Situated on the East side near Lake Monona and Olbrich Park is Madison’s Eastmorland neighborhood.
Some of the neighborhood’s earliest homes date back to the 1920s, but most were built in the 1950s, which helped grow the neighborhood into a desirable place for families. Today, the neighborhood is growing, and to get the inside scoop on what’s happening, we caught up with Eastmorland Community Association President Rebecca LeBeau.
The below interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Madison Minutes: What makes Eastmorland unique?
Rebecca LeBeau: It's a mix of more established residents and younger families, and is one of the more (relatively) affordable areas of Madison to buy your first home. It's very much part of the East side of Madison, with many people interested in environmental and social justice issues. We aren't full of manicured lawns — instead, there's yards filled with native perennials and vegetable gardens in the front yard. And there's a lot of growth happening in the neighborhood — from the upcoming Voit Farms development to new developments around Cottage Grove Rd., there's lots of new folks moving in all the time!
MM: Where are the go-to spots to grab a bite and what are some of the must-do activities in the area?
RL: The Biergarten and Olbrich Gardens are on the edges of our area, and are definitely citywide attractions. A lot of our area is residential but there are some great spots on Cottage Grove Rd. and Atwood Ave., like Dive Inn, Yako Sushi House, and more. (I'm being loose with our neighborhood borders but Lake Edge will probably be willing to share with us.) We also have a great local Madison Public Library branch, Pinney Library. I think Garver Feed Mill is technically SASY, but it's definitely a hangout spot — I run into neighbors all the time there when getting Ian's Pizza.
MM: What are three adjectives you'd use to describe Eastmorland?
RL: Growing, active, and connected.
MM: Anything else you'd like to add about the neighborhood?
RL: I was shocked at a) how many gardeners there are and b) how many hyperlocal events we have. We have neighborhood gatherings in a food forest (we have a food forest!). We have block parties. We have neighborhood park cleanups. I even started a little LGBTQ+ pride gathering last year that 40+ people attended just in our neighborhood! And there are so many gardeners and plant experts — my next door neighbor is a retired horticulture professor who gives away interesting varieties of tomato seedlings that he grows himself.
Map via City of Madison
