“The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland.” So sang Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and crew from the satirical sketch comedy series “Portlandia,” based in and about Portland, OR, and so say many millennials today. While big-time cities like New York City and Los Angeles still attract tons of college grads and hip, young folk, the tides are beginning to turn as more and more 20-somethings flock to the Pacific Northwest, mainly Seattle, WA and Portland.

The draw is obvious: access to fresh, clear water, seemingly endless forest and mountains, booming literary, art and music scenes and a lax yet progressive cultural atmosphere. It sure seems like the place to be. But before we all pack our bags and head for seemingly greener pastures, let’s stop and appreciate what we have here.

The following is a list of five reasons why we should all be just as proud to boast about living in Madison, as any other city, and why this might become the next new magnet-town for the hipster youth.

1) We have nature too! While we may not have any nearby mountain ranges to look up at in awe, Madison is built on an isthmus just like Seattle is, and so we are surrounded by beautiful Lake Mendota and Monona both of which are great for kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding or anything else your amphibian heart desires. Plus, sitting out on the Monona Terrace with a cold pitcher and a group of friends is an unbeatable experience.

Besides the water we also have plenty of hiking paths, parks like James Madison and Picnic Point and the Olbrich Botanical Gardens so you can surround yourself with flowers and butterflies. Fun fact: Madison made ninth place in the street.com’s list of most bikeable cities in the U.S.

2) The local coffee shops. We may not be home to the first ever Starbucks, but we do have a few in town as well as a string of local joints like Mother Fool’s, Electric Earth Cafe, Colectivo Coffee, Michelangelo’s, The Froth House and The Green Owl Cafe that boast plenty of punk art, vegan treats and live music as well as offer writer types and students alike plenty of nooks and crannies to tuck themselves into to work, read and study.

3) Access to healthy food. Pike Place Market is awesome and all, but so is the farmer’s market on the square where you can load up on fresh vegetables, fruit, meat from family farms, cheese, honey, flowers and anything else you can imagine. There is also the phenomenal Willy St. Co-op and the FairShare CSA Coalition that connects local growers to the public.

4) The local brews and eats. Wisconsin loves its beer, and the Madison area is host to some of the best, Ale Asylum, Karben4, One Barrel Brewing Company, Vintage Brewing, and Capital Brewery to name just a few. If you’d like to try a pint, just head on down to one of the many unique pubs downtown like The Weary Traveler, The Tap Room or The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company.

Locals Tim Thompson and Stephani Delbesio own a line of restaurants including The Library Cafe & Bar downtown, The Flying Hound Pub in Fitchburg, The Free House Pub in Middleton and a new spot in Monona opening soon, all of which feature local food and beer and have plenty of options for vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free eaters (though cheese curds are never far away if you so desire them).

5) The community. One of the greatest things about Madison is that it has all of the perks of living in a big city while still maintaining a small town feel. Take a wrong turn and you’ll end up surrounded by cornfields and running children. Events such as the annual Wisconsin Film Festival, the Taste of Madison, and Concerts on the Square make it easy to gather and get to know people.

With a population of only 243,344 people, it’s not uncommon to see your morning barista sitting on the barstool next to you later that night or watch the guy who handed you pizza for lunch up on stage at the Comedy Club

We also have a budding music and art scene and we were just ranked sixteenth on Business Insider’s list of the most educated cities in the U.S! While the call of faraway places may seem like an unquenchable thirst, for all these reasons among many more, Madtown sure is a cool place to call home.