Welcome to the NoVo Blog - Your Guide to Living in Downtown Madison

Let’s be real — if downtown Madison were a friend group, First Settlement would be the effortlessly cool one who knows all the best coffee shops, hits up the Saturday market before the crowd, and somehow always has a perfectly timed dog walk during sunset. And now, this friend has a blog.

Welcome to the NoVo Blog — your new go-to for all things walkable, local, and delightfully Madison. We're serving up neighborhood gems, quirky finds, and bite-sized bits of what makes living near the Capitol so ridiculously livable (and lovable).

If you've ever wandered from your apartment and accidentally ended up on a lakeside path or stumbled into a local artisan market while “just going for a quick coffee,” you get it. That’s First Settlement for you — charming, central, and full of micro-adventures.

Whether you're new to town, a long-time Madisonian, or just apartment-browsing your way through Madison WI apartments, you’ll find something to love here. Think small business shoutouts, trail tips, and deep dives into the secret lives of Capitol squirrels (okay, maybe not that last one — unless the squirrels unionize, then we’re on it).

And yes, we’ll occasionally toss in a humble nod to our own place in the neighborhood. NoVo apartments Madison WI is proud to call First Settlement home, with its certified green building, bike-friendly creds, and just-the-right-amount-of-sparkle apartment finishes. But this blog? It’s about the whole walkable experience. Downtown Madison apartments are part of a lifestyle — and we're here to explore every corner.

So lace up your sneakers, grab your reusable coffee cup, and let’s go exploring.

Your block, your blog. Let’s do this!