Thinking of buying a home near Madison but within a small town setting? Maybe you're seeking a slower pace, a quaint downtown with locally-owned shops and restaurants, or a closer connection to nature. Or maybe you'd like to live in a city that offers a little more affordability. Here are eleven small towns near Madison for your consideration, all within a 60-minute drive of the city. 

(Eagle watching in Sauk City, Wisconsin)

Stoughton (28 minutes from Madison)

Stoughton is known for its Norwegian heritage and downtown corridor along the Yahara River. Residents enjoy a lively calendar of community events—including the famous Syttende Mai festival—plus a growing collection of restaurants, coffee shops, and local boutiques. The combination of

Our team loves to help buyer clients find homes closer to family - even multigenerational housing opportunities. These buyers not only desire an affordable home, but a home that allows them to navigate life's many seasons with their loved ones near. In this spirit, it's our pleasure to highlight Hope and a Future, a nonprofit organization pioneering a new intentional form of community.

Hope and a Future currently operates within a beautiful farmhouse off High Point Road in Madison. Multiple generations live together in this Adult Family Home with a unique "Family of Friends" staffing model: the on-site nurse, other care workers, and sometimes their children live in the home in exchange for their help. Even Karin Krause, the Executive Director, lives

We've run the numbers, and 3 Dane County communities stand out as offering the best affordability in the area. Here's our quick overview, along with our analysis of 18 Dane County communities (see the chart at the end of this post). 

Stoughton

Just 15 miles south of Madison, the city of Stoughton offers good affordability compared to many other Dane County communities. Both the median and average home price in 2025 came in at around $400,000. A number of sub $400,000 new construction homes have improved the options for first time home buyers. 

Belleville

Located just south of Verona, the smaller village of Belleville also offers a number of sub $400,000 homes. Like Stoughton, Belleville offers a nice mix of both newer construction and

The feeling of true community is unmistakable. Maybe you’ve felt such mutual respect and love walking into your home during the holidays, when you get together with a dear group of friends, or at your place of worship. This same sense of belonging was immediately noticeable when I visited Yahara House earlier this year.

Yahara House is a ‘clubhouse-style’ recovery center for individuals with mental health struggles. It is one of over 330 clubhouses in 30 countries that use this model. You probably have driven by Yahara House many times if you live in Madison. Behind its doors at 802 East Gorham Street is a group of members and staff focused on recovery through hope, dignity, and community. Members of Yahara House can spend 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the

Written by Amber Kolner, Communications and Stewardship Manager of Madison Area Community Land Trust

Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT) is a nonprofit organization committed to providing affordable and sustainable homeownership opportunities for low-income families in Dane County. MACLT is Dane County's only non-profit focused on permanently affordable homeownership, and part of a movement of over 300 community land trusts across North America. 

Through their innovative land trust model, MACLT helps individuals and families purchase homes at below-market rates, while preserving long-term affordability of the homes in the land trust. MACLT’s resale formula ensures that these homes remain affordable for future generations, which helps to

Supply is improving for Madison area buyers, as mortgage rates have been improving, too. Here's an up-to-date look at available homes in Dane County priced at $500,000 and less. Note all listings shown are active listings without an accepted offer, per the South Central Wisconsin MLS. 

Madison homes $500,000 and under

• Downtown Madison 
• Madison near east 
• Madison east 
• Madison near west 
• Madison west 
• Madison far west 
• Madison southwest  

Surrounding communities $500,000 and under

• Baraboo
• Belleville 
• Black Earth 
• Cambridge 
• Cottage Grove 
• Cross Plains 
• Deerfield 
• Deforest 
• Edgerton 
• Evansville 
• Fitchburg 
• Janesville 
• Lake Mills 
• Lodi 
• Marshall 
• McFarland 
• Middleton

While many of us enjoy backyard gardening, not everyone has access to land to grow their own gardens and there are barriers to successful community-based gardening efforts. Rooted, a local nonprofit based in Madison, is helping to create “healthy, equitable, and sustainable neighborhoods'' that embrace the positive impact of sharing fresh, quality food through community gardening. Rooted’s Community Gardens Network is just one of the organization’s programming efforts focused on food, land, and learning.

The Community Gardens Network is a partnership between Rooted, UW Madison Extension Dane County, and the City of Madison that connects people with the land, education, and resources to create and sustain community gardens. There are 72 gardens in the

Why do so many people choose to buy a home in the Madison area? Below we share some of the big themes that we keep hearing from our clients year-after-year. Some of these reasons are due to the attractions and reputation of our region, while others are more personal and matters of the heart. 

Top 10 reasons for buying a home in Madison

#1) Quality of life 

The city of Madison has established a national reputation for being a great place to live, and for a host of reasons. Our lakes, parks, bike trails, festivals, restaurants, entertainment venues, the arts, and the many educational opportunities that are available through the University -- all of these are big draws to the Madison area.

#2) Alignment of values

Our local culture is known

The city of Madison has been receiving a lot of national attention lately after being named the #1 place to live in America by Livability.com. According to Livability, Madison ranks highly in the areas of health, economic health, housing, and civics. Madison also scores highly for its variety of local amenities and for its ability to support a remote workforce. 

Do home buyers pay attention to rankings like this? 

They sure do.  

In the last few days alone we've received calls from buyers who are thinking of relocating from Illinois, Southern California, South Carolina, and Idaho. None of them really know much about Madison, other than they've heard it's a great place to live. We've received dozens of calls like these over the last two years,

** This article was originally written by Samantha Haas while a member of our team. You can learn more about Samantha and her work here. 

The trails and surrounding waterways that provide recreation, tourism, and transportation opportunities contributed to the Village of McFarland’s branding initiative in 2018, which generated a new logo and slogan: Naturally Connected. “We are a place of nature...with a small town feel but not too far from Madison,” said village President Brad Czebotar.

When the Lower Yahara River Trail opened in 2017, it created an important link between the southeast side of Madison at the newly renamed William G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park and McFarland at McDaniel Park. Bicycle commuters now have a safer and quicker way