Madison WI Ranks No. 2 in Five Perfect College Towns

Madison, Wisconsin was the place I called home for the past 4 years. It was one of the best decision I had made in my life. Going through my college career in a small city like Madison was unimaginable then. The fun and friendly Madison community, the abundance of social and recreational activities, the superb sports passion and tradition, the beer and cheese.
It didn't look this way when I first stepped into Madison on August 17th 2003. But once all the college students came back to campus for fall semester, things became interestingly different.
From the freezing winter cold to the sweaty humid summer days to the brats, cheese and beer to Lake Mendota and Lake Monona to the Memorial Union and the Terrace to the Halloween parade cum riot at State Street to the Mifflin Block Party to Midwest Games 2006 to my summer sublet flooding incident to the spirituous football, basketball and hockey game days to the rainy night at Camp Randall Sept 24 2005 to the girl whom I struck love with to my graduation walk/ceremony in KOHL Center. All these will remain forever in my memory.
Being who I am and who I really am, I wouldn't trade all these for my spot at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Yes I was accepted to those two schools but fate brought me to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If I had known all these plus points of Madison, I wouldn't even trade it for Cornell or MIT (not that I got admitted... yeah they rejected me!)

Here is the article excerpt about Madison:
Madison is not only the capital of Wisconsin, it's also a college town disguised by big-city buildings. The University of Wisconsin is the main reason this could-be-stuffy government city is a thriving epicenter for music, arts, and theater.
Located between Lakes Monona and Mendota, and offering 6,000 acres of parkland, Madison is a "green" city with a wide range of outdoor activities. The pretty UW campus is worth a stroll, but the major highlight is the UW-Madison Arboretum, offering 1,260 acres for bird-watching, biking, photography, hiking, and skiing.
State Street, the city's flourishing pedestrian mall, and Capitol Square can't be beat for nightlife and food. Affordable restaurants and lively pubs line the walking area, providing a perfect place to relax after finals. Blowing a little steam at one of the many eclectic shops downtown may also help reduce stress. It's not all fun and games, of course: Many restaurants and coffee shops offer a quiet place to study and focus on work.

The perfect 5 are:
1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Madison, Wisconsin
3. Northampton, Massachusetts
4. Berkeley, California
5. Burlington, Vermont

Too see the full descriptions and details of the original article by Kate Hamman, click here.