Madison

Madison occupies a narrow isthmus between two glacial lakes, Mendota and Monona, in the rolling farm country of south-central Wisconsin — a setting so distinctive that the capitol and the University of Wisconsin sit only about a mile apart on the strip of land between the waters. The site was chosen, sight largely unseen, as the territorial capital in 1836, and the city was platted on the isthmus around the future statehouse.

Four lakes, left by the retreating glaciers, frame the city, giving it a watery, recreational character unusual for a capital. The surrounding land is gently rolling dairy and crop country at the edge of the unglaciated Driftless Area. Government and the flagship university drive a city consistently ranked among the most livable in the country.

• Wisconsin
  The Badger State, between two Great Lakes located in
• Milwaukee
  A Great Lakes port on Lake Michigan same state