W. Hoyt Park]], which is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]; Garner Park, where the [[Madison Opera]] holds an "Opera in the Park" event;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opera in the Park |url=https://www.madisonopera.org/2018-2019-season/oitp/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325202008/https://www.madisonopera.org/2018-2019-season/oitp/ |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |website=Madison Opera}}</ref> and [[Warner Park]], which is home to the stadium for the Madison Mallards baseball team. Goodman Pool is Madison's public outdoor swimming pool.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The [[University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum]] manages {{convert|520 |acres}} of remnant forests and prairies throughout Wisconsin. The 300-acre (1.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) [[Lakeshore Nature Preserve]] preserves native species along the southern shore of Lake Mendota.

During the winter months, sports enthusiasts enjoy [[iceboat|ice boating]], [[ice skating]], [[ice hockey]], [[ice fishing]], [[cross-country skiing]], and [[snowkiting]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hoofer Sailing – Snow Kiting |url=http://hoofersailing.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=1&id=21&Itemid=23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818005622/http://hoofersailing.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=1&id=21&Itemid=23 |archive-date=August 18, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Hoofersailing.org }}</ref> During the rest of the year, outdoor recreation includes sailing on the local lakes, bicycling, and hiking.

Madison is known for its extensive biking infrastructure, with numerous bike paths and bike lanes throughout the city. Several of these bike paths connect to state trails, such as the [[Capital City State Trail]], [[Military Ridge State Trail]], and [[Badger State Trail]]. In addition to these bike paths, most city streets have designated bike lanes or are designated as [[bicycle boulevard]]s, which give high priority to bicyclists. In 2015 Madison was awarded platinum level Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists, one of only five cities in the US to receive this (highest) level.<ref>{{Cite web |last=David Wahlberg |title=Madison one of 5 platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Communities |url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/lifestyles/recreation/madison-one-of-platinum-level-bicycle-friendly-communities/article_bdc92f63-e113-5b98-8391-3450d62e778a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002181921/http://host.madison.com/wsj/lifestyles/recreation/madison-one-of-platinum-level-bicycle-friendly-communities/article_bdc92f63-e113-5b98-8391-3450d62e778a.html |archive-date=October 2, 2017 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |website=Host.madison.com|date=November 16, 2015 }}</ref>

{{wide image|Brittingham Boats on Monona Bay (53914683139).jpg|1000px|Brittingham Park on Monona Bay}}

==Government==
[[File:Old United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Madison, WI (52745548548).jpg|thumb|[[Madison Municipal Building]]]]

City voters have supported the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in national elections in the last half-century, and a liberal and progressive majority is generally elected to the city council. Detractors often refer to Madison as "77 square miles surrounded by reality", a phrase coined by former Wisconsin Republican governor [[Lee S. Dreyfus]], while campaigning in 1978.<ref name="moe">{{Cite book |last=Moe |first=Doug |title=Surrounded by Reality |publisher=Jones Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-9763539-3-5 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |page=xiii}}</ref> In 2013, there was a motion in the city council to turn Dreyfus' humor into the official city "punchline", but it was voted down by the city council.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison to stay real: City Council rejects Soglin's proposed slogan |url=http://www.ibmadison.com/In-Business-Madison/July-2013/Madison-to-stay-real-City-Council-rejects-Soglins-proposed-slogan/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314191611/http://www.ibmadison.com/In-Business-Madison/July-2013/Madison-to-stay-real-City-Council-rejects-Soglins-proposed-slogan/ |archive-date=March 14, 2014 |access-date=July 24, 2013 |website=ibmadison.com}}</ref>

Madison is considered to be the most [[Liberalism in the United States|politically liberal]] and [[Progressivism|progressive]] city in Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swanson |first=Ana |title=Map: The most liberal and conservative towns in each state |language=en |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/07/map-the-most-liberal-and-conservative-towns-in-each-state/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211051404/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/07/map-the-most-liberal-and-conservative-towns-in-each-state/ |archive-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Weigel |first=Dave |title=The seven political states of Wisconsin |language=en |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/wisconsin-political-geography/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909005738/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/wisconsin-political-geography/ |archive-date=September 9, 2020}}</ref><ref name="library.wisc.edu">{{Cite web |date=June 23, 2015 |title=Protests & Social Action at UW-Madison during the 20th Century |url=https://www.library.wisc.edu/archives/exhibits/campus-history-projects/protests-social-action-at-uw-madison-during-the-20th-century/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126113834/https://www.library.wisc.edu/archives/exhibits/campus-history-projects/protests-social-action-at-uw-madison-during-the-20th-century/ |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |access-date=January 26, 2019 |website=UW Archives and Records Management}}</ref><ref name="NPR.org">{{Cite news |title=The Long-Term Effect Of Wisconsin's Union Battles |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/01/134159817/the-long-term-effect-of-wisconsins-union-battles |url-status=live |access-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126113753/https://www.npr.org/2011/03/01/134159817/the-long-term-effect-of-wisconsins-union-battles |archive-date=January 26, 2019}}</ref>  For example, 76% of Madison voters voted against a 2006 state [[Wisconsin Referendum 1|constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fair Wisconsin News Release |url=http://www.fairwisconsin.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102212558/https://fairwisconsin.com/ |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |access-date=April 14, 2007}}</ref> even though the ban passed statewide with 59% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Key Ballot Measures |work=Cnn.com |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/ballot.measures/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911003521/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/ballot.measures/ |archive-date=September 11, 2013}}</ref>

In 1992, a local third party, [[Progressive Dane]], was founded. City policies supported in the Progressive Dane platform have included an [[inclusionary zoning]] ordinance, later abandoned by the mayor and a majority of the city council, and a city minimum wage. The party holds several seats on the Madison City Council and Dane County Board of Supervisors, and is aligned variously with the Democratic and Green parties.

Madison has a mayor-council system of government. Madison's [[Madison Common Council|city council]], known as the [[Madison Common Council|Common Council]], consists of 20 members, one from each district. The mayor [[Mayoral elections in Madison, Wisconsin|is elected in a citywide vote]].

Madison is the heart of {{ushr|WI|2}} in the [[United States House of Representatives]], represented by [[Mark Pocan]] (D). [[Melissa Agard]] (D) and [[Kelda Roys]] (D) represent Madison in the [[Wisconsin State Senate]], and [[Jimmy P. Anderson]] (D), [[Samba Baldeh]] (D), [[Francesca Hong]] (D), [[Shelia Stubbs|Sheila Stubbs]] (D), and [[Lisa Subeck]] (D) represent Madison in the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]].

[[Ron Johnson]] (R) and [[Tammy Baldwin]] (D) represent Madison, and all of Wisconsin, in the [[United States Senate]]. Baldwin is a Madison resident; she represented the 2nd from 1999 to 2013 before handing it to Pocan.

===Election results===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Madison city vote<br /> by party in presidential elections
|-
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third parties]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dane County Elections |title=2024 General Election Results |url=https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/172#race0004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250717034623/https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/172#race0004 |archive-date=July 17, 2025 |access-date=November 16, 2025}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''82.98%''' ''143,971''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|15.12% ''26,242''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.90% ''3,290''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dane County Elections |title=2020 General Election Results |url=https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/124#race0004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621034216/https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/124#race0004 |archive-date=June 21, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''84.10%''' ''136,007''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|14.30% ''23,122''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.60% ''2,582''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dane County Elections |title=2016 General Election Results |url=https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/89 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621031227/https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result/89 |archive-date=June 21, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''78.41%''' ''120,178''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|15.04% ''23,052''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|6.55% ''10,037''
|}

==Education==
[[File:Bascom Hall 05-18-2013 212 (11992982586).jpg|thumb|[[Bascom Hill]] forms the historic core of the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] campus.]]

The [[Madison Metropolitan School District]] serves the city while a variety of other districts serve the surrounding area. With an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students in 46 schools, it is the second largest school district in Wisconsin behind the [[Milwaukee School District]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison Metropolitan School District |url=http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050817191933/http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/ |archive-date=August 17, 2005 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Madison.k12.wi.us}}</ref> The five public high schools are [[Vel Phillips Memorial High School|Vel Phillips Memorial]], [[Madison West]], [[Madison East High School|Madison East]], [[La Follette High School|La Follette]], and [[Malcolm Shabazz City High School]], an alternative school.

Among private church-related high schools are [[Abundant Life Christian School]], [[Edgewood High School (Wisconsin)|Edgewood High School]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Edgewood High School |url=http://www.edgewood.k12.wi.us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021195637/http://edgewood.k12.wi.us/ |archive-date=October 21, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Edgewood.k12.wi.us}}</ref> near the [[Edgewood College]] campus, and [[St. Ambrose Academy]], a Catholic school offering grades 6 through 12.<ref>[http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/10/13/0610130283.php ''Faith Haven''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929181721/http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=%2Ftct%2F2006%2F10%2F13%2F0610130283.php |date=September 29, 2008 }}, Madison, Wis. ''Capital Times'', October 13, 2006.</ref> [[Madison Country Day School]] is a private high school with no religious affiliation.

The city is home to the flagship campus of the [[University of Wisconsin]], [[Edgewood College]], [[Madison Area Technical College]], and [[Herzing University|Herzing University-Madison]], giving the city a post-secondary student population of nearly 65,000. The University of Wisconsin accounts for the vast majority of students, with an enrollment of roughly 50,000, of whom 37,000 are undergraduates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Wisconsin--Madison Student Life |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-wisconsin-3895/student-life |website=US News}}</ref>

Additional degree programs are available through satellite campuses of [[Concordia University-Wisconsin]], [[Lakeland College (Wisconsin)|Lakeland College]], the [[University of Phoenix]], and [[Upper Iowa University]]. Madison also has a non-credit learning community with multiple programs and many private businesses also offering classes.

==Media==

===Print===
{{further|List of Wisconsin magazines|List of Wisconsin daily newspapers}}
Madison is home to an extensive and varied number of print publications, reflecting the city's role as the state capital and its diverse political, cultural and academic population. The ''[[Wisconsin State Journal]]'' (weekday circulation: ~95,000; Sundays: ~155,000) is published in the mornings, while its sister publication, ''[[The Capital Times]]'' (Thursday supplement to the Journal) is published online daily, with two printed editions a week. Though jointly operated under the name [[Capital Newspapers]], the ''Journal'' is owned by the national chain [[Lee Enterprises]], and the ''Times'' is independently owned. ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is the descendant of the ''Wisconsin Express'', a paper founded in the Wisconsin Territory in 1839. ''The Capital Times'' was founded in 1917 by William T. Evjue, a business manager for the ''State Journal'' who disagreed with that paper's editorial criticisms of Wisconsin Republican Senator [[Robert M. La Follette, Sr.]] for his opposition to U.S. entry into [[World War I]].

The free weekly alternative newspaper ''[[Isthmus (newspaper)|Isthmus]]'' (weekly circulation: ~65,000) was founded in Madison in 1976. ''[[The Onion]]'', a satirical weekly, was founded in Madison in 1988 and published from there until it moved to New York in 2001. Two student newspapers are published during the academic year, ''[[The Daily Cardinal]]'' (Mon–Fri circulation: ~10,000) and ''[[The Badger Herald]]'' (Mon–Fri circulation: ~16,000). Other specialty print publications focus on local music, politics and sports, including ''The Capital City Hues'',<ref>''[http://capitalcityhues.com/ The Capital City Hues] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104120952/http://www.capitalcityhues.com/ |date=November 4, 2015 }}''</ref><ref name="mpl">Madison Public Library. [http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/research/internetresources/news-and-media News and Media] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004115358/http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/research/internetresources/news-and-media |date=October 4, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="ct">Jordan S. Gaines. "[http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/madison-news-site-will-give-voice-to-communities-of-color/article_ff5046c3-72ff-5c5f-b271-b5a27d50181f.html Madison 365 news site will give voice to communities of color] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013184646/http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/madison-news-site-will-give-voice-to-communities-of-color/article_ff5046c3-72ff-5c5f-b271-b5a27d50181f.html |date=October 13, 2016 }}". ''The Capital Times'', July 20, 2015.</ref> ''The Madison Times'',<ref name="mpl" /><ref name="ct" /> ''Madison Magazine'', ''The Simpson Street Free Press'', ''Umoja Magazine'',<ref name="mpl" /><ref name="ct" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Umoja Magazine |url=http://www.umojamagazine.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116195600/http://www.umojamagazine.com/ |archive-date=November 16, 2016 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |website=Umojamagazine.com}}</ref><ref>Robyn Norton. "[http://host.madison.com/wsj/entertainment/arts_and_theatre/visual/on-view-a-mirror-image-the-village-reflects-on-itself/article_63ae282e-24cc-53b5-abf1-7cae6864475a.html On View | A Mirror Image: The Village Reflects on Itself] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002215915/http://host.madison.com/wsj/entertainment/arts_and_theatre/visual/on-view-a-mirror-image-the-village-reflects-on-itself/article_63ae282e-24cc-53b5-abf1-7cae6864475a.html |date=October 2, 2017 }}". ''Wisconsin State Journal'', June 14, 2015. "UMOJA Magazine celebrates 25 years"</ref> and fantasy-sports web site [[RotoWire.com]]. Local community blogs include [[Ann Althouse|Althouse]] and dane101.

Madison is associated with [["Fighting Bob" La Follette]] and the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924)|Progressive movement]]. La Follette's magazine, ''[[The Progressive]]'', founded in 1909, is still published in Madison. It is a [[Far-left politics|far left-wing]] periodical that may be best known for the attempt of the U.S. government in 1979 to suppress one of its articles before publication. The magazine eventually prevailed in the landmark First Amendment case, ''[[United States v. The Progressive, Inc.]]'' During the 1970s, there were two radical weeklies published in Madison, known as ''TakeOver'' and ''Free for All'', as well as a Madison edition of the ''[[Bugle-American]]'' [[underground newspaper]].

===Radio===
{{further|List of radio stations in Wisconsin}}
Madison has three large media companies that own the majority of the commercial radio stations within the market. These companies consist of [[iHeartMedia]], [[Entercom]] Communications, and [[Mid-West Family Broadcasting]] as well as other smaller broadcasters. Madison is home to Mid-West Family Broadcasting, which is an independently owned broadcasting company that originated and is headquartered in Madison. Mid-West Family owns radio stations throughout the state and the [[Midwest]].

Madison hosts two volunteer-operated and community-oriented radio stations, [[WORT]] and [[WSUM]]. WORT Community Radio (89.9 FM), founded in 1975, is one of the oldest volunteer-powered radio stations in the United States. A listener-sponsored community radio station, WORT offers locally produced diverse music and talk programming. WSUM (91.7 FM) is a free-form [[student radio]] station programmed and operated almost entirely by students.

Madison's [[Wisconsin Public Radio]] station, [[WHA (AM)|WHA]], was one of the first radio stations in the nation to begin broadcasting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PortalWisconsin |url=http://www.portalwisconsin.org/archives/9xm.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426190931/http://www.portalwisconsin.org/archives/9xm.cfm |archive-date=April 26, 2019 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=Portalwisconsin.org}}</ref> Public radio programs that originate at the WPR studios include ''[[Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?]]'', ''Zorba Pastor On Your Health'', ''[[To the Best of Our Knowledge]]'', ''Calling All Pets'', and the longest running radio program in America, ''[[Chapter a Day]]''.

[[WXJ-87]] is the [[NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards]] station on Madison's west side, with broadcasts originating from the [[National Weather Service]] in [[Sullivan, Wisconsin]].

===TV===
{{further|List of television stations in Wisconsin}}
Madison has six commercial stations, two public television stations and a religious station. The commercial stations consist of [[WISC-TV]] ([[CBS]]) and its [[MyNetworkTV]] subchannel, TVW; [[WMTV]] ([[NBC]]), with a [[CW+]] subchannel; [[WKOW-TV]] ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]); [[WMSN-TV]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]); [[WIFS (TV)|WIFS]] ([[Ion Television|Ion]]); and [[WZCK-LD]]/[[W23BW-D]] (various subchannel networks). [[WMWD-LD]] ([[Daystar (TV network)|Daystar]]) also serves the area. Madison has two public television stations: [[WHA-TV]], which is owned by the [[University of Wisconsin–Extension]] and airs throughout the state with the exception of [[Milwaukee]], and cable's Madison City Channel, which is owned and operated by the City of Madison covering city governmental affairs.

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
[[File:Dane County Regional Airport Terminal - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Terminal at [[Dane County Regional Airport]]]]

Madison is served by the [[Dane County Regional Airport]], which serves nearly 2.2&nbsp;million passengers annually. Most major [[general aviation]] operations take place at [[Middleton Municipal Airport]] {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} from Madison's city center. [[Metro Transit (Madison)|Metro Transit]] operates bus routes throughout the city and to some neighboring suburbs. While passenger rail is not available within the city limits, the Madison area is served by [[Amtrak]] thruway bus service that connects the city to rail hubs at [[Milwaukee Intermodal Station]] and [[Chicago Union Station]] as well via the [[Columbus station]] {{convert|20|mi}} northeast of the city.

Starting from the last decades of the 20th century, Madison has been among the leading cities for bicycling as a form of transportation, with about 3% of working residents pedaling on their journey to work.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Douma, Frank and Fay Cleaveland |year=2008 |title=The Impact of Bicycling Facilities on Commute Mode Share |url=https://www.lrrb.org/pdf/200833.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812015633/https://www.lrrb.org/pdf/200833.pdf |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |publisher=Minnesota Department of Transportation}}</ref> The share of Madison workers who bicycled to work increased to 5.3% by 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where We Ride: Analysis of bicyclecommuting in American cities |url=http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/Where_We_Ride_2014_data_web.pdf#12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503041814/http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/Where_We_Ride_2014_data_web.pdf#12 |archive-date=May 3, 2018 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |publisher=The League of American Bicyclists}}</ref> The 2016 survey by [[American Community Survey]] indicated that 65.7% of working Madison residents commuted by driving alone, 6.7% carpooled, 8.6% used public transportation, and 8.5% walked. About 6% used all other forms of transportation, including bicycles, motorcycles, and taxis. About 4.5% worked at home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Means of Transportation to Work by Age |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US5548000&primary_geo_id=16000US5548000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508054239/https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US5548000&primary_geo_id=16000US5548000 |archive-date=May 8, 2018 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |publisher=Census Reporter}}</ref>

In 2015, 11.2% of Madison households were without a car, which was unchanged in 2016. The national average was 8.7% in 2016. Madison averaged 1.5 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Data and Map |url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |url-status=dead |journal=Governing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511162014/http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html |archive-date=May 11, 2018 |access-date=May 7, 2018}}</ref>

====Highways====
[[Interstate 39]] (I-39), [[Interstate 90 in Wisconsin|I-90]] and [[Interstate 94 in Wisconsin|I-94]] run along the far east side of the city, connecting to [[Janesville, Wisconsin|Janesville]] to the south, Milwaukee to the east, and to [[Portage, Wisconsin|Portage]], [[La Crosse]], [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin|Eau Claire]], and [[Wausau, Wisconsin|Wausau]] heading north and northwest.<ref name=map>{{cite web |url= https://wisconsindot.gov/documents/travel/road/hwy-maps/statemap.pdf |title= Wisconsin State Map |date= 2023 |publisher= Wisconsin DOT |accessdate= August 29, 2023}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 12 in Wisconsin|US 12]], frequently referred to by locals as the Beltline, is a six- to eight-lane [[freeway]] serving the south and west sides of Madison and is the main link from the western suburb of [[Middleton, Wisconsin|Middleton]] to [[Cambridge, Wisconsin|Cambridge]]. Southeast of the area, US 12 connects to [[Lake Geneva, Wisconsin|Lake Geneva]], and going northwest, it heads to Wisconsin Dells.<ref name=map/> [[U.S. Route 18 in Wisconsin|US 18]] is also a component highway of the Beltine, continuing south along US 151 and east towards [[Waukesha, Wisconsin|Waukesha]] and Milwaukee.<ref name=map/> [[U.S. Highway 151]] (US&nbsp;151) runs through downtown and serves as the main thoroughfare through the northeast (as Washington Avenue) and south-central parts (as Park Street) of the city, connecting Madison with [[Dubuque, Iowa]], to the southwest and [[Fond du Lac, Wisconsin|Fond du Lac]] and [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin|Manitowoc]] to the northeast.<ref name=map/>

====Mass and intercity transit====
{{see also|Metro Transit (Madison)}}
[[File:Madison-Metro-Paterson-Station.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Metro Transit (Madison)|Metro Transit]] bus arriving at a [[bus rapid transit]] platform]]

Metro Transit, Madison's public transportation network, operates bus services throughout the city and several suburbs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Metro Transit System |url=http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/metro/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813170016/http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/metro/ |archive-date=August 13, 2006 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Ci.madison.wi.us}}</ref> Its operations were absorbed by the city in 1970. The transit network focuses on [[point-to-point transit]] service. Metro Transit launched its first [[bus rapid transit]] line in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pollack |first=Nicole |date=September 20, 2024 |title=It's taken decades, but here comes BRT |url=https://madison.com/news/traffic/brt-madison-public-transportation-bus-rapid-transit/article_4c082c6a-76c1-11ef-b2b2-3f0a2f76d889.html |work=Wisconsin State Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=September 26, 2024}}</ref>

In addition to public transportation, regional buses connect Madison to various major cities across the [[Upper Midwest]]. [[Badger Bus]] connects Madison and Milwaukee Intermodal Station and [[General Mitchell International Airport]], running several trips daily, Badger Bus also offers weekend service to Minneapolis-St. Paul.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Badger Bus Schedule |url=http://www.wanderu.com/bus-travel-review/badger-bus-schedule/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203430/http://www.wanderu.com/bus-travel-review/badger-bus-schedule/ |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |access-date=August 11, 2014 |website=wanderu.com}}</ref> [[Greyhound Lines]] serves Madison on its Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis–Saint Paul route. [[Van Galder Bus Company]], a subsidiary of [[Coach USA]], provides transportation through [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]] to Chicago—stopping at [[Union Station (Chicago)|Union Station]] and [[O'Hare Airport]], Van Galder also provides daily service to [[Wausau, Wisconsin|Wausau]] and [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]]. [[Wisconsin Coach Lines]], another subsidiary of Coach USA offers daily service to [[La Crosse]] and Milwaukee Intermodal Station. [[Jefferson Lines]] provides transportation to Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Lamers Bus Lines has once-daily trips from Madison to [[Dubuque, Iowa]], and Milwaukee. [[Flixbus]] offers daily service to Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, [[Indianapolis]] and [[Cincinnati]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmtv15news.com/2025/03/06/flixbus-launches-new-express-route-with-stop-madison/|title=Flixbus launches a new express route with a stop in Madison|first=Katie|last=Castellano|date=March 6, 2025|website=www.wmtv15news.com}}</ref>

====Rail====
{{See also|Madison station (C&NW)|Milwaukee Road Depot (Madison, Wisconsin)}}

Railroad freight services are provided to Madison by the [[Wisconsin and Southern Railroad]] (WSOR) and [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City]] (CPKC). Passenger train service between Madison and [[Chicago]] on the ''[[Sioux (train)|Sioux]]'' and the ''[[Varsity (train)|Varsity]]'' was provided by the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (Milwaukee Road) until 1971. The [[Chicago and North Western Railway]] also provided service to the east side of Madison, ending in 1965.

The city is served by [[Amtrak]] via [[Columbus station]] {{convert|28|mi|km}} to the northeast, which serves the daily long-distance ''[[Empire Builder]]'' terminating at Chicago, [[Portland Union Station|Portland]] and [[King Street Station|Seattle]]. Columbus station is also served by the [[Amtrak Midwest]] ''[[Borealis (train)|Borealis]]'' route which terminates at Chicago and [[Saint Paul Union Depot|Saint Paul]]. Although located outside of the city proper, the station is listed on Amtrak timetables as Madison's official stop.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amtrak Advisory &#124; Amtrak to Operate on Modified Schedules |url=https://www.amtrak.com/service-adjustments-due-to-coronavirus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321005513/https://www.amtrak.com/service-adjustments-due-to-coronavirus |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 31, 2021 |website=www.amtrak.com}}</ref>

A [[high-speed rail]] route from Chicago through Milwaukee and Madison to Minneapolis–Saint Paul was proposed as part of the [[Midwest Regional Rail Initiative]], but then-incoming Governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]]'s opposition to the project led to the reallocation of funding.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 9, 2010 |title=Statement From The U.S. Department Of Transportation |url=http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot20810.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211181716/http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot20810.html |archive-date=December 11, 2010 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Dot.gov}}</ref> Plans to establish Amtrak service within Madison were revived in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amtrak proposes route through Madison |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.nbc15.com/2021/04/01/amtrak-proposes-route-through-madison/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810173116/https://www.nbc15.com/2021/04/01/amtrak-proposes-route-through-madison/ |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |access-date=August 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 15, 2021 |title=Amtrak aims to expand train service across U.S. with Biden's help |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/15/amtrak-train-map-expansion-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627182039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/15/amtrak-train-map-expansion-us/ |archive-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> Anticipating eventual revival of passenger service, public meetings were held in early 2024 by the city's Department of Transportation to consider possible sites for the station.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/initiatives/passenger-rail-station-study|title=Passenger Rail Station Study|date=November 17, 2022 |publisher=City of Madison, Department of Transportation|access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref>

===Public safety===
[[File:Madison Police Department West District - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Madison Police Department West District]]

====Fire department====
The Madison Fire Department (MFD) provides fire protection and [[emergency medical services]] to the city. The MFD operates out of 14 fire stations,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fire Suppression |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222184504/http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin |quote=Madison has thirteen (13) fire stations serving the city.}}</ref> with a fleet of 12 engines, 5 ladders,<ref>{{Cite web |title=What we do |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/what-we-do |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222184135/http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/what-we-do |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref> 2 rescue squads, 2 hazmat units,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hazardous Incident Team |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/hazardous-incident-team |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222184646/https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/hazardous-incident-team |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref> a lake rescue team,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lake Rescue Team |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/lake-rescue-team |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222182741/https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/stations/special-teams/lake-rescue-team |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref> and 9 ambulances.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EMS |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/emergency-medical-services |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222183643/http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/emergency-medical-services |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin |quote=Each day, eight medics (or ambulances) are in service, each staffed by two paramedics.}}</ref> The MFD is contracted to provide fire and EMS services to the suburban enclave village of Shorewood Hills and also provides mutual aid to surrounding communities. In 2021 MFD in conjunction with Journey Mental Health, launched an emergency mental health response team consisting of a paramedic and social work to respond to mental health emergencies, the program initially launched in the Isthmus area and has expanded citywide in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Organization |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/command-staff |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222183302/https://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/command-staff |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Annual Reports |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/annual-reports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222190309/http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/annual-reports |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222184507/http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/about/history |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=cityofmadison.com |publisher=Fire Department |location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref>

====Police department====
The Madison Police Department is the law enforcement agency in the city. The department has six districts: Central, East, North, South, West and Midtown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blog – Chief's Office – Madison Police Department – City of Madison, Wisconsin |url=http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/chief/blog/?Id=7844 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222174656/http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/chief/blog/?Id=7844 |archive-date=February 22, 2017 |access-date=December 8, 2016 |website=Cityofmadison.com}}</ref> Special units in the police department include the K9 Unit, Crime Scene Unit, Forensic Unit, Narcotics and Gangs Task Force, Parking Enforcement, Traffic Enforcement Safety Team, [[SWAT]] Team, Special Events Team, C.O.P.S (Safety Education), [[Mounted police|Mounted Patrol]], Crime Stoppers, and Amigos en Azul.

The Madison Police Department was criticized for absolving Officer Steve Heimsness of any wrongdoing in the November 2012 shooting death of an unarmed man, Paul Heenan. The department's actions resulted in community protests, including demands that the shooting be examined and reviewed by an independent investigative body.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison rally calls for independent review of fatal police shooting |url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/madison-rally-calls-for-independent-review-of-fatal-police-shooting/article_0acaf784-5d8b-11e2-b307-001a4bcf887a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315084711/http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/madison-rally-calls-for-independent-review-of-fatal-police-shooting/article_0acaf784-5d8b-11e2-b307-001a4bcf887a.html |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |access-date=February 16, 2013 |website=madison.com|date=January 13, 2013 }}</ref> WisconsinWatch.org called into question the MPD's facts and findings, stating that the use of deadly force by Heimsness was unwarranted.<ref>WisconsinWatch.org. [http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/01/06/police-account-of-shooting-disputed "Police account of shooting disputed"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122025017/http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/01/06/police-account-of-shooting-disputed/ |date=January 22, 2013 }}</ref> There were calls for an examination of the Madison Police Department's rules of engagement and due process for officers who use lethal force in the line of duty.

Community criticism of the department's practices resurfaced after MPD officer Matt Kenny [[Shooting of Tony Robinson|shot Tony Robinson]], an unarmed man. The shooting was particularly controversial given the context of the ongoing [[Black Lives Matter]] movement. Due to new Wisconsin state legislation<ref>{{Cite web |title=2013 Assembly Bill 409 |url=http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/proposals/ab409 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430212104/http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/proposals/ab409 |archive-date=April 30, 2015 |access-date=April 21, 2015 |website=wisconsin.gov}}</ref> that addresses the mechanisms under which officer-on-civilian violence is handled by state prosecutors, proceedings were handed over to a special unit of the [[Wisconsin Department of Justice]] in Madison. On March 27, 2015, the state concluded its investigation and gave its findings to Ismael Ozanne, the [[district attorney]] of Dane County.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Savidge |first=Nico |title=Tony Robinson shooting investigation will be turned over to district attorney on Friday |url=http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/tony-robinson-shooting-investigation-will-be-turned-over-to-district/article_712cb93e-28d9-5211-a0e2-b5cc3a63e9ab.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715053652/http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/tony-robinson-shooting-investigation-will-be-turned-over-to-district/article_712cb93e-28d9-5211-a0e2-b5cc3a63e9ab.html |archive-date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=April 21, 2015 |website=madison.com |date=March 24, 2015 |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref> On May 12, 2015, Ozanne determined that the shooting was justified self-defense.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berman |first=Mark |date=May 12, 2015 |title=Madison police officer won't be charged for shooting Tony Robinson |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/12/prosecutor-to-announce-whether-madison-police-officer-will-face-charges-for-shooting-tony-robinson/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513010027/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/12/prosecutor-to-announce-whether-madison-police-officer-will-face-charges-for-shooting-tony-robinson/ |archive-date=May 13, 2015}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Further|List of people from Madison, Wisconsin}}

==Nicknames==
Over the years, Madison has acquired nicknames and slogans that include:
* Mad City<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Brian E. |date=October 19, 2008 |title=Mad City offers more than football |work=Chicago Sun-Times |url=http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/travel/midwest/1229514,TRA-News-illini19.article |url-status=dead |access-date=January 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081125134933/http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/travel/midwest/1229514,TRA-News-illini19.article |archive-date=November 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1993 |title=College Basketball '93–'94; Mad, Mad, Mad City: Wisconsin Is Reborn |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/sports/college-basketball-93-94-mad-mad-mad-city-wisconsin-is-reborn.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121232948/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/sports/college-basketball-93-94-mad-mad-mad-city-wisconsin-is-reborn.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=November 21, 2016}}</ref>
* Madtown<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Milwaukee Sentinel – Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Jy8gAAAAIBAJ&pg=3044,433017&dq=madtown+madison+wisconsin&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316022915/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Jy8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_hIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3044,433017&dq=madtown+madison+wisconsin&hl=en |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |website=google.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2EscAAAAIBAJ&pg=2037,2769475&dq=madtown+madison+wisconsin&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224194202/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2EscAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_i0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2037,2769475&dq=madtown+madison+wisconsin&hl=en |archive-date=February 24, 2015 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |website=google.com}}</ref>
* The [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] of the Midwest<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2010 |title=Madison named one of the most gay-friendly cities in America – WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports |url=http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11826746 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119210647/http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11826746 |archive-date=January 19, 2010 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |website=Wkowtv.com }}</ref>
* 77 square miles surrounded by reality<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mosiman |first=Dean |date=July 12, 2013 |title=Mayor proposes city motto: '77 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality' |work=[[Wisconsin State Journal]] |url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/mayor-proposes-city-motto-square-miles-surrounded-by-reality/article_b47d7157-1f82-50bd-a18f-babcc4271b9f.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118043707/http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/mayor-proposes-city-motto-square-miles-surrounded-by-reality/article_b47d7157-1f82-50bd-a18f-babcc4271b9f.html |archive-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
* Four Lakes City<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Milwaukee Journal – Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ySwaAAAAIBAJ&pg=2688,177953&dq=madison+four-lakes-city&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225001925/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ySwaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8SQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2688,177953&dq=madison+four-lakes-city&hl=en |archive-date=February 25, 2015 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |website=google.com}}</ref>
* People's Republic of Madison<ref>"[https://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/06/partisan-rancour-and-public-universities Polarisation in the People's Republic of Madison] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701173501/http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/06/partisan-rancour-and-public-universities |date=July 1, 2017 }}". ''The Economist'', June 5, 2012. Accessed November 5, 2016.</ref>

==Sister cities==
Madison is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sister Cities |url=https://www.cityofmadison.com/sister-cities |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430210401/http://www.cityofmadison.com/sister-cities |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |access-date=July 3, 2020 |publisher=City of Madison}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flagicon|SLV}} [[Arcatao]], El Salvador (1986)
* {{flagicon|ETH}} [[Bahir Dar]], Ethiopia (2019)
* {{flagicon|CUB}} [[Camagüey]], Cuba (1994)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], Germany (1988)
* {{flagicon|GMB}} [[Kanifing]], Gambia (2016)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Mantua]], Italy (2001)
* {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Obihiro]], Japan (2003)
* {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Tepatitlán de Morelos]], Mexico (2012)
* {{flagicon|LTU}} [[Vilnius]], Lithuania (1988)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of tallest buildings in Madison]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Bates, Tom, ''Rads: The 1970 Bombing of the Army Math Research Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Its Aftermath'' (1993) {{ISBN|0-06-092428-4}}
* Durrie, Daniel S. ''[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.DurrieHist A History of Madison, the Capital of Wisconsin; Including the Four Lake Country]''. Madison: Atwood & Culver, 1874.
* ''[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.MadDane Madison, Dane County and Surrounding Towns]''. Madison: Wm. J. Park & Co., 1877.
* [[Maraniss, David]], ''They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-7432-1780-2}} {{ISBN|0-7432-6104-6}} (about the Dow Chemical protest, and a battle in Vietnam that took place the previous day)
* Mollenhoff, David V. ''Madison, a history of the formative years'' (Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2003).
* Nolen, John. ''[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/History.NolenMadsn Madison: a Model City]''. Boston: 1911.
* [[Thwaites, Reuben Gold]]. ''[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.SOM The Story of Madison]''. J. N. Purcell, 1900.

==External links==
{{sister project links|voy=Madison}}
* {{official website|http://www.cityofmadison.com/}}
* [http://www.visitmadison.com/ Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* The [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI State of Wisconsin Collection] presented by the [http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/ UW Digital Collections Center] includes digital resources on Madison, including:
** [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.MadisonLocHist Historical County Plat Maps from South Central Wisconsin and Early Madison City Directories]
** Sanborn fire insurance maps: [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/6801 1885] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/6790 1892] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/6832 1898] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/6870 1902] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/9278 1908]

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[[Category:Madison, Wisconsin| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Dane County, Wisconsin]]
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[[Category:County seats in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area]]
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