For those that don’t want an apartment in the center of the action of downtown Madison, Fitchburg is a perfect fit. Although it’s not Madison proper, it’s just 15 minutes by car from nearly anything in the city you’re trying to get to: 15 minutes to downtown, 15 to the UW Madison campus, and about 15 to Camp Randall, where the Badgers dominate the football field.
Biking can make the trek take a little longer, but the Capital City Trail winds throughout much of Fitchburg. In addition to linking you into the extensive off-road trail system that Madison is known for, Fitchburg’s scenery is worth an afternoon of pedaling. The Military Ridge Trail treats you to more views while it connects you to nearby Verona, and it runs through Quarry Ridge Recreation Area, where you’ll find mountain biking trails ranging from beginner to expert single-track.
All of Madison’s suburbs are growing quickly to meet the city’s housing needs, but in Fitchburg, that means dozens of brand-new luxury apartment buildings springing up on every corner, such as RIVA Apartments, The Vue and The Preserve at Swan Creek.
As a whole, Fitchburg is very residential, with a mix of new constructions and older homes with large yards, which also adds the option of renting an entire house. Whole houses come at a higher price — and with good reason — so if you want more space, fewer shared walls and some lawn to play on, townhouses and duplexes are also easy to find.
In Fitchburg, you can have pastoral peace without sacrificing the perks of living in a bustling, youthful city. If you grab an apartment along the outskirts, you can see tended fields and forests stretching for miles from your balcony. Or, just a few miles away, you can find an apartment a bit closer to Fitchburg’s center, where you’ll find shopping, bars, restaurants, a movie theater, yoga studios, and more. And let’s not forget that an evening out downtown is a quick drive or Uber ride away.
Fitchburg also has its own summer farmers’ market held at the Agora shopping and lifestyle center, and a flea market in McGaw Park, where you’ll also find courts for tennis, volleyball and basketball.
For a relatively quiet suburb, Fitchburg has a great variety of restaurants. On the fancier end, try Quivey’s Grove, which serves up food in both its Stone House and more casual Stable Grill. On a warm summer night, enjoy the patio seating at Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company, or Me and Julio for a Mexican-American mashup enjoyed by an outdoor fire pit. For a night out, try bowling at Ten Pin Alley or an eclectic bar, like Atomic Koi or Funk’s pub.