[7][8] Madison is also home to nine National Historic Landmarks, including several buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jacobs I House.

[18] Madison's economy features a large and growing technology sector, and the Madison area is home to the headquarters of Epic Systems, American Family Insurance, Exact Sciences, Promega, American Girl, Sub-Zero, Lands' End, Spectrum Brands, a regional office for Google, and the University Research Park,[19][20][21] as well as many biotechnology and health systems startups.

[23] The Ho-Chunk called the region Teejop (pronounced Day-JOPE [J as in Jump]) meaning "land of the four lakes" (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa).

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, thousands of students and other citizens took part in anti-Vietnam War marches and demonstrations, with more violent incidents drawing national attention to the city and UW campus.

These included the 1967 student protest of Dow Chemical Company, with 74 injured; the 1969 strike to secure greater representation and rights for African-American students and faculty, which resulted in the involvement of the Wisconsin Army National Guard; and the 1970 fire that caused damage to the Army ROTC headquarters housed in the University of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium.

In early 2011, Madison was the site for large protests against a bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker that abolished almost all collective bargaining for public worker unions.

Other suburbs include Cottage Grove, DeForest, Verona and Waunakee as well as Mount Horeb, Oregon, Stoughton, and Cross Plains further into Dane County.

The highest elevation is located along Pleasant View Road on the far west side of the city, atop a portion of a terminal moraine of the Green Bay Lobe of the Wisconsin glaciation, at 1,190 ft (360 m).

The city also has multiple Sikh Gurdwaras, Hindu temples, three mosques and several synagogues, a community center serving the Baháʼí Faith, a Quaker Meeting House, and a Unity Church congregation.

[94] Notable companies headquartered in Madison in this field include Epic Systems, Panvera (now part of Invitrogen), Exact Sciences, and Promega.

Information technology companies in Madison include Broadjam, Zendesk, Full Compass Systems, Raven Software, EatStreet, and TDS Telecom.

Other advanced manufacturing and consumer goods companies headquartered in the area include American Girl, Lands' End, Shopbop, Colony Brands, and John Deere.

[102] The Memorial Union hosts concerts, plays, and comedy and is home to multiple restaurants and ice cream shops serving both the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus and the greater city.

[116] Claude and Starck designed over 175 buildings in Madison, many still standing, such as Breese Stevens Field, Doty School (now condos), and many private residences.

[133] The Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival, established in 1987 and the second-longest-running such event in North America,[134] is held the second Saturday in August.

[136] Several venues offer live music nightly, spreading from the historic Barrymore Theatre and High Noon Saloon on the east side to[137] small coffee houses and wine bars.

On Wednesday evenings, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performs free concerts on the capitol's lawn,[138] and people come to listen to the music while picnicking on the grass.

One of the latest additions is the La Fete de Marquette, taking place around Bastille Day at various east side locations and celebrating French music with Cajun influences.

[147] Madison is also home to other nationally known artists such as Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers, Mama Digdown's Brass Band, Clyde Stubblefield of Funky Drummer and James Brown fame, and musicians Roscoe Mitchell, Richard Davis, Ben Sidran, Sexy Ester and the Pretty Mama Sisters, Reptile Palace Orchestra, Ted Park, DJ Pain 1, Killdozer, Zola Jesus, VO5, Caustic, Phox, Masked Intruder, and Lou & Peter Berryman, among others.

[170] The Cardinals failed to attract University of Wisconsin graduates as promised, and the La Crosse Old Style Lagers ran up the score in a 100-0 drubbing intending to push them out of the league.

Madison is home to several endurance sports racing events, such as the Crazylegs Classic, Paddle and Portage, the Mad City Marathon, and Ironman Wisconsin, which attracts over 45,000 spectators.

Detractors often refer to Madison as "77 square miles surrounded by reality", a phrase coined by former Wisconsin Republican governor Lee S. Dreyfus, while campaigning in 1978.

Madison is home to an extensive and varied number of print publications, reflecting the city's role as the state capital and its diverse political, cultural and academic population.

The Capital Times was founded in 1917 by William T. Evjue, a business manager for the State Journal who disagreed with that paper's editorial criticisms of Wisconsin Republican Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. for his opposition to U.S. entry into World War I.

Most major general aviation operations take place at Middleton Municipal Airport 15 miles (24 km) from Madison's city center.

[208] US 12, frequently referred to by locals as the Beltline, is a six- to eight-lane freeway serving the south and west sides of Madison and is the main link from the western suburb of Middleton to Cambridge.

[211][212] Anticipating eventual revival of passenger service, public meetings were held in early 2024 by the city's Department of Transportation to consider possible sites for the station.

The Madison Police Department was criticized for absolving Officer Steve Heimsness of any wrongdoing in the November 2012 shooting death of an unarmed man, Paul Heenan.

[224] There were calls for an examination of the Madison Police Department's rules of engagement and due process for officers who use lethal force in the line of duty.

Community criticism of the department's practices resurfaced after MPD officer Matt Kenny shot Tony Robinson, an unarmed man.