85-406: The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1870 to build a line from Madison, Wisconsin , to La Crosse, Wisconsin , as part of a new through route between Madison and Winona, Minnesota . The company was consolidated with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1871, prior to the completion of the line. After abandonment by
170-488: A eutrophic lake . The degree of eutrophication was so high that in 1882, Edward Asahel Birge , a young zoologist and future president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison , documented Lake Mendota's first known toxic cyanobacterial blooms in conjunction with his collaborator Chancey Juday , marking the first step toward long-term studies of Lake Mendota. Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are separated by an isthmus known as
255-473: A "suburban-like feel". The area is also a commercial district, and contains Hilldale Shopping Center , an outdoor shopping center containing restaurants and national retail chains. The Capitol Square Area is Madison's central business district . It is home to high-rise apartments, restaurants, and shopping outlets. It contains several museums and is home to the Wisconsin State Capitol building and
340-622: A century, that would allow Dane County to more efficiently move large volumes of water between the Madison lakes to avoid similar catastrophic impacts from flooding. The banks of the lake largely contain expensive luxury homes and condominiums , but they also contain protected natural areas and parks, including James Madison Park , as well as UW-Madison housing, the Memorial Union , and a handful of hotels and restaurants. There are at least 25 boat launching sites and several major marinas serving
425-617: A component of the university, which was reorganized and expanded into the Center for Limnology in July 1982. The university's Hoofer Sailing Club operates at the Memorial Union. Lake Mendota has been called "the most studied lake in the world," with the UW–Madison Center for Limnology resting on its southern bank. The lake has a remote sensor buoy, affectionately known as 'David Buoy,' that
510-461: A greater proportion of annual rainfall, but winter still sees significant precipitation. As of the census of 2020 , the population was 269,840. The population density was 3,391 inhabitants per square mile (1,309.3/km ). There were 126,070 housing units at an average density of 1,584 per square mile (611.6/km ). Ethnically, the population was 8.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race. When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race,
595-440: A large lake that stretched from the northern part of Lake Mendota down to Stoughton did exist for about 1,000 years, falling water levels caused this large lake to separate into the four current Madison lakes about 10,000 years ago, leaving numerous shallow-water marshes between those lakes. According to reports from European settlers in the early nineteenth century, Lake Mendota once had white sand beaches and clear water, with
680-439: A large seasonal temperature variance: winter temperatures can be well below freezing, with moderate to occasionally heavy snowfall and temperatures reaching 0 °F or −17.8 °C on 17 mornings annually; high temperatures in summer average in the lower 80s °F (27–28 °C), reaching 90 °F (32.2 °C) on an average 12 afternoons per year, with lower humidity levels than winter but higher than spring. Summer accounts for
765-623: A line between Columbus and Baraboo via Merrimac but did not lay any track. The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was incorporated on March 8, 1870, to build north from the Beloit and Madison Railroad in Madison, Wisconsin , to the La Cross, Trempealeau and Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction , near La Crosse, Wisconsin . This would connect a though line of the Chicago and North Western Railway with its subsidiary,
850-516: 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
935-510: A means of reducing the consequences of flooding from the Yahara River and the Madison lakes by removing silt and muck deposits that have accumulated for decades at choke points between the lakes. This acquisition was part of a multi-million dollar flood mitigation effort led by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi dating back to 2019, when historic rains inundated creeks and caused the waters of Lake Monona to rise to their highest levels in over
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#17328560097011020-432: A population of 680,796. The city is located on an isthmus and lands surrounding five lakes— Lake Mendota , Lake Monona , Lake Wingra , Lake Kegonsa and Lake Waubesa . Madison was founded in 1836 and is named after American Founding Father and President James Madison . As the state capital, Madison is home to government chambers including the Wisconsin State Capitol building. The University of Wisconsin–Madison ,
1105-551: A proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages ; Lyman C. Draper , the first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society , proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.' Lake Mendota originated after the Wisconsin glaciation , which occurred approximately 15,000 years ago. Glacial ice, which had covered
1190-475: A rapid increase in the abundance of aquatic plants and in the frequency of harmful algal blooms, with the latter being attributable to cyanobacteria . The dominant genera of cyanobacteria in Lake Mendota include Aphanizomenon , Anabaena , and Microcystis , with yearly cyanobacterial blooms occurring in almost every Madison lake since 2017. There are various invasive species in Lake Mendota, including
1275-405: A reproducing population of invasive zebra mussels was found in Lake Mendota, which generated concern among ecologists because the mussels have been linked to increases in the frequency of cyanobacteria blooms and beach closures. Lake Mendota, like the other lakes in the Yahara River chain, contains many native aquatic plant species, which are the primary producers of the lake and serve as
1360-452: A role in partially mitigating the increasing eutrophication of Lake Mendota, as they absorb phosphorus and produce dissolved oxygen, and they aid in preserving the physical structure of the lake via their root systems , which stabilize sediment and limit shoreline erosion . The draining and damming of the wetlands that once surrounded Lake Mendota caused extensive losses of fish spawning areas , though about 34 fish species are still common in
1445-542: A state in 1848, Madison remained the capital, and the following year 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 . The original capitol
1530-616: A thousand acres (4 km ) 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
1615-498: 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. 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 28-acre (11 ha) public zoo owned by Dane County which receives over 750,000 visitors annually. It
1700-494: Is considered a bicycle-friendly community . Madison is also home to nine National Historic Landmarks , including several buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright , such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jacobs I House . Residents of Madison are known as Madisonians . Madison has long been a center for progressive political activity, protests, and demonstrations, and contemporary Madison
1785-460: Is considered the most politically liberal city in Wisconsin. The presence of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as well as other educational institutions has a significant impact on the economy , culture , and demographics of Madison. As of 2021, Madison is the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin. Madison's economy features a large and growing technology sector, and the Madison area
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#17328560097011870-564: Is home to much of the nightlife of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as it is the location of several bars and performance venues ranging from comedy clubs to multiple large theaters, including the Overture Center, which features local ballets and Broadway touring casts. State Street is also home to Freakfest , the annual Halloween party in Madison. A newer event on State Street is the Madison Night Market occurring four nights during
1955-522: Is home to the headquarters of Epic Systems , American Family Insurance , Exact Sciences , Promega , American Girl , Sub-Zero , Lands' End , Spectrum Brands , a regional office for Google , and the University Research Park, as well as many biotechnology and health systems startups. Madison is a popular visitor destination , with tourism generating over $ 1 billion for Dane County's economy in 2018. Before Europeans, humans inhabited
2040-610: Is now known as the Reedsburg Subdivision and is leased by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad . Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Dane County . The population was 269,840 as of the 2020 census , making it the second-most populous city in Wisconsin, after Milwaukee , and the 77th-most populous in the United States. The Madison metropolitan area had
2125-504: Is one of ten remaining free zoos in North America. Lake Mendota Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison , Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest. Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following
2210-530: Is part of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network . The buoy was first anchored in Lake Mendota in 2008 and has collected data in each subsequent year from early spring until late fall, when it is removed before the lake freezes in the winter. Several of the lake and atmospheric data collected by the buoy include wind direction , wind speed , air temperature , dissolved oxygen , and chlorophyll . In March 2021, researchers from
2295-511: Is within the city as well; it is connected to the Yahara River chain by Wingra Creek. The Yahara flows into the Rock River , which flows into the Mississippi River . Downtown Madison is located on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona. The city's trademark of "Lake, City, Lake" reflects this geography. The city's lowest elevation is the intersection of Regas Road and Corporate Drive on
2380-676: The First Unitarian Society of Madison , makes its home in the historic Unitarian Meeting House, designed by one of its members, Frank Lloyd Wright . The Gates of Heaven Synagogue in James Madison Park is the eighth-oldest-surviving synagogue building in the U.S. Madison is home to the Freedom from Religion Foundation , a non-profit organization that promotes the separation of church and state . There were 53 homicides reported by Madison Police from 2000 to 2009. The highest total
2465-679: The Madison Isthmus , on which the majority of Madison, WI, is located. While the lakes are separated by dry ground, they are connected by the Yahara River . Navigation along this portion of the Yahara River is controlled by the Tenney Park Lock and Dam, which was constructed to allow shallow drafting boats to cross this dredged section of river through what was once wetlands. Today, the Tenney Park Locks also help to maintain water levels in
2550-766: The Monona Terrace . The capitol square holds several public events for the city of Madison including the Dane County Farmers' Market , Concerts on the Square , Taste of Madison and Art Fair on the Square . The area's nightlife is served by several bars and live music venues. State Street , which links the University of Wisconsin campus with the Capitol Square, is lined with restaurants, espresso cafes, and shops. Only pedestrians, buses, emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles, and bikes are allowed on State Street. State Street
2635-834: The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin , and government-adjacent nonprofit organizations 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
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2720-631: The University of Wisconsin–Madison , a research institution that employs over 25,000 faculty and staff. It is the official state university of Wisconsin and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System . Madison is home to a large biotech and health information technology scene. Notable companies headquartered in Madison in this field include Epic Systems , Panvera (now part of Invitrogen) , Exact Sciences , and Promega . Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals , Thermo Fischer Scientific, pipette manufacturer Gilson, Catalent , and Fortrea have operations in
2805-704: The Winona and St. Peter Railroad . On March 10, 1871, it was consolidated with the North Western. Under the North Western construction continued. By 1872, twenty miles were finished to Lodi, Wisconsin . The ridges between Elroy and Sparta were tunneled at great expense and with much difficulty. The Baraboo Air-Line Rail Road connected to the LaCrosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction and opened for traffic in September 1873, through to Winona, Minnesota. In 1874,
2890-419: The curly-leaf pondweed , Eurasian water-milfoil , freshwater jellyfish , spiny water flea , water lettuce , and zebra mussel . The spiny water flea in particular has led to devastating ecological consequences in Lake Mendota, as it consumes the native zooplankton Daphnia pulicaria , which has led to marked decreases in water clarity due to increases in the population size of phytoplankton , which are
2975-480: The villages of Maple Bluff and Shorewood Hills . Madison shares borders with its largest suburb, Sun Prairie , and three other suburbs, Middleton , McFarland , and Fitchburg . Other suburbs include the city of Verona and the villages of Cottage Grove , DeForest , and Waunakee as well as Mount Horeb , Oregon , Stoughton , and Cross Plains . According to the United States Census Bureau ,
3060-478: The 1960s and 1970s, the Madison counterculture was centered in the neighborhood of Mifflin and Bassett streets, referred to as "Miffland". The area contained many three-story apartments where students and counterculture youth lived, painted murals, and operated the co-operative grocery store, the Mifflin Street Co-op. Residents of the neighborhood often came into conflict with authorities, particularly during
3145-454: The C&;NW reported an expenditure for its three tunnels of $ 476,743.32 and for the construction of 129 miles of railroad between Madison and Winona Junction of $ 5,342,169.96. As completed by the Chicago and North Western Railway, the line ran 129.10 miles (207.77 km) from Madison to Winona Junction. Most of it has since been abandoned and converted to rail trails . The North Western abandoned
3230-638: The C&NW, part of the Baraboo Air Line route became the first rail trail, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail . Currently, the line from Madison to Reedsburg is operated by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad . The portion from Reedsburg to Elroy is now the 400 State Trail . The portion from Sparta through Medary is now the La Crosse River Trail . The Madison, Lodi and Baraboo Railroad was incorporated on March 29, 1864. The company graded
3315-561: The Center for Limnology concluded that climate change and the associated lengthening of summer weather have driven the annual formation of dead zones in Lake Mendota, which are oxygen-deficient layers deep in the water column . These dead zones have been shown to remain in the lake for up to two months in the summer and have the potential to devastate the habitats of benthic fish . The increasing eutrophication of Lake Mendota has led to an increased frequency of harmful algal blooms , which sink to
3400-828: The LTER had conducted over three decades of sampling trips into the lake and had never found a single spiny water flea. However, after extracting sediment cores from Lake Mendota and analyzing them at the UW–Madison Zoological Museum, researchers found evidence that spiny water fleas had been present in low concentrations in the lake for at least a decade before their sudden population increase in 2009. This conforms with recent research proposing that invasive species can spend years or decades as "sleeper populations," remaining at low population densities until environmental conditions become favorable for explosive population growth, at which point they are detected by researchers. In 2015,
3485-479: The Madison lakes (Lakes Mendota, Monona , Kegonsa , and Waubesa ) at a thickness of over 300 meters, began to retreat northwest about 14,000 years ago, damming a glacial lake near the City of Middleton that now serves as the source of water for Pheasant Branch, a creek that drains from the east into Lake Mendota. Water left behind by the retreating glaciers eventually filled the current lake bed of Lake Mendota. Although
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3570-561: The Madison lakes, as under normal conditions, the water level in Lake Mendota is kept five feet above that in Lake Monona. By contrast, when water levels are too high, the Tenney Park Dam is closed to minimize flow from Lake Mendota into Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa, while when water levels are too low, all the dams along the Yahara River are opened to maximize water flow. In early 2021, Dane County obtained an Ellicott 'Dragon Dredge' as
3655-1003: The Madison metro area as well as 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. Madison is the episcopal see for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison . InterVarsity Christian Fellowship /USA has its headquarters in Madison. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has three churches in Madison: Eastside Lutheran Church, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod has fifteen churches in Madison, including Grace Lutheran Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. Most American Christian movements are represented in
3740-494: The Waterfront Festival (June), La Fete de Marquette (July), Orton Park Festival (August), and Willy Street Fair (September). The Willy Street neighborhood is a hub for Madison's bohemian culture. Houses lining the street are often painted colorfully, and the area has several murals. Madison, along with the rest of the state, has a humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfa ), characterized by variable weather patterns and
3825-458: The Yahara chain of lakes. The city of Madison maintains five beaches on Lake Mendota, three of which are staffed with lifeguards. On a typical summer day, the lake is filled with those engaging in water sports, including boating , fishing, water skiing , wakeboarding , tubing , canoeing , windsurfing , kayaking , and sailing . With an average freeze date of December 20, Lake Mendota is used in
3910-709: The administration of the Republican mayor Bill Dyke . Dyke was viewed by students 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 anti-Vietnam War marches and demonstrations , with more violent incidents drawing national attention to
3995-500: The area in and around Madison for about 12,000 years. The Ho-Chunk called the region Teejop (pronounced Day-JOPE [J as in Jump]) meaning "land of the four lakes" (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa). Numerous effigy mounds , constructed for ceremonial and burial purposes over 1,000 years earlier, dotted the rich prairies around the lakes. Madison's modern origins begin in 1829, when former federal judge James Duane Doty purchased over
4080-528: The area include American Girl , Lands' End , Shopbop , Colony Brands , and John Deere . Supported by naturally fertile soil, Madison's infrastructure supports food production, processing, and distribution. Major employers include Hormel Foods , Del Monte , and Frito-Lay . 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. The Memorial Union
4165-496: 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. 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. The Madison metropolitan area is home to multiple financial services companies, including
4250-554: The bird species found in the Nature Preserve include the blue jay , American goldfinch , Baltimore oriole , bald eagle , great horned owl , marsh wren , and common loon . However, in recent decades, Lake Mendota has become increasingly eutrophic, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has documented the presence of numerous invasive species of both plants and animals in the lake. Eutrophication has caused
4335-479: The bottom of the lake when they die. Once at the bottom, they are broken down by decomposers via a process that requires oxygen , thus depleting the benthic supply of oxygen and forming dead zones. In the absence of programs designed to mitigate climate change locally, the researchers indicated that the only way to reduce the frequency and severity of the dead zones is to limit the amount of fertilizer and nutrients that flow into Lake Mendota. On September 11, 2009,
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#17328560097014420-422: The capitol ranged in size from 10,000 to over 100,000 people and lasted for several months. On October 31, 2022, the city of Madison annexed the majority of the remaining Town of Madison . Madison is located in the center of Dane County in south-central Wisconsin, 77 miles (124 km) west of Milwaukee and 122 miles (196 km) northwest of Chicago . Madison completely surrounds the city of Monona , and
4505-498: The city and UW campus. These include: These protests were the subject of the 1979 documentary The War at Home . David Maraniss 's 2004 book, They Marched into Sunlight , incorporated the 1967 Dow protests into a larger Vietnam War narrative. Tom Bates wrote the book Rads on the subject ( ISBN 0-06-092428-4 ). Bates wrote that Dyke's attempt to suppress the annual Mifflin Street Block Party "would take three days, require hundreds of officers on overtime pay, and engulf
4590-540: The city has a total area of 94.03 square miles (243.54 km ), of which 76.79 square miles (198.89 km ) is land and 17.24 square miles (44.65 km ) is water. 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"), although Waubesa and Kegonsa are not actually in Madison, but just south of it. A fifth smaller lake, Lake Wingra ,
4675-475: The city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The Madison metropolitan area , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget , is the area consisting of Columbia , Dane, Green , and Iowa counties anchored by the city of Madison. As of the 2020 census, the metro area had a population of 680,796. The Madison– Janesville – Beloit combined statistical area consists of the four counties in
4760-479: The city was 71.0% White , 9.5% Asian , 7.4% Black or African American , 0.5% Native American , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 3.8% from other races , and 7.8% from two or more races. The 2020 census population of the city included 548 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities and 9,909 people in university student housing. According to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016–2020,
4845-434: 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 or 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
4930-464: The city, including mainline denominations, evangelical, charismatic and fully independent churches, including an 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 ,
5015-821: The city. 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. Other Madison hospitals include St. Mary's Hospital , 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 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 University Research Park. Epic Systems
5100-500: The east side, at 836.9 ft (255.1 m). 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 1,190 ft (360 m). Local identity varies throughout Madison, with over 120 officially recognized neighborhood associations, such as the east side Williamson-Marquette Neighborhood. Historically,
5185-576: The flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System , is located in the city. Other cultural institutions include the Henry Vilas Zoo , Madison Museum of Contemporary Art , Olbrich Botanical Gardens , Overture Center for the Arts , and Wisconsin Historical Museum . Madison is home to an extensive network of parks, the most parks and playgrounds per capita of any of the 100 largest U.S. cities, and
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#17328560097015270-528: The foundation for aquatic food webs as well as shelter for northern pike and yellow perch , both of which are native fish species. A 2017 ecological survey of the Yahara lakes conducted by the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department found 24 aquatic plant species, including the coontail , muskgrass , common waterweed , small duckweed , American lotus , variable pondweed , wild celery , and common bladderwort . These native plant species play
5355-521: 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. 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
5440-562: The invasive spiny water flea was discovered by the limnology class at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, making it the third known inland lake to harbor this species in Wisconsin. Scientists from the Long Term Ecological Research Network had initially believed that Lake Mendota was an unsuitable habitat for the spiny water flea, which prefers cold lakes, as limnologists from the North Temperate Lakes site of
5525-417: The lake, including the northern pike, white bass , walleye , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , and musky . Starting in 2006, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve began to catalogue the bird species found in and around Lake Mendota, and, so far, over 255 bird species, most of which regularly occur in southern Wisconsin, have been spotted during their annual migrations . Some of
5610-432: The line between Sparta and Elroy in 1964; it is now the Elroy-Sparta State Trail , the first rail trail in the United States. The line west of Sparta was abandoned in 1977 in favor of trackage rights over the Milwaukee Road 's parallel Tomah Subdivision . It is now the La Crosse River Trail . The line between Reedsburg and Elroy was abandoned in 1986 and is now the 400 State Trail . The line between Reedsburg and Madison
5695-403: 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. Of
5780-511: The near east side of Madison. Willy (Williamson) Street contains locally owned shops, restaurants, and entertainment establishments, as well as art galleries, and the Willy Street Co-op . The houses in the Marquette neighborhood fall into two separate historic districts, Third Lake Ridge Historic District and Marquette Bungalow Historic District. The area is also the location of festivals like
5865-403: The new capital, offering buffalo robes to the freezing legislators and choice lots in Madison at discount prices to undecided voters. He had James Slaughter plat two cities in the area, Madison and "The City of Four Lakes", near present-day Middleton . Doty named his city Madison for James Madison , the fourth President of the U.S. who had died on June 28, 1836, and he named the streets for
5950-468: The north, east, and south sides were blue collar while the west side was 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 to its south and in Shorewood Hills on its west, faculty have been a major presence since those neighborhoods were originally developed. The turning point in Madison's development
6035-423: The other 38 signers of the U.S. Constitution . Although the city existed only on paper, the territorial legislature voted on November 28, 1836, in favor of Madison as 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 in the west, and between the highly populated lead mining regions in
6120-432: The population age 25 and over, 95.9% were high school graduates or higher and 58.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. As of the census of 2010, there were 233,209 people, 102,516 households, and 47,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,037 inhabitants per square mile (1,172.6/km ). There were 108,843 housing units at an average density of 1,417 per square mile (547.1/km ). The racial makeup of
6205-536: The preferred prey of D. pulicaria . On November 2, 2021, a team from the Wisconsin Historical Society raised a dugout canoe to the surface of Lake Mendota. It was discovered by marine archeologist Tamara Thomsen and SCUBA assistant Mallory Dragt while joyriding on their scooters in June 2021. At 1200 years old, it was the oldest known sunken boat/shipwreck in Wisconsin at that time. On September 22, 2022,
6290-522: The sand being calcium carbonate , which continually entered the lake from its gypsum-rich watershed . However, after American settlers began to populate Madison, the physical characteristics of the once- mesotrophic lake began to rapidly change. This was largely due to the Tenney Locks, which were constructed in 1849 to regulate shipping through the Madison Isthmus and led to a four-foot increase in
6375-447: The sides of Park Street tend to have smaller houses or condos, and a higher density of houses. 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. It is home to a neighborhood jazz fest and Wingra Park, where people can rent paddle boats and canoes at the boathouse on Lake Wingra . The Marquette neighborhood sits on
6460-418: The southwest and Wisconsin's oldest city, Green Bay , in the northeast. The cornerstone for the 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 . Madison was incorporated as a village in 1846, with a population of 626. When Wisconsin became
6545-573: The student community from the nearby Southeast Dorms to 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, serving several times. In early 2011, Madison was the site for large protests against a bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker that abolished almost all collective bargaining for public worker unions. The protests at
6630-399: The water level in Lake Mendota, submerging the beaches. Additionally, due to the growth of the Wisconsin dairy industry in the late nineteenth century, Lake Mendota was repeatedly inundated with runoff from nearby farms that caused the lake bed to become dark black, the color of prairie soil . The resulting spikes in the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus turned Lake Mendota into
6715-496: The west side of Madison, was built and used as a training camp, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers. After the war ended, 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. In
6800-524: The winter by sports enthusiasts for ice boating , ice skating , ice fishing , cross-country skiing , ice hockey and snowkiting . The Wisconsin State Capitol and much of the state government is located on the narrow Madison Isthmus, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus is situated along the southern shore of Lake Mendota. In the early 20th century, Chancey Juday and Edward A. Birge founded an influential school of limnology there as
6885-457: The year. The Park Street Area, located in the south of Madison, contains multiple official neighborhoods, including Burr Oaks and Greenbush. It has been described as the "racially and economically diverse area of Madison". This is especially the case between the Beltline and Wingra Creek. Park Street is home to ethnic restaurants and specialty grocery stores, as well as retail. Residential areas to
6970-407: Was 10 in 2008. Police reported 28 murders from 2010 to 2015, with the highest year being 7 murders in 2011. 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. Many businesses are attracted to Madison's skill base, taking advantage of
7055-542: Was based in Madison from 1979 to 2005, when it moved to a larger campus in the nearby Madison suburb of Verona . Other firms include Nordic, Forward Health , and Forte Research Systems. The Madison metropolitan area is home to the headquarters or manufacturing of three notable bicycle brands: Trek , Mongoose , and Pacific Cycle . The area is home to the luxury appliance companies Sub-Zero & Wolf Appliance and Spectrum Brands (formerly Rayovac ). Other advanced manufacturing and consumer goods companies headquartered in
7140-582: Was replaced in 1863 and the second capitol burned in 1904. The current capitol was built between 1906 and 1917. During the 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 heading to fight the Confederates. Camp Randall , on
7225-462: Was the university's 1954 decision to develop its experimental farm on the western edge of town; since then, the city has grown substantially along suburban lines. The Hilldale area comprises the Hill Farms neighborhood, Sunset Village Neighborhood, and part of the suburb of Shorewood Hills . The area has long winding streets, and according to a planning document issued by the neighborhood association,
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