Communities
Madison’s 68.7 square miles of land area encompass nine main neighborhood sectors. These sectors are named for their locations relative to the city center on the land between Lakes Mendota and Monona. Starting from Madison’s southwest corner of the city, the sectors are named: Southwest, Far West, West, Near West, Isthmus, South Central, Near East, North and East. In total, the nine sectors include more than 120 different neighborhood associations. The largest sector in terms of area is the East, which is home to 13 different communities, including Westchester Gardens, Rolling Meadows, Heritage Heights and Richmond Hill. Most of these communities consist primarily of detached, single-family homes.
Just west of this area is the Near East sector, which includes, among others, the Emerson East, Hawthorne, Eastmorland, Lake Edge, Worthington Park and Glendale communities. Bordering Lake Monona, the Near East sector contains mainly single-family housing units and a smaller selection of condos/townhouses.
Madison’s North sector lies on the northeast shoreline of Lake Mendota and Yahara River. Some of the neighborhoods in this region are Sherman Village, Cherokee Park, Whitetail Ridge, Trinity Park, Vera Court, Brentwood and Mendota Hills.
The famous strip of land between Lakes Mendota and Monona is called the Isthmus Sector. Six neighborhood associations are located on the isthmus: Sherman Terrace, Tenney-Lapham, Old Market Place, State-Langdon, Capitol Neighborhood and Marquette. The Capitol Neighborhood features the State Capitol, the Central Library, Law Park, Lisa Link Peace Park and Brittingham Park. Neighborhoods in the Isthmus Sector include a mix of single-family homes and condos/townhouses.
On the west shoreline of Lake Mendota are the West and Near West Sectors. Near West has about 14 different neighborhood associations, including Bayview, South Campus, Eagle Heights Assembly and Sunset Village. The southern side of the Near West region borders Lake Wingra as well. The West Sector has roughly 20 different associations and offers a varied selection of residential housing options just off the southwest shore of Lake Mendota.
The two sectors on the outlying western side of Madison are Far West and Southwest. Far West features single-family home communities and several condominium associations, including Wexford Village Condominium and Oakbridge Condominium. In the Southwest sector, there are about 11 communities, including Park Ridge, Orchard Ridge, Westhaven Trails and Country Grove.
Lastly, the South Central Sector is a loose grouping of residential communities located along the southwestern edge of Lake Monona, touching Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa. Neighborhood associations in South Central include Capitol View Heights, Bay Creek, Highland Manor and Arbor Hills.
The hub of pedestrian activity in Madison is State Street, between the University campus and State Capitol Square. Here, restaurants, coffee houses and boutique shops keep the college students entertained. King Street, on the other side of Capitol Square, caters to an older crowd with higher-end dining and shopping.