About Our City

Fitchburg is a six-mile-square city of more than 35,000 residents in south central Wisconsin. The southern neighbor of the capital city of Madison, Fitchburg was a town before incorporating in 1983, and so is one-third urban and suburban, and two-thirds rolling glacial farmland and natural areas. The city is blessed with three state trails and three mountain bike parks, and has developed a dense bicycle transportation network of scenic rural roads, off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and quiet neighborhood streets. Fitchburg’s commitment to bicycling and walking is described in its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, adopted in 2017.

About Fitchburg's Bike Paths

The Fitchburg Historical Society asked City Planner Emeritus Tom Hovel to document the history of Fitchburg's extensive system of multi-use paths. Read here about how the thoughtful planning and patient investment over many decades led to the trails we enjoy today!

A Destination for Bicycling

• The League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly America Program:
Fitchburg was rated a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community 2015-2027 (see press release here) and as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community 2012-2015.

The Bike League also rates businesses and other organizations. Fitchburg has thirty-one (31) Bicycle Friendly Businesses, the most of any community in the Midwest and fifth in the nation. For more information on BFB awards in Fitchburg, including a complete list, and to learn how your business or non-profit can be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business, see our Bicycle Friendly Business page.


• The peopleforbikes' Annual City Ratings:
In 2025, Fitchburg's City Rating Network Score was 47.08, up from 46.54 in 2024 and 39.96 in 2023. Fitchburg's score was at the 82nd percentile of all cities rated. (The 2023 score was the first after Fitchburg attached a portion of the Town of Madison.) The Network Score measures the completeness of the low-stress bicycle network. A score of 100 means that every destination is reachable from every nearby residential address over low-stress bicycle facilities


• Fitchburg was designated a "Wisconsin Active Together Community"by healthTIDE on January 10, 2019. as part of its Active Wisconsin program. Fitchburg continues as an active member of Active Wisconsin, now a program of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.