OT: G5 College Town Rankings
Dan Wetzel shared this list, at least as a topic for debate.
https://twitter.com/danwetzel/status/1380517667199721473?s=21
Top of the list is Fort Collins, CO. Local towns include Mt. Pleasant at 12, BG at 16, Kalamazoo at 24, Ypsilanti at 48 (one spot ahead of UNLV), and Toledo at 53. Last place was El Paso. Presumably the real show is across the river in Juarez.
Anyone have there own thoughts?
I understand, but they’re all P5
I wonder what the credentials are? Hard to even come up with a list with current situation. I would rank Glendale, AZ #1. Toledo even being mentioned in this category is hilarious.
Good list. I’ve been to Fort Collins and Athens for games and both towns were so much fun. Athens is such a nice college town.
I can't tell what his criteria are. Seems like he mashed most of the major metros at the bottom of the list because they're not 'college towns'. I'm not sure how you're putting Mt Pleasant, Huntington, and Bowling Green over Atlanta, Houston, and Philly
I had the same thought initially, but I think there is a difference between what a college town is and a town that has a college in it.
Bloomington is a college town. Ann Arbor is a college town. The town, its culture, all the day-to-day is dominated by the presence of the college/university. If you picked up U of M and moved it somewhere else, Ann Arbor would shrivel up and die.
A place like Atlanta, Houston or Philly is just a town that has colleges in it. I don't think Georgia Tech makes Atlanta what it is, nor do I think UPenn makes Philly what it is. The cities would largely get along just fine if those schools were never there.
Why is Bowling Green at 16 ? I've been there. It sucks.
Same. Bowling Green is any small town in America that is totally surrounded my farmland...but this small town has a college. There's nothing special about BG
I've enjoyed my visits to El Paso. I don't think I'm alone in that regard. Their last place ranking does not seem entirely fair.
I had the same thought. I've enjoyed my visits, too. Great food (after some careful research), hiking (ditto), and weather (at some points of the year).
I'm open to the idea that it's not a "college town," but in general any place that large has *something* going on somewhere.
Buffalo could be viewed similarly.
New Orleans at #10 seems low
I go to Juarez for dental work, allergy meds, cheaper flights to mexican tourist destinations, and cuban rum. On a bad day it’s Secario, on a regular day, it’s the southwestern Detroit.
But, yeah, El Paso is definitely a military town and doesn’t have that college town charm. Because of that, most people are professional sports fans from everywhere. There are arguably more Chicago Bears fans than Cowboys fans from my experience. The college sports culture largely begins and ends with Texas Western’s basketball run.
The university itself is very nice, but the lack of anything like South U or any decent taverns is my gripe. I’d give my left arm for a Side Track or Hop Cat here.
Cool. Never having been to Juarez, you sound brave. Friend of mine works for a well-known turnaround firm and had to fly to Juarez from NYC every few weeks over the course of a year as he re-org’d ops & tech at factory in the area that refurbs used cellphones. Factory was a about an hour drive from the airport. His firm paid to have him driven in an armor-plated suburban with a couple armed guards for fear of kidnapping
By every metric known to man, New Orleans is a better college town than #1-9.
April 10th, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
How about weather, walkability, and affordability?
I've been fortunate to travel to a lot of places, and many on this list. If you have a little bit of adventure and an open mind, there are quality experiences to be had at almost every one of them.
In the case of larger cities, I don't think the author fairly evaluated the "microclimate" surrounding the school--Houston/Rice being a prime example.
It's hard to take seriously any ranking of DeKalb over San Diego, so I'll just chalk this up as lazy clickbait rather than thoughtful analysis. Good for starting a discussion and nothing more.
My thoughts is Athens Ohio is a awesome college town. Osu gets all the pub, but I'll take Athens all day long.