Fitchburg, city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Fitchburg is a fourth-class city in Dane County, Wisconsin, situated just south of Madison. It covers residential neighborhoods alongside Lake Waubesa, Mud Lake, and several parks with trails for walking and biking, including Quarry Ridge and Prairie Moraine Park.
The settlement was first called Rome, then Greenfield, before being renamed Fitchburg after a Massachusetts town in the mid-1800s. Farmers here originally grew wheat, but repeated crop failures from pests pushed them toward raising livestock and growing feed crops.
The name Fitchburg comes from a town in Massachusetts, which was itself named after the American industrialist John Fitch. At Swan Creek Park, residents tend a shared vegetable garden that is open to the public and managed by the local community.
Fitchburg sits close to Madison and is easy to reach from there by car or bike. The parks and trails are open year-round, though spring and fall tend to offer the most comfortable conditions for walking and biking.
The city hall runs entirely on solar power, which is unusual for a city of this size, and many households across the city have followed with their own solar panels. Beyond energy, the city also redesigns its streets to make everyday walking and cycling more practical.
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