A great place to visit or live in the north central region of the United States is Madison, Wisconsin. The Madision area has a long history dating back to early French and British settlements and before, but here are 7 things you didn't know about Madision.

1. During the Civil War, Camp Randal in Madison was the site of a training camp, a military hospital and a prisoner of war camp. After the war, it became part of the University of Wisconsin.

2. Famous people who were born in or resided in Madison, Wisconsin: Chris Farley (actor), Russ Feingold (US Senator), Phil Hellmuth (professional poker), Chris Noth (actor), Kid Nichols (Baseball Hall-of-Fame), Bradley Whitford (actor), and Frank Lloyd Wright (architect).

3. Madison was founded in 1836 and almost immediately named capital of the Wisconsin Territory despite the fact that it was mainly a town on paper only and had few if any actual residents.

4. City nicknames: "Mad City" or "Mad Town"

5. The long published left-wing periodical The Progressive was founded in and is still published in Madison.

6. In 1996, Madison was named the #1 place to live in America by Money Magazine, and in 2004 it was named the #1 college sports town in the country by Sports Illustrated.

7. Eric Heiden, a native of Madison, won ever men's speed skating race at the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York.

Though it wouldn't come to most people's minds quickly, Madison is a great place to visit and even move to if the opportunity arose. Madison, Wisconsin is a fascinating part of the United States of America.