Madison is the county seat of Dane County and is also the capital of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. The city of Madison is the home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The city had a population of about 233,200 according to the census of the year 2010. It is the 81st biggest city within the country and additionally, is the 2nd largest city within the state of Wisconsin, after Milwaukee State. Madison forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. This particular area consists of the neighboring Iowa and Columbia counties along with all of Dane County.
The suburbs within Madison comprise Middleton, Fitchburg, DeForest, Maple Bluff, Waunakee, McFarland, Stoughton, Monona, Verona, Oregon, Shorewood Hills and Sun Prairie.Madison's suburbs comprise: Maple Bluff, Fitchburg, Middleton, Waunakee, DeForest, McFarland, Oregon, Monona, Stoughton, Verona, Shorewood Hills and Sun Prairie. In the year 2008, the estimated population was 561,505 for the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Madison is recognized for combining small-town friendliness along with an urban vibrancy.
The city of Madison is situated 77 miles away from the city of Milwaukee. Madison is an excellent place to visit or to live. There are plenty of unique cultural activities, plenty of outdoor places to explore and excellent fine dining and shopping. The city offers more than 200 parks and 5 lakes. The region is renowned for remarkable biking, cross-country skiing, sailing, fishing and snow sailing.
The top 2 employers in Madison include the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin state government. The economy of today is presently going through the evolution from being a government based economy to a consumer and high tech services base. Certain sectors such as advertising, biotech and health have become busier over recent years. The high-tech companies that have developed has fostered the region's economic boom. The UW-Madison has been working along with local businesses and entrepreneurs to transfer academic research results into real world applications. A lot of the bio-tech applications have had a huge impact.
Starting in the 1990s, the city went through a steady economic boom and have been effected less less by the recession. The majority of the expansion has happened on the west and south parts of Madison. Madison's east side, near the Interstate 39-90-94 interchange has likewise seen new development. Lake Mendota's northern shore has also undergone expansion and renovation.
The region has a high level of education and so, lots of businesses and companies are drawn to the skill base within Madison. Roughly 48.2% of the population who are over 25 years old in Madison holds at least a bachelor's degree.
The University of Wisconsin provides great entertainment in a broad array of performance places which run almost each and every night of the week. The Madison Opera, the Madison Symphony in addition to the Madison Repertory Theater offer various cultural activities. Performances are offered year round.
The city of Madison is known and surrounded by its natural beauty. The live rock, folk singing bands, and opera all contribute to the rich music scene. The Wisconsin Chamber of Orchestra and the Madison Ballet keeps the performing arts well attended and alive. Other artistic places comprise the the University of Wisconsin's Chazen Museum of Art, the Wisconsin veteran's Museum, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Wisconsin Historical Museum.