Swan Creek - Fitchburg, WI

The town of Fitchburg didn’t really start to fully develop until the mid to late 20th century, and the neighborhood of Swan Creek continues to grow. Fitchburg didn't achieve incorporation until the early 1980s, existing instead as a quiet community just beyond the Madison’s city limits. As Madison expanded, Fitchburg had to fight to remain an independent community, even taking the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and winning.

The Fitchburg neighborhood of Swan Creek remains a mostly residential area featuring new housing developments. Opportunities to enjoy cultural activities beckon from a short distance away in Madison. Right on State Street, you'll find options to see live theater at the Overture Center for the Arts and to view exhibits at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, which also hosts a yearly art festival around Capitol Square.

Several dining choices await in the vicinity of Swan Creek, and for a small suburb, the options remain fairly diverse. Find the typical fast food fare here alongside other establishments that provide more upscale dining choices.

Get a taste of authentic Cajun and Creole cooking at Liliana's in Fitchburg. Seafood choices include oysters, crab and shrimp, and muffuletta and po'boy sandwiches satisfy those cravings for down home cooking as well. Liliana's also features live New Orleans-style music throughout the month.

When your on-the-go life calls for great takeout food, swing by Teriyaki Sushi Express to pick up a bento box or a teriyaki bowl to go. Locals recommend the spicy shrimp tempura and the Sriracha mayo dipping sauce.

While no central downtown area exists where residents of Swan Creek go for a night out, several great spots located near Highway 12 serve the purpose of night revelry. Folks in the area who feel up for some funk drop in at Funk's Pub for the great pub food, which includes classics such as chicken fingers, nachos and some of Wisconsin's famous deep-fried cheese curds. Funk's features an assortment regional beers on tap and has been known to host live music on occasion.

The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company has several locations throughout Dane County, including Fitchburg. The pub does bar food as well as any tavern and brews beer better than most, with a wide selection of stouts, IPAs, porters and ales.

For a more centralized location for bars, clubs and lounges, Madison's State Street lies only a short 15 minute trip north.

For public transportation in and around Swan Creek and Fitchburg, residents use the Madison Metro Transit system which runs dozens of bus routes throughout the area. Folks living in Swan Lake can take Route 40 for travel north to the Metro's South Transfer point and make connections to Madison's downtown bus hub at Capitol Square.

Uber ride sharing can be obtained in the area and there are a number of local cab companies. You'll want to call for service from Swan Creek.

Free public parking can be found throughout the community, but residents do need to observe parking signs that may restrict use on certain days of the week, times of the day and during snow storms.

Swan Creek has always been a very walkable community, and many of the housing developments are connected by paved walkways. Biking remains safe on residential streets, and trails can be found throughout Dane County, including the Capital City State Trail which starts in Fitchburg and can be taken for 17 miles across Madison's isthmus. For travel outside of the city, residents take US Highway 151 northeast across the isthmus to make connections to Interstate 90, for travel south to Chicago, and I94 for travel southeast to Milwaukee or northwest to Minneapolis.

The city of Fitchburg has over 700 acres of parks and green spaces; completely free and open to the public. For exercise options close to home, Swan Creek Park has public tennis courts available on a drop-in basis. Nannyberry Park lies right in the neighborhood as well and features a half basketball court, picnic tables and playground equipment for the kids to enjoy. The park also connects to a trail system for access to other open spaces in the community.

To enjoy great outdoor events, residents don't mind heading north to some of Madison’s many neighborhood festivals such as the Marquette Waterfront Festival, held annually at Yahara Place Park, and the Orton Park Music Festivals held over multiple nights in the summer. Both parks are located on the east side of the city.

For dog friendly parks, The Capital Springs Recreation Area offers the chance for owners to let their dogs roam off-leash. This fenced off state-run park has a separate area for smaller dogs. It does require an annual park permit or payment of a nominal daily fee.

The cost of living in the Madison Metropolitan Area, which includes Swan Creek, sits higher than the state average. The median price of a one-bedroom apartment rental averages at about $1,050 per month. Gas falls a few cents below the national average. A domestic beer costs between $3 and $4, and an import between $4 and $5. A draft of one of the region’s many breweries costs $4 a pint. A bus ride from Fitchburg to Madison costs $2 and offers free transfers for 3 hours after issue.

To find a major shopping area, residents travel north to West Towne Mall where there are a variety of clothing and computer stores, such as American Eagle Outfitters and Apple Store. For independent, locally owned businesses, a trip to Hilldale Shopping Center provides more options such as the women-owned clothing and accessories shop: Twigs. This upscale boutique has a wonderful selection of handbags, jewelry and designer dresses. Coin and stamp collectors appreciate the rare items they find at Jim's Coins & Stamp. This shop also provides appraisals on private coin and stamp collections.

Residents of the Swan Creek neighborhood have two choices for grocery shopping in Fitchburg. Copps Food Center has a wide variety of name brand items in frozen foods and canned goods and a decent produce section. Nearby Hy-Vee has good weekly deals on groceries, medicine and household goods.

The Fitchburg Center Farmer’s Market provides residents of Swan Creek the opportunity to purchase locally grown, in-season produce. The market operates out of the Fitchburg Community Center every Thursday from May to early November before moving indoors mid-November up to the week before the holidays in December.