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Big small town

Living in Cottage Grove, WI

Cottage Grove is a big small town of 8,513 people in Dane County, Wisconsin. It's about 11 miles from Madison, WI and 63 miles from Milwaukee, WI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 46 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $450k and rent runs about $2k a month.

8,513people
$450kTypical home
$1,531/moRent
82° / 27°Summer / winter
46"Snow
224Sunny days
120Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 8,513
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,815 people per sq mi
  • 63 mi to Milwaukee, WI
  • 11 mi to Madison, WI
  • 6 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $450k (≈$2,836/mo)
  • Median rent $1,531/mo
  • Median household income $139k
  • Property tax about 1.7% of value
  • 1.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 27°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (73 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 46 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 120 days a year with rain or snow
  • 46" of snow a year
  • 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 38 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (96 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (541 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 38
  • 34% of households have kids
  • 12% are 65 or older
  • 60% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 26 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 7 mi to MSN airport
  • 67 mi to MKE (major hub)
  • 34 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 69% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2003
  • 97% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 906 ft
  • 670 mi to the ocean
  • 62 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • 18 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 8 mi to the nearest campground
  • 39 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 543 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 188 bars within 25 mi
  • 150 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 7 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 29 museums within 25 mi
  • 16 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 6 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 39% of Wisconsin districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 10 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 5 mi to the nearest vet
  • 4 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • 11 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Dane County: D+52 in 2024
  • Wisconsin: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Cottage Grove

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