French fur traders described this place as "le portage" because it was a natural lowland between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. The name stuck!
Portage is a city in the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, with a population of 10,324
French fur traders described this place as "le portage" because it was a natural lowland between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. The name stuck!
Portage is a city in the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, with a population of 10,324. It's basically a suburb of Madison, and the slogan is "Where the North Begins." It covers about 10 miles on the map, so residents have plenty of room to stretch out. The city is surrounded by prairies and grasslands, and just west of it are the Baraboo Bluffs. The streets were laid out on a traditional grid system, but today that grid is a little mixed up because of the many marshes and lowlands in Columbia County. The town center is still on a tight grid, but the outer edges have a more suburban feel and are more spread out.
If you're looking for housing for rent in Portage, you've made a great choice. Not only are homes here far below the national median cost, there are also tons of house rentals available!
Getting Started
The best thing to do is start thinking about what kind of place you want to live in before you start your hunt. Do you want a single-family home, or are you looking for condos for rent or a unit in a big apartment complex? Do you like being close to city parks? Do you need to be near a major highway in order to commute? What is your price range? How many rooms do you need? Once you have all of this figured out, it will make your hunt much easier! You can start contacting different landlords and realtors in order to start viewing apartments. It's a great idea to look at apartments all over the city to give you an idea of what is available and what the prices are like.
What You'll Need
In order to move here, you're going to need to schedule a number of apartment viewings. When you go to the viewings, show up on time and dress respectably! If you treat this like a job interview and act professionally, you'll have a much better chance of scoring the apartment you want. Make sure to bring a folder with all the documents you need. You'll want to bring a copy of your ID, your bank statements, credit report, pay stubs, letter of employment, references, etc. so that your landlord can start processing your application right away. Don't let the little details like this keep you from getting the apartment you want. And bring your checkbook, too! Writing a deposit check can be a dealmaker the second you see an apartment you love. You might also have to pay a fee upfront to have your credit checked -- this is an additional cost, so be prepared to write a check for that as well!
Portage has a small population, but it's spread out over a large plot of land just north of the Wisconsin River. Here's a little more info about the different neighborhoods you'll find in this area.
West Portage: This section is on a tight grid and is right near the Portage Amtrak station! It's super convenient for anyone who needs to take the train into Madison or nearby cities. You'll find mostly single-family homes with some apartment complexes here.
Portage Center: This part of town is right on the Wisconsin River and is one of the main commercial hubs. You'll find the Cottonwood Bar & Grill, the Sunrise Family Restaurants and quite a few other shops and businesses here.
Outer Portage: The outlying parts of town are where the grid system sort of dissolves, and the properties become more expansive with bigger yards and fewer neighbors. There are several pretty lakes here, and it's close to the county airport.
There are two commercial areas in the city -- the downtown historic district, which has many small boutiques and cafes, and the Northridge commercial area, which has big box stores. There's a lovely bike path that runs alongside part of the Portage Canal, and there are three major historical landmarks of note: the Museum at the Portage, the Indian Agency House and the Surgeons Quarters.
Three highways run past Portage: Interstate 94, Interstate 90 and Interstate 39. It's only a 30-minute drive to Madison and a 15-minute commute to the Wisconsin Dells. Also nearby are Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis!
Overall, it's a beautiful city with a lot to offer, from the friendly and welcoming attitude of the residents to the lovely local restaurants like La Tolteca and Culver's. There is no shortage of entertainment options for residents, but if you do find yourself itching to get out of town, you can always hop over to Madison for some city nightlife!
