Neighborhood Guide · Dane County
Monona is a small city on the southeastern shore of Lake Monona, almost completely surrounded by Madison and only minutes from the Capitol. It has its own school district, a 45-acre park with a castle playground, a shop across from the beach that sells ice cream and live bait from the same counter, and a Fourth of July festival that ends with fireworks over Winnequah Park.
Our team has helped buyers, sellers, and relocating families across Dane County since 2012, and our founder, Cait Berry, is a sixth-generation Madisonian. This guide is what we walk our own clients through: where each part of Monona sits, what drives home values, what it costs to own here, and how the year actually feels. If you only have a minute, jump to the section you need.
8,624
Residents (2020 Census)
60
Homes sold in 2026 so far
$485,000
Median single-family sale
7
Median days on market
Market figures: City of Monona single-family sales, January 1 to October 20, 2026, South Central Wisconsin MLS.
The honest version
We would rather you find the right town than the wrong house. Here is how we talk about Monona with our own clients.
Getting around
Monona Drive is the main street through the city, the Beltline (Highway 12/18) runs along its southern edge, and Broadway and Bridge Road connect it to the rest of the south and east sides. Here is what typical drives look like outside of rush hour.
One thing we always mention: the Lake Monona Loop bike path runs right through town, so on a nice day you can bike downtown along the water. If you will be commuting at peak times, we are happy to map your actual route from any home you are considering.
The market
You will find established neighborhoods, updated mid-century ranches, a limited number of lake and river homes, and condos, some of them right on the water. In our experience, home values here are shaped most by:
In other words, a lakefront home and a ranch a few blocks inland can sell for very different prices. When we price a home or write an offer here, we pull the sales from that specific part of the city, not the citywide median.
Most sales landed between $300,000 and $599,999, and five sold for $1 million or more.
Sales ranged from the $200,000s to the $900,000s.
In other words, Monona is a tight market. Fewer homes came up for sale this year, the ones that did sold in about a week, and prices kept climbing. The single-family median has more than doubled since 2016, when it was $230,000. Year-over-year changes compare 2026 year-to-date with the same period in 2025.
Source: South Central Wisconsin MLS, City of Monona, yearly reports pulled October 20, 2026.
Compare the areas
People in Monona usually describe where they live by landmarks rather than subdivision names: the lake, the park, the river, or Monona Drive. Start with what matters most to you, then read the notes below.
Frost Woods and the Lake Monona shoreline, the Yahara River
The Winnequah Park area
The Monona Drive corridor
Ahuska Park and the Beltline area
The five ways buyers usually describe where a Monona home sits.
Homes around Winnequah Park and its lagoon, with walking paths, green space, Dream Park, and the elementary school close by.
When someone says they live "by Winnequah," this is the area they mean.
Quieter and more tucked in, closest to the lake, Frost Woods Beach, and Schluter Beach.
Homes near Monona Drive, with easy access to local restaurants, shops, and quick routes into Madison.
A practical choice for commuters, close to Ahuska Park and the Beltline.
Homes and condos near the Yahara River, with water views, riverfront paths, and patios over the water nearby.
Do your research
Monona is served by the Monona Grove School District, which also serves the Village of Cottage Grove. Winnequah School is in Monona, Glacial Drumlin School serves middle school students from both communities, and Monona Grove High School is in Monona. The district also runs MG21, a charter school for grades 6 to 12.
School assignments can change. Always confirm by address.
What makes a school the right fit is personal, so we encourage every buyer to do their own research. The district's school information, the Wisconsin DPI school report cards, and an in-person visit are great places to start. When you are serious about a home, we will confirm the school assignment for that exact address before you write an offer.
Beyond the price
Purchase price is only part of the picture. These are the numbers we walk through with buyers before they fall in love with a house.
For the 2025 tax bills, the city's rate was $6.09 per $1,000 of assessed value, and the median home, valued at $469,500, paid about $2,859 to the city and just over $8,000 in total, according to the Leader Independent. We pull the actual tax bill for every home you consider.
Madison Gas and Electric provides electric service in Monona.
Lakefront and river homes can come with piers, shoreline upkeep, and permits, so we review those details early.
Monona's condos range from smaller units to lakefront buildings. Fees, reserves, and rules vary a lot, so we request the association documents early.
Figures are a starting point, not a quote. Tax rates change every year and depend on the exact parcel.
A year in monona
The best way to understand a town is to know what everyone is doing each season. Here is how a year in Monona tends to go.
Winter
Lake Monona freezes over and the ice fishing shanties come out, and the trails at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center are open daily and free.
Spring
Boats go back in at the city's launches, the Lake Loop path fills back up with bikes, and the birds return to San Damiano Park.
Summer
The Monona Community Festival takes over Winnequah Park on July 3 and 4, with music, a carnival, a kids' bike parade, and fireworks on the Fourth. Schluter Beach has a small beach, a playground, and self-serve kayak rentals.
Fall
Friday nights belong to Monona Grove football, the trails at San Damiano and the nature center are at their best, and the lake is quiet again after the summer crowds.
Where locals go
These are the places we send clients when they ask what they would actually do on a Saturday here.
Forty-five acres around a creek off Lake Monona, home to Dream Park's castle playground.
Ten lakeside acres with effigy mounds, picnics, and bird watching.
A small beach, a playground, and kayak rentals.
Twenty-one acres of trails, free and open daily.
The bike and walking path around Lake Monona.
Trails, effigy mounds, and oak savanna nearby.
Gardens and a Thai pavilion a few minutes away.
An off-leash spot for the dog.
Ice cream, burgers, and live bait across from Schluter Beach.
A patio overlooking the Yahara River.
A neighborhood pub with a patio over the river.
Dinner and drinks on a lakeside patio.
Baking pies on Monona Drive since 1961.
A Reuben and the Friday fish fry.
Relocating to Monona
A lot of our Monona buyers are moving to Madison for work and want to be near the water without living downtown. You don't know what you don't know about a new city, and that is exactly where a local team earns its keep. Here is how we usually do it.
01
We start with your commute, your budget, your must-haves, and your timeline, and talk about how Monona compares to McFarland, Madison's east side, and other lake neighborhoods.
02
Homes here sell in about a week, so we set up alerts and keep an ear out for homes that may be coming up before they hit the market.
03
If you cannot be here, we tour homes live on video, walk the street and the shoreline, and confirm the school assignment for the exact address.
04
When you do fly in, the weekend is mapped out so you see the right homes and the neighborhoods around them.
05
We handle inspection, appraisal, and the local details from here, and keep you updated every step of the way.
Already in Monona?
If you love Monona but have outgrown the house, or you are ready for a condo on the water, the biggest question is usually timing, because so few homes come up each year. We will lay out what your home could sell for and help you decide whether buying or selling first makes more sense.
Questions we hear
No. Monona is its own city, with its own school district, but it is almost completely surrounded by Madison and is about 10 to 15 minutes from downtown.
For a lot of buyers, yes. Monona has Lake Monona, beaches, parks, the Lake Loop path, its own school district, and a quick drive to downtown, the east side, and the airport. The tradeoffs are limited inventory and very few new homes.
Monona is in the Monona Grove School District, which includes Winnequah School in Monona, Glacial Drumlin School for middle school, and Monona Grove High School. Always confirm the school assignment by address.
For the 2025 tax bills, the city rate was $6.09 per $1,000 of assessed value, and the median home, valued at $469,500, paid just over $8,000 in total property taxes. We pull the actual bill for every home you consider.
From January 1 to October 20, 2026, the median single-family sale was $485,000, up 5.3% from the same period last year, and homes sold in a median of 7 days. The median condo sold for $436,500.
Every July 3 and 4 at Winnequah Park, with live music, a carnival, a kids' bike parade, and fireworks on the Fourth.
Monona was part of the Town of Blooming Grove until it incorporated as a village in 1938, and it later became a city.
Talk to the Insiders Realty team
Homes here go fast, so it helps to have a plan before the right one comes up. Whether you are moving from across the country or across town, we will help you understand the neighborhoods, the real costs, and how to be ready. Grab 15 minutes with us this week.
8,604 people live in Monona, WI, where the median age is 44.7 and the average individual income is $54,757. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Average individual Income
