Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 208,054. It is the county seat of Dane County.

The University of Wisconsin's main campus is located in the city. The main downtown thoroughfare is State Street, which links the University campus with the State Capitol square, and is lined with restaurants and shops. Only pedestrians, buses, and bikes are allowed on State Street. The Capitol Square is situated between lakes Mendota and Monona.

Notable buildings include the Wisconsin state capitol, and the Monona Terrace meeting and convention center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright, who spent a brief time as a student at the University, also designed other buildings in Madison, such as the Unitarian meeting house. In the summer time, on Saturday mornings, the Dane County Farmers' Market is on the Capitol Square.

Madison has three identities—state capital, college town, and working-class city—which blend and synergize. Madison will always be associated with the name of "Fighting Bob" LaFollette and the Progressive movement. La Follette's magazine, The Progressive, founded in 1909, is still published in Madison today.

In 1996 Money magazine identified Madison as the best place to live in the United States.

• The city of Madison, Wisconsin online: http://www.cityofmadison.com/