Yes! Honorable mention for those that can afford it goes to Davis, California, in my opinion. Still an agriculture town in its soul, Davis is totally dominated by the University of California at Davis, which is basically California's A&T unit of UC. I spent a summer and an awful lot of other time there, though not very recently. Factoid: Davis has more bikes than humans. On a technicality, Davis gets disqualified from the list because it's not that far to Sacramento, driving, anyway. Although close and accommodating many commuters from other counties, Davis proper has very few residents not connected directly to the university, an associated company or medical facility, or a business catering to the students, staff, and faculty; because while rents are okay, property prices are quite expensive, keeping most other people from wanting to move there when the rest of region, including most of the Sacramento metro, is less costly. The distance to Sacramento is convenient for entertainment that Davis can't support, but during the school year there is more than enough going on in Davis to keep anyone busy. It's been awhile since I was last there, when bus service between the two was abysmal and prone to getting a passenger stranded on the wrong side of the Sacramento River. The number of daily trips has increased to as many as twelve on weekdays on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor line, making commuting possible, if not particularly convenient, as long as you don't need to cross over in time for an 8am class or work. The Davis station is not terribly far from campus; but mind you UCD is enormous, and even the core area is pretty spread out. The Sacramento station is downtown, where next to nobody lives, albeit the station itself is getting some awesome upgrades that will eventually make it a true multimodal transfer extravaganza. lol There's also the daily California Zephyr between Emeryville and Chicago, each direction mid-day-ish. The Yolo Causeway (I-80 over the flood control bypass of the Sacramento River) DOES now accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic, which is great; BUT that's only three miles of the distance between city limits, and even that, only half the distance between anywhere one might start and any likely destination. Driving further than downtown Sacramento from the west entails potentially heavy traffic, especially before and after state government employees all start work and end work at the same time. The Sacramento River and Yolo Bypass, plus West Sacramento (which used to be a hellhole, but looks decent nowadays), represent a substantial barrier. Fortunately for residents on both sides, car alternatives really are improving. While that draws Davis even further into the disqualifying criteria, the town remains geographically and psychologically quite distinct. For anybody wanting to move from an even more expensive home in one of the more expensive metros, it's doable, especially if you can land a property with a unit to rent out to students. :) You really will want bikes, though. Davis is flat, VERY easy to get around on bike; and many of the tract developments over the last three decades have contributed to the greenbelts with bike and pedestrian paths, as well as some neighborhood park facilities scattered about. It's such a nice little town. /Gratuitous advertising for a town that doesn't need it. 😊
You really blew this one, Kyle. Fayetteville, Arkansas has been on the Top Ten list of U.S. News & World Reports best places to live for the past 10 years. The University of Arkansas is spectacular and right in the middle of the Ozark Mountains. Yeah, you really blew this one!
What a refreshing overview! Kyle’s lengthy upfront disclaimer got the old wheels turning in anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed. A Part II is quite welcome, but this was thoroughly enjoyable.
I went to Penn State (many years ago), and my daughter is currently in grad school at Indiana University. When we visited Bloomington for the first time I was struck by how similar it felt to State College, PA.
As an AppState grad, and someone who still lives in the Boone area, I am very happy to see it on this list!! It is such a great town, and has an amazing and free bus system that is pretty reliable as far as American public transit goes. I didn't realize how proportionally college-heavy the town was, even in comparison to other college towns, so that was fun to learn! We also get quite a bit of tourist 3 out of 4 seasons of the year, though you're definitely right that Asheville and the Smokeys have even more. I love this little town, and there's a reason I haven't left yet since graduating college three years ago! Glad it not only made the list, but was #4.
Of all the lists on this subject on RUclips, yours is the one that matches most closely with my own perceptions and experience. (I also know & like Evanston, Madison, and Austin, but you gave good reasons for leaving them out.) Bloomington (where I spent a very happy 12 years), Lawrence, Athens OH, Iowa City, and State College are all lovely places for a visit. I've lived since 1982 in another appealing college town you didn't include, and I'm probably here for the duration.
I think you missed some real Gems! Corvallis, OR with Oregon State University is absolutely beautiful and not too big or too small. Eugene might be pushing it size wise but it is also a fabulous college town!!! Chico was kind of terrible the last time we were there in 2019 we went to two restaurants and both were horrible, no service at one and raw potato salad at the other.
How do you not hit a single college town out west? Missoula and Bozeman Montana, Laramie Wyoming my, Logan and St George Utah, Flagstaff Arizona, Monmouth Oregon, Moscow Idaho, Pullman Washington. Good list but pretty biased east of the Mississippi.
Hey fellow Kyle, glad to see Bloomington on the list even though it’s #10! I’m currently a graduate student at the IU Jacobs School of Music and I really like it here. Not only is the town itself generally very nice, but it’s also in such close proximity to a lot of beautiful nature - especially in nearby Brown County which is so scenic that you wouldn’t believe it’s in Indiana of all places! Also, I really like the weather here - there’s plenty of sunny days (at least compared to Pittsburgh where I grew up!), four distinct seasons, and winters generally aren’t too cold.
Good list, and as an Iowa grad, happy to see Iowa City there. Fayetteville would seem to hit your criteria though. Trememdous nature, pretty and condensed campus with a great and fun downtown area. Really fun to visit.
I didn’t go there for school there but I’ve always been envious of folks in Logan UT. Utah state is a cool university and few college towns are more scenic!
Amherst is part of the Springfield MSA, and the outermost city of the Hartford CT/Springfield MA Metropolitan Region (from Wikipedia). These facts would not make Amherst qualify for this list.
San Marcos, TX deserves a spot on the list, or at least an honorable mention. The fact that so many are chiming in to add another great college town tells you something: College towns are great, everyone likes them, and more towns should be built like them. Let's invest more in education, mixed-use/walkable neighborhoods, and non-motor transportation. We could have towns like these everywhere if we're willing.
That was my thought, too. It's kinda-sorta part of the Austin area, and kinda not. Sort of like Lawrence, which is also ~30 minutes from a large city, but made this list. In 10-15 years, San Marcos won't belong on the list because Austin-San Antonio is becoming one giant metro area.
I’m not even past the intro yet but I’m gonna guess that Ithaca, NY is gonna be in this list. Ithaca College and Cornell, plus the fact that it’s a more rural area, mean it beyond meets the standards of a college town! I say this living nearby :)
I haven't been there but my wife visited Ithaca, NY when she taught at Binghamton's SUNY. She was absolutely amazed by Cornell University's town. Could be a honourable mention since it's close on the Finger Lakes in upstate NY boasting beautiful nature as well.
Ithaca has two schools, or three if you count the state ag school based at Cornell. There is also Ithaca College, big on music. The hills are so steep nobody with a degree leaves overweight.
As a Cornell graduate, Ithaca is absolutely terrible. It’s full of far left extremists who have no common sense. Drive 10 miles in any direction to any of the podunk towns around it though and the area is wonderful.
You absolutely nailed your description of Iowa City. I got here in 1996, and it was the biggest party school in the world. I feel like it has grown up with me. As I got older, the more "yuppie" and mature the entertainment options have become. It's great here.
MY favorite grad school prof did his undergrad at Marquette. He was glad to be tenured at UCF (Orlando FL)! Winters in the UP are for the polar bears, he tells me.
If I had to guess, I would say that it could be disqualified because Ithaca and the finger lakes are a very popular tourist destination on their own. That would be my best guess, because I absolutely love Ithaca and it could definitely be on the list.
Several New York State college towns besides Ithaca could have made this list. I personally was thinking of Potsdam (with SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University) up in the Adirondacks, and little Alfred, NY (population 5000) with Alfred University and SUNY Alfred. (Probably a good 50% of those 5000 people work at one of the Universities.) There used to be a Playboy annual survey of the best college towns in the U.S., and one year, Plattsburgh, NY, took the top spot. Oh... and don't forget Poughkeepsie hosting Vassar and Marist (and Dutchess Community College... and Eastman Business College)?
@@billwrinkle9662New Paltz is awesome at the foothills of the Catskills and Mohonk Mountain House. Feels like he could do an entire vid on just NY college towns. Too bad they're all in NY and the taxes are exorbitant
Great timing! I usually just watch your videos for fun, but now as I am applying for professor jobs at Universities all over the country, this video is really useful as well!
I feel like Blacksburg should have made the list, even as a tie situation. It's super similar to Boone & State College, but obviously has its own charms, particularly the Hokie Stone campus.
I was so worried State College was going to miss this list! Grew up with family in the area and it's near and dear to my heart. The drive up 322 between Harrisburg and SC is still one of my favorite in the country. Great stuff as always!
I think Laramie, WY (Univ. of Wyoming) is a really underrated college town and could've been an honorable mention. Yes, the weather sucks, but the bus system is great, is definitely far from any big cities, and is definitely student (and staff)-oriented. Not to mention the outdoor activities are fantastic.
I was coming here to say this. I graduated from UW and Laramie was a great place to be a student and in the years since, I’ve visited many times. I think it’d be a good place to live and perfectly fits into this list.
@@neutralsportsfan17 Only so many bars to hop in Laramie, need to go see how those in FoCo live every once in a while. When I was there the same was true of CSU students coming up to Laramie, everyone likes a change of scenery now and then.
I humbly must also nominate my hometown, Florence, Alabama (population 40k) We're home to the University of North Alabama (10,600 students). Much of what you said for other towns is a fit description for Florence: the college sits alongside the lovely historic downtown, surrounded by scenic nature along the Tennessee River. We're 1.5 hours from Huntsville, the nearest metro area. Florence is also the anchor city to the Muscle Shoals region, famous for its music background.
Jordan, never been there, but I would like to visit Florence, to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House (built 1939). In the mid 90's, the original owner, a very elderly lady, was still living there. She gave tours on an appointment-basis. But, I missed out. I'm assuming the house has changed ownership.
I enjoy your stuff, Kyle. Some great picks and I understand leaving out the big cities and such. The only town I haven't visited is Chico, and I'm sure it's a great spot. Definitely agree with Boone, as I have 2 Appstate grad kids. It's a magnificent spot. As a native Virginian, though, have to tell you I'm genuiinely surprised Charlottesville, Williamsburg and Blacksburg got left out. UVA, VATech and William&Mary are bigtime, and totally dominate those wonderful cities. Burlington, VT is truly great in so many ways.
Have to add after recalling a few trips to Ithaca, NY. That's one spectacular college town. Cornell University and Ithaca College with the Southern tip of Cayuga Lake in the front yard. Definitely should be up there. It's GORGES, if you hadn't heard already!
He might have filtered out Charlottesville and certainly Williamsburg because they are major tourist sites. Blacksburg, OTOH, should at least get an honorable mention!
I’m happy that my college’s city (Chico) made the list. It’s definitely a great place to go to school if you’re not looking for an Ivy League school and not comfortable moving to a big city for college. It’s not as crazy of a party school as it’s reputation. San Luis Obispo CA is another great college town and the closest college to where I grew up and live now. But it probably missed the list because it’s so expensive to live in the area. A typical home costs around 1 million dollars in SLO, which makes rent expensive as well. However it provides some great education for technical STEM type careers at cheap tuition costs. So at least it’s not like a lot of colleges in nice areas where you pay a lot for the housing and tuition.
I grew up near Chico and am a Chico grad.. Can concur... super laid back and chill town, and I do agree, it's not as big of a party school as it used to be. It used to exceed it's reputation!! I do crave me some Hula's every now and then though!
Excellent criteria for "college town". I've been to the majority of these towns, and before seeing your list, I would have picked Athens, Ohio as my favorite. But those pictures of Boone NC made jealous of anyone who got to go to college there. I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I'm wrong, I'm going to get my second bachelor's degree at Appalachian State!
@@Traumvita You sound just like a New Mexican. "Oh please, it's so awful here . . . please don't *anyone* move to our terrible, godforsaken place" all the while hoping to not become the next Arizona or Seattle that became overpopulated because so many people sang their praises. Well, if you want to keep people away, you're going to have to come up with something better than "bad drivers".
@@BS-vx8dg over crowded and it’s full of druggie degenerates. I live in near by county. Screw off. Assuming I live there when I don’t. I know the place you don’t. Are you slow? Are you dumb? Are you purposely an idiot?
@@BS-vx8dgBoone is very crowded and has horrible traffic. But is also legitimately one of the best college town in America, and an amazing place to spend your undergrad years. The video's words of "maybe a bit too much college in your college town" is probably accurate however.
As an IU geography grad I'm glad to see Bloomington made the list. Did you know the photo you picked for 3:30-3:40 is a perfect shot of the geography building through the sample gates? That was a nice little easter egg for me :) Either way, great video! I'd like to see you do a video on the best big city college towns next!
Mom’s family immigrated to Athens following WW2. Dad met mom in Athens while going to OU. My wife’s from Athens. We got married at the same church by the same priest who knew both my grandparents and my wife’s family, the reception was at Baker Center. Our wedding cake wasn’t cake, but coffee cake mufflins from the OU bakery that was still using the same recipe my grandma brought them in the 40’s. We’ll likely be buried there. Glad to see it make the list.
I guess Oxford, OH missed out due to Butler County being over 250k and it might also be in the Cincinnati MSA, but anyone that has ever been to Miami knows it’s an ideal traditional quintessential college town. It’s the GOAT. No greater quaint college town in the USA. Robert Frost called it the most beautiful place there ever was!
I love your videos and this is definitely a fun theme to evaluate. I can personally vouch for Bloomington, Boone, and Athens GA - all excellent choices. I am crestfallen, nay, heartbroken to see Blacksburg, VA not included on the list. Oh well, it can just be a diamond in the rough.
Blacksburg, VA I think would fit on this list but perhaps it is knocked by proximity to Roanoke? Though Bburg is a 40 min drive away up a plateau, doesn’t feel connected to RVA
I like Blacksburg. It came down to living there or Chattanooga when we moved. I don't consider it too big to be considered for this video, but with just 10 some nice towns will be left off.
I have to give shoutouts to both Charlottesville, Virginia (UVA - great town, and the awful stuff that happened there in 2017 does not represent the general vibe) and San Marcos, Texas (Texas State - overlooked but a fun little spot halfway between Austin and San Antonio).
I had 2 nieces that went to App St. and they both loved it there. As a NC State grad there is no love lost between me and UNC, but I have to admit that Chapel Hill is a great college town and probably deserves to be on this list. Although they aren't that far from Raleigh (or Durham) I don't think there is much influence from those cities. Your point about Chapel HIll becoming largely suburbia is well taken though.
I was surprised you excluded Ann Arbor. I suppose it’s arguably in metro Detroit, and it’s got a large automotive industry presence. But I thought for sure it would be ranked highly on your list. It’s definitely a college town. It’s totally dominated by the university of Michigan. Which is by far the largest employer, followed by the hospital, and children’s hospital of the university. By far the largest contributing factor to its growth and success is the university
So glad you placed Chico on the list. Its the best pure "college town" I've ever seen. Cool town and a great school, where the atmosphere and academics are so good, nobody cares about NCAA football and other silly "big school" diversions. The city has great parks and better weather than any other city on your list! Should be number 1!
As a Chico state graduate I do feel that the city has terrific weather for the students. Unfortunately for year round residents it’s unbearably hot over the summer. That said, it still probably has better weather than the rest of the list. 😆
I grew up near Chico and am a graduate from Chico State. It's such a chill town. Had a bit of a reputation in the past, for better or worse, probably still does, but still close to my heart! Definitely sad The Graduate closed... Been craving me a Grad Burger
Cant believe you missed ithaca ny, theres literally an adjacent place called "college town" . Multiple waterfalls, walking trails. You really missed a good one
So glad Chico made the list!! Warming up to its charms and settling into the town. Its got the second oldest CSU, the college started in 1891 so the town has some real old and historical allure. It has an egde of weirdness i really dig too, odd houses and cool locals. Can't forget Bidwell Park either
As someone who grew up in Asheville and went to App State I would argue that there is a much higher percentage of tourists/second homes in Boone/Blowing Rock than the Asheville area. The entire high country up there is overrun with tourists all the time. Not that I don’t love Boone, the traffic and constant catering to tourists in the area just got to me.
I think another runner up would be Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins (FoCo for short) is home to Colorado State University (CSU) and is about an hour north of Denver, CO and about an hour south of Cheyenne, WY; so you’re a relatively short drive away from larger cities but still far enough away to not have to deal with big city living (not that Cheyanne is the best example, but you get the point). FoCo has some wonderful nature nearby and is about an hour away from Rocky Mountain National Park. Sure there’s Boulder, CO with Colorado University (CU), but being only about 15 to 20 mins from Denver doesn’t give as prominent of that independent “college town” feel.
Downtown Boulder to downtown Denver is nearly 30 miles. Fort collins probably didn’t make the list because it’s too big of a city these days. Too big of a metropolitan area independent of Denver metropolitan area. It’s almost gone to the point where Fort Collins has been absorbed by Denver. Cheyenne isn’t a factor.
@@patriclo9509 I'm confused, you said FoCo is "independent of Denver" then said it's been "absorbed by Denver", so which is it? People outside of Colorado who know briefly about or have visited CO like to make the claim FoCo is a subset of the Denver metro area, but from the perspective of someone who's lived here a greater majority of my life as well as actively right now, I can prominently say Denver and FoCo are completely separate metro areas, with their own separate feel with miles of farmland and sparse rural area separating them. And without researching the other cities on this list or rewatching the video, I'd be shocked if FoCo was much bigger than some of the larger college towns on this list, sitting at a population right around 115K. Also, the Cheyenne add wasn't supposed to be any factor, more just additional geographical information.
@@zachvanarsdale7065 i’m not sure where you’re getting your statistics. Fort Collins is 167,000 people. The metropolitan Fort Collins area is 310,000 people. I go by Metropolitan statistics areas(MSA). You don’t read very well. I said it’s almost been absorbed by Denver. I’m not sure where the miles upon miles of open farms that you talk about are. The gentrification of Fort Collins has made it just another Denver suburb. Interstate 25 used to be a rural Road, now it’s a linking interurban Highway, connecting all of the area. I hope you get a chance to visit Colorado someday, you really need to see how things look currently. Didn’t the author of the video state that he was limiting college towns to those of 100,000 people or less? Certainly Fort Collins is well past that point.
@@zachvanarsdale7065 apparently, you don’t write well. Although you suggested that you have lived in Colorado, you didn’t say you did currently. As a native Coloradoan, I wish people like you would just leave. The attitude is a bit too much. You move in and do you think you know everything. Apparently, you don’t know Colorado very well, your lack of information shows so. Good luck clown boy
I grew up in Bloomington, so I'm glad to see it on the list. The only other town I've been to on your list is Iowa City, but I didn't spend enough time there to get a good feel for it. On the flip side, I lived in Austin for a few years, and that's a totally different experience. I think they both have their pros and cons, but personally, I really like how Bloomington - and especially State College - are pretty far from any major or even mid-sized cities. I absolutely love how remote State College is. It's just sitting there out on its own, doing its thing.
I am amazed at how many of these ten towns that I have some connection to or familiarity with. And I agree with those of whom I have personal connections. But, it must be said, the underlying commonality is that they are all are big university towns. If you had to go into the hundreds of small-college small towns, you would go numb trying to pick the top 50, I think. Chico was a surprise; never knew it has its charms. State College I have always discounted because I am from Maryland, but my maternal family lives in nearby Clearfield County. Boone is a great choice because of the mountains. My professors in grad school all went to IU; they spoke highly of it and Nashville, IL, the art colony just down the road. Lawrence KS is the most surprising, but that is because I am a history nerd and the first thing that pops into my head is "Bloody Kansas" and the attack on Lawrence prior to the Civil War. I am also a geography nerd (it was always engaging and easy for me), so I enjoy your channel. If you are ever in Charleston, SC, drop me a line and I'll buy you lunch!
Pretty good list. You nailed Iowa City pretty good. Boone, North Carolina is definitely a good choice too. But Champaign-Urbana looks too rough for me to put on the list.
Well, now they have that nice Washington Stadium, much nicer than it used to be. I'd like to see a game there, myself! When I was there in the 80s, the Griz played at Dornblazer, just a glorified sandlot with a few bleachers. @@jonboxleitner7354
Great list. I’ve always wanted to move to a walkable college town after I retire. Great opportunities for intellectual and physical growth, and usually the restaurant choices are decent as well.
You are the king my man! I was pleasantly surprised to see Boone North Carolina on your list. I thought maybe it was too small to make it. But here it is! I swear it's the coolest town I've ever been in! I took my wife there for her 30th birthday weekend. We stayed in a log cabin type lodgement complete with a fireplace and your own back door to take walks along the woods in the cool crisp autumn evenings. The people were great the food was great. I can't send any bad about Boone. It was sad going back down the mountain to our sweltering home near the coast.
I might be biased considering I’m a student, but Auburn, AL is a great place to live that I think deserves an honorable mention. Downtown is nice and walkable and right next to campus with some good bars and restaurants, the campus and area itself is very pretty (plenty of nature around being at the foothills of the Apps), its a nice area in general with low crime and a low cost of living, it’s not too far of a drive from some big cities like Bham and ATL, and the culture, tradition and hospitality of Auburn is nearly unmatched. War eagle
Great video! Having lived in Austin, TX, Cambridge, MA, and Boulder, CO, I was a bit bummed that those didn't make your list, but I totally get your reasons for focusing on the true college towns. I'll have to check these places out in the future. As a townie myself, I love places like this for trips and vacations, but I do miss the hustle and bustle of bigger cities. I'd be curious to see where Fayetteville, AR falls on your extended list of the best college towns!
Like yes, approve? You avoided several towns in the west. Bellingham WA, Ellensburg WA, Pullman, WA Moscow ID, Missoula MT and Bozeman MT come to mind.
Some excellent choices here! Especially Burlington, Boone, and Chico. Did you look at Arcata, CA or Bozeman, MT or Blacksburg, VA? I've been to all those and thought they were great little college towns. Not sure if they met your criteria, though. Nice video, Kyle! Edited to add some more I love but not sure if they met your criteria for walkability. Flagstaff, AZ and San Luis Obispo, CA. I think Charlottesville, VA might be too big, but I love the campus. Hanover, NH is great.
Charlottesville (the city since VA has separate cities and counties) has close to 60k with the surrounding county (albemarle) a little bit over 100k. I think it may fit the criteria, but not too sure since Virginia does their cities and counties so oddly. I think it should be in the list as a completely unbiased Charlottesville native, though.
You picked the perfect town for your number one college town! That area of PA is absolutely gorgeous, that’s why they nicknamed it “Happy Valley.” After spending one semester at Grove City College and hating it, my brother transferred to Penn State and loved it! Although he spent most of his education at the Shenango campus, he did spend a semester out in State College. I wasn’t so fortunate when I went to college. I ended up going to Youngstown State University. And I really wouldn’t consider Youngstown, OH a college town because it is an economically depressed former industrial city that is riddled with poverty and crime! But the suburbs aren’t too bad.
Two college towns I am familiar with. First, Boone. I think he summarized it correctly, almost entirely centered around App State. Boone is not deep in the mountains, but more at the base just beyond the foothills. Second, College Station. I understand why it is not on the list. The Bryan/College Station metro area may have gotten a little too big in recent years. And it's hard to say there is anything really interesting in or around the area other than the A&M campus itself. Probably some crime over in Bryan too.
Kyle, I would love to see another college town video focusing on the smaller college towns. Places such as Cortland and Oneonta, NY are gems! I’m sure there are so many of these in other regions, as well! Be well!
Dilbert's Scott Adams was accepted at Cornell but turned it down for Hartwick in Oneonta. Why? More girls! Cornell had just gone co-ed a few years before, and was still lopsided, whereas Hartwick had a nursing program. Hartwick, not Cornell, enjoyed an NCAA national championship in those years-- soccer in 1977. Still, nobody would call Oneonta a "gem". Nice surrounding hills, though.
I'm a little surprised not seeing Morgantown, WV on the list. I'm a Penn State grad and totally agree with it being #1 as well as Bloomington, IN being another great college town but I'd say Morgantown is also a quintessential college town.
I’m considering moving to Champaign-Urbana. I’ve been there twice and the place has everything I believe I’d need to be contented and stimulated - ample nice eating places of national varieties, some wonderful libraries, and great Amtrak access. However, housing affordability is an obstacle, and the metro area has had a surge in handgun crime.
As a future international student I LOVE THIS! I would love to hear about college towns on the western side of the country: Colorado, Oregon, Arizona etc
There tend not to be really any of what we consider “college towns” out west. I think this must be related to when the areas were developed. These towns are in the 1800s mostly, and much of the west coast was developed more in the early/mid 1900s. Good luck!
I was at Flagstaff, AZ, on a national student exchange at Northern Arizona University. I loved it when I was there, a long time ago. Maybe that part of Arizona, being near the Grand Canyon and Route 66 was too touristy for the list.
My mom loves living in college towns. She grew up in Valparaiso and has lived in a couple non college towns but also Corvallis, OR and Silver City, NM.
I love college towns for the academic energy, the veritable fountain of youth offered by an endless stream of kids showing up to learn and research cutting edge knowledge, and the nifty amenities that such people demand in the business environment. It’s a tough category to define, and I can appreciate how “college town” may get lost with state capitals and large cities, yet it’s probable that some good locations like Madison and Cambridge, which really do carry the collegiate vibe, get lost in that filter. Even with that though, the size cutoffs left me wondering: how many college towns in the US actually fit the definition that you used, with 10000+ students and
I LOVE college towns. Big mistake to eliminate state capitals, IMO. Madison might be the nicest college town I've been in. Much harder to pull off living in the sort of college town you are describing. Got to work for the university almost to pull it off.
Madison *is* a great "college town", but it is also so much more than that. As the only capital city in the US located on an isthmus, it just fits into a category of its own.
Having grown up right off University avenue, maybe 3-5 miles west of campus, I concur. As kids we used to ride our bikes downtown all the time. There are so many unique individual spots even among the campus itself. I was never a student there but I probably knew the geography of it better than many who were. I have stories for days... My personal favorite spot is a lookout point. It sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Mendota along a very narrow road, I believe it's Campus Dr but don't quote me on that. It's a great spot to enjoy a sunset over the lake. 🙂💙🦡🦡🦡
@@bubzilla6137 I've been to Madison, Lawrence, Chambana(Champaign/Urbana) Boone and State College. Madison was/is probably my favorite of them, except in Winter. I am the riff raff that 20 below keeps out.
@@rodgerbane3825 Spent five winters there and the coldest it ever got was 10 below with the wind chill -- on the first day of spring, 2002. But yeah, five months out of the year it's a tundra.
I always loved Fort Collins and CSU. But that was back in 2002. Now it is so damn big like every other front range city in CO that its just not the same.
As someone who lives here, I don’t think Ann Arbor should be excluded. It’s far enough from Detroit that the growth really does not have to do with Detroit’s growth. The university itself is also growing and the city is growing along with it.
Agreed! I lived in Ann Arbor and it feels like a poster child college town. I've spent time in State College and have friends who've lived there, and to me Ann Arbor is a little better than State College.
My favorite is Santa Cruz, CA. The university has over 10,000 students, but I noticed that Santa Cruz County 267,000 people, and so it narrowly exceeds your arbitrary ceiling of 250,000. Not only does Santa Cruz have better weather than any of the ones on your list, but it also has the most stunning scenery, which include redwood forest and mountain views of Monterey Bay. In addition, it is a great place for surfing and mountain biking, which you can do all year.
I'm a little surprised San Luis Obispo, CA didn't make the cut as it has all the college town characteristics you outlined and more (but I suppose if "affordability" was a criteria it might not make it). Edit: Looking through the comments, it looks like you addressed this already. Thanks for the interesting video.
Most of the growth in Boulder, has not been around commuting to denver but rather the tech industry in Boulder. We have a Google campus that opened a few years ago and that drew a lot of people to the city. Boulder Definitely functions as a separate metro from Denver, but whether it has "too much else going on" I'll let you decide.
I do indeed love me a college town! An additional bonus campus, maybe: If Boone/Appalachian State is a step back from tourism compared to Asheville, then maybe go one step further. Near Boone is a quaint town with a private college. Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, NC. It’s hard not to enjoy.
Athens, Ga should be #1 because of the music alone. Home to the B-52s, REM, Widespread Panic, Drive-by Truckers, of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, the Goons, Pylon, Azure Ray, Reptar, Dead Confederate, Vigilantes of Love, Dreams so Real, Love Tractor, Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel, and so many others.
I reluctantly gave this video a thumbs-up, because you didn't give proper consideration to Oxford, MS. I live here and can say that Ole Miss and Oxford are wonderful. Plenty of activities for a city of its size, that's on the grow. Population of both the city and the university has increased substantially over last year though. (The extra traffic is annoying and beginning to strain our infrastructure.)
Burlington is pretty wild for a small city. Had a friend who was attending UVM and lived on Pearl Street. Me and some friends went to visit him spring of 2011. Good times. My father is a graduate from Ohio University as well! He remembers driving out to Appalachia for camping on the weekends.
Okay, I have a list you need to do. Worst military towns. They would be Killeen, TX, Barstow, CA, Lawton, OK, and whatever city is near Ft. Polk, LA. I’ve been to all these places and they are considered the worst.
You missed a fact about Boulder. The bulk of work commutes are into Boulder from Denver and surrounding communities. It used to be a wonderful little college town. Sadly, it has been gentrified as has much of Colorado. You should have had Flagstaff, Arizona on the list. It’s an idyllic college town
Can't argue with any of your list, little bummed to see Ithaca NY missing. I think the town has about 30k residents, with Cornell U having over 20k students and Ithaca College with 6700ish. Beautiful town, lots of mix with the townie and college areas, and it's definitely not all yuppie Ivy league either (though there is a fair bit of that around Cornell's campus for obvious reasons). Closest big town is Syracuse and that's over an hour drive away. It's a fantastic college town in a beautiful part of the state! I loved living there, even as a townie
I loved how this video clearly and more important correctly defined a college town. Look, I like Columbus OH and Austin TX well enough but those are big city state capitals, not college towns. I would push back a little on maybe places like Ann Arbor MI or Chapel Hill NC but overall I love any best college towns list that excludes state capitals, big cities, and suburbs. Most of the best college towns I have visited are on this list - Boone NC, State College PA, Athens GA, Iowa City, Athens OH are my personal top 5. Of places I have been, I also like Charlottesville VA, San Luis Obispo CA, Oxford MS, Oxford OH, and San Marcos TX
Been to 7 of the 10 college town on this list and have to say its pretty good. Iowa City was always a stop for me going between Fort Berthold/Standing Rock and VA. Has a nice college town feel with nice shopping malls, incredible foods, newly modernized interstate and 1-380 acts a great connection going to Sioux Falls or Minneapolis, or University of Northern Iowa.
Not to get too picky, but the “downtown” of Athens, Ohio is actually called Uptown. Its uphill from the Hocking River as well as East, West and South campus greens and what was once a train depot. I just thought I would mention, as the name has a basis in the topography and geography of the town! Thanks for a fun video, I was excited to have lived in two of them! Athens and Lawrence!
As a "townie," I approve of this video. Great job.
Lawrence representin'
Would love to see an honorable mentions list for this
Yess!
agree, agree!!
Yes!
Honorable mention for those that can afford it goes to Davis, California, in my opinion.
Still an agriculture town in its soul, Davis is totally dominated by the University of California at Davis, which is basically California's A&T unit of UC. I spent a summer and an awful lot of other time there, though not very recently. Factoid: Davis has more bikes than humans.
On a technicality, Davis gets disqualified from the list because it's not that far to Sacramento, driving, anyway. Although close and accommodating many commuters from other counties, Davis proper has very few residents not connected directly to the university, an associated company or medical facility, or a business catering to the students, staff, and faculty; because while rents are okay, property prices are quite expensive, keeping most other people from wanting to move there when the rest of region, including most of the Sacramento metro, is less costly. The distance to Sacramento is convenient for entertainment that Davis can't support, but during the school year there is more than enough going on in Davis to keep anyone busy. It's been awhile since I was last there, when bus service between the two was abysmal and prone to getting a passenger stranded on the wrong side of the Sacramento River. The number of daily trips has increased to as many as twelve on weekdays on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor line, making commuting possible, if not particularly convenient, as long as you don't need to cross over in time for an 8am class or work. The Davis station is not terribly far from campus; but mind you UCD is enormous, and even the core area is pretty spread out. The Sacramento station is downtown, where next to nobody lives, albeit the station itself is getting some awesome upgrades that will eventually make it a true multimodal transfer extravaganza. lol There's also the daily California Zephyr between Emeryville and Chicago, each direction mid-day-ish.
The Yolo Causeway (I-80 over the flood control bypass of the Sacramento River) DOES now accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic, which is great; BUT that's only three miles of the distance between city limits, and even that, only half the distance between anywhere one might start and any likely destination. Driving further than downtown Sacramento from the west entails potentially heavy traffic, especially before and after state government employees all start work and end work at the same time. The Sacramento River and Yolo Bypass, plus West Sacramento (which used to be a hellhole, but looks decent nowadays), represent a substantial barrier. Fortunately for residents on both sides, car alternatives really are improving. While that draws Davis even further into the disqualifying criteria, the town remains geographically and psychologically quite distinct. For anybody wanting to move from an even more expensive home in one of the more expensive metros, it's doable, especially if you can land a property with a unit to rent out to students. :) You really will want bikes, though. Davis is flat, VERY easy to get around on bike; and many of the tract developments over the last three decades have contributed to the greenbelts with bike and pedestrian paths, as well as some neighborhood park facilities scattered about. It's such a nice little town.
/Gratuitous advertising for a town that doesn't need it. 😊
You really blew this one, Kyle. Fayetteville, Arkansas has been on the Top Ten list of U.S. News & World Reports best places to live for the past 10 years. The University of Arkansas is spectacular and right in the middle of the Ozark Mountains. Yeah, you really blew this one!
As a Penn State graduate I absolutely love your list. State College is a PA treasure, I always enjoy going back there.
I agree totally...it is called Happy Valley for a good reason...
Too much crime....
State College is a bit remote from any major cities. Harrisburg 1.5 hours and Pittsburgh 2.5 hours.
That is its charm...@@seaxofbeleg8082
Psu is for child rapists
What a refreshing overview! Kyle’s lengthy upfront disclaimer got the old wheels turning in anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed. A Part II is quite welcome, but this was thoroughly enjoyable.
I went to Penn State (many years ago), and my daughter is currently in grad school at Indiana University. When we visited Bloomington for the first time I was struck by how similar it felt to State College, PA.
I grew up going to IU football games. I’ve been to a lot of Big 10 schools, but never penn state. Always wanted to go to a game there
As an iowa graduate im so glad you picked us for number 3, we appreciate every moment of your consideration
Did they not teach capitalization at Iowa?
I'm a Hawkeye too!
@kevinstaggs5048 It's a RUclips comment, not a dissertation.
As an AppState grad, and someone who still lives in the Boone area, I am very happy to see it on this list!! It is such a great town, and has an amazing and free bus system that is pretty reliable as far as American public transit goes. I didn't realize how proportionally college-heavy the town was, even in comparison to other college towns, so that was fun to learn! We also get quite a bit of tourist 3 out of 4 seasons of the year, though you're definitely right that Asheville and the Smokeys have even more. I love this little town, and there's a reason I haven't left yet since graduating college three years ago! Glad it not only made the list, but was #4.
Of all the lists on this subject on RUclips, yours is the one that matches most closely with my own perceptions and experience. (I also know & like Evanston, Madison, and Austin, but you gave good reasons for leaving them out.) Bloomington (where I spent a very happy 12 years), Lawrence, Athens OH, Iowa City, and State College are all lovely places for a visit. I've lived since 1982 in another appealing college town you didn't include, and I'm probably here for the duration.
I think you missed some real Gems! Corvallis, OR with Oregon State University is absolutely beautiful and not too big or too small. Eugene might be pushing it size wise but it is also a fabulous college town!!! Chico was kind of terrible the last time we were there in 2019 we went to two restaurants and both were horrible, no service at one and raw potato salad at the other.
ehh rents too high in corvallis, live downtown
@7killer778 you don't have to live in downtown. Go out a little farther to Philomath or Albany, still close butt better budget wise
A swing and a miss to leave out Corvallis.
If you find yourself in Chico again, try The Banshee!
I am aout to move up north and those towns and Salem we have been looking at Eugene, haven't been in 20 year.
How do you not hit a single college town out west? Missoula and Bozeman Montana, Laramie Wyoming my, Logan and St George Utah, Flagstaff Arizona, Monmouth Oregon, Moscow Idaho, Pullman Washington.
Good list but pretty biased east of the Mississippi.
Hey fellow Kyle, glad to see Bloomington on the list even though it’s #10! I’m currently a graduate student at the IU Jacobs School of Music and I really like it here. Not only is the town itself generally very nice, but it’s also in such close proximity to a lot of beautiful nature - especially in nearby Brown County which is so scenic that you wouldn’t believe it’s in Indiana of all places! Also, I really like the weather here - there’s plenty of sunny days (at least compared to Pittsburgh where I grew up!), four distinct seasons, and winters generally aren’t too cold.
Good list, and as an Iowa grad, happy to see Iowa City there. Fayetteville would seem to hit your criteria though. Trememdous nature, pretty and condensed campus with a great and fun downtown area. Really fun to visit.
I didn’t go there for school there but I’ve always been envious of folks in Logan UT. Utah state is a cool university and few college towns are more scenic!
I think Amherst, Massachussets deserves a mention as well. It’s home to 5 colleges and is a very cute, charming town.
Amherst is part of the Springfield MSA, and the outermost city of the Hartford CT/Springfield MA Metropolitan Region (from Wikipedia). These facts would not make Amherst qualify for this list.
San Marcos, TX deserves a spot on the list, or at least an honorable mention.
The fact that so many are chiming in to add another great college town tells you something: College towns are great, everyone likes them, and more towns should be built like them. Let's invest more in education, mixed-use/walkable neighborhoods, and non-motor transportation. We could have towns like these everywhere if we're willing.
I think San Marcos is a little too close to Austin to be considered for the list.
That was my thought, too. It's kinda-sorta part of the Austin area, and kinda not. Sort of like Lawrence, which is also ~30 minutes from a large city, but made this list.
In 10-15 years, San Marcos won't belong on the list because Austin-San Antonio is becoming one giant metro area.
Speak on it!
Sounds like you guys havent been on the 35 recently. More like an hour...
But love San Marcos
they havent. @@mathiasmueller9693
I’m not even past the intro yet but I’m gonna guess that Ithaca, NY is gonna be in this list. Ithaca College and Cornell, plus the fact that it’s a more rural area, mean it beyond meets the standards of a college town! I say this living nearby :)
Wow I was wrong! Very surprised. State College is a great #1 though.
I expected to see Ithaca, too. Wonder why Kyle thinks it doesn't rate.
I agree. It is surprising that the beautiful location of Cornell was overlooked. Maybe just too many to choose from.
Sadly, no
This list is just some guy's opinion, frankly. Maybe he has never been to Ithaca (?).
I haven't been there but my wife visited Ithaca, NY when she taught at Binghamton's SUNY. She was absolutely amazed by Cornell University's town. Could be a honourable mention since it's close on the Finger Lakes in upstate NY boasting beautiful nature as well.
YES! Ithaca is a stunning area!
Ithaca has two schools, or three if you count the state ag school based at Cornell. There is also Ithaca College, big on music. The hills are so steep nobody with a degree leaves overweight.
As a Cornell graduate, Ithaca is absolutely terrible. It’s full of far left extremists who have no common sense. Drive 10 miles in any direction to any of the podunk towns around it though and the area is wonderful.
@@kenaikuskokwim9694It’s not based at Cornell, it’s a one of the colleges within the University.
Best college in Ithaca is not Cornell... Andy Bernard is wrong...
You absolutely nailed your description of Iowa City. I got here in 1996, and it was the biggest party school in the world. I feel like it has grown up with me. As I got older, the more "yuppie" and mature the entertainment options have become. It's great here.
Ames IA is the best Iowa college town...
Great work Kyle! Marquette MI might deserve an honorable mention. 😊
It wasn't far off this list.
MY favorite grad school prof did his undergrad at Marquette. He was glad to be tenured at UCF (Orlando FL)! Winters in the UP are for the polar bears, he tells me.
I'm surprised that Ithaca, NY did not make the list. I've often hear it cited as the "quintessential college town". Was it disqualified in some way?
If I had to guess, I would say that it could be disqualified because Ithaca and the finger lakes are a very popular tourist destination on their own. That would be my best guess, because I absolutely love Ithaca and it could definitely be on the list.
Several New York State college towns besides Ithaca could have made this list. I personally was thinking of Potsdam (with SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University) up in the Adirondacks, and little Alfred, NY (population 5000) with Alfred University and SUNY Alfred. (Probably a good 50% of those 5000 people work at one of the Universities.) There used to be a Playboy annual survey of the best college towns in the U.S., and one year, Plattsburgh, NY, took the top spot. Oh... and don't forget Poughkeepsie hosting Vassar and Marist (and Dutchess Community College... and Eastman Business College)?
LOL.. I just posted above that Ithaca is the quintessential town.@@billwrinkle9662
@@billwrinkle9662New Paltz is awesome at the foothills of the Catskills and Mohonk Mountain House. Feels like he could do an entire vid on just NY college towns. Too bad they're all in NY and the taxes are exorbitant
Population?
Great timing! I usually just watch your videos for fun, but now as I am applying for professor jobs at Universities all over the country, this video is really useful as well!
My personal favorite college towns/cities are:
1. Missoula, MT
2. Boulder, CO
3. Bozeman, MT
4. Fort Collins, CO
5. Laramie, WY
I live in one of them.
I feel like you missed Lafayette, Indiana, home of Purdue University. It seems like a special small town, but in close proximity to Chicago and Indy.
West lafayette*, lafayette is an industrial dump
west lafayette is just a small ring around campus, not much of interest
(i went to purdue)
Great list!
Some honorable mentions (IMO):
Blacksburg, VA
Moscow, ID/Pullman, WA
San Luis Obispo, CA
Flagstaff Arizona
Yes, Blacksburg VA should be on this list, or the next list.
I feel like Blacksburg should have made the list, even as a tie situation. It's super similar to Boone & State College, but obviously has its own charms, particularly the Hokie Stone campus.
Hard part about Blacksburg is that middle class families mostly live in Christiansburg, real estate has kind of been priced out unless you are renting
Great video and a fun list! Really surprised that Charlottesville, VA and Ithica, NY didn’t make the list. Keep up the great work!
As a Charlottesville native I agree. I might be a bit biased, though.
C'ville is the east coast HQ for Antifa.
I was so worried State College was going to miss this list! Grew up with family in the area and it's near and dear to my heart. The drive up 322 between Harrisburg and SC is still one of my favorite in the country. Great stuff as always!
I think Laramie, WY (Univ. of Wyoming) is a really underrated college town and could've been an honorable mention. Yes, the weather sucks, but the bus system is great, is definitely far from any big cities, and is definitely student (and staff)-oriented. Not to mention the outdoor activities are fantastic.
I was coming here to say this. I graduated from UW and Laramie was a great place to be a student and in the years since, I’ve visited many times. I think it’d be a good place to live and perfectly fits into this list.
Lived in Laramie for a year going to Wyotech, it is a cool town but Logan, UT is better.
I drove through Wyoming and made an overnight stop in Laramie. It’s a great place.
No hate for Laramie, but a ton of the UW students go to Fort Collins every weekend because there's not a lot to do.
@@neutralsportsfan17 Only so many bars to hop in Laramie, need to go see how those in FoCo live every once in a while. When I was there the same was true of CSU students coming up to Laramie, everyone likes a change of scenery now and then.
I humbly must also nominate my hometown, Florence, Alabama (population 40k) We're home to the University of North Alabama (10,600 students). Much of what you said for other towns is a fit description for Florence: the college sits alongside the lovely historic downtown, surrounded by scenic nature along the Tennessee River. We're 1.5 hours from Huntsville, the nearest metro area. Florence is also the anchor city to the Muscle Shoals region, famous for its music background.
Go Noles!
Great city
Florence is a fantastic pick for this list. Roar lions!
Jordan, never been there, but I would like to visit Florence, to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House (built 1939). In the mid 90's, the original owner, a very elderly lady, was still living there. She gave tours on an appointment-basis. But, I missed out. I'm assuming the house has changed ownership.
@@marvinbone1379 Yes! The house is now a property of the Florence Arts and Museums board, open to the public as a city museum.
I enjoy your stuff, Kyle. Some great picks and I understand leaving out the big cities and such. The only town I haven't visited is Chico, and I'm sure it's a great spot. Definitely agree with Boone, as I have 2 Appstate grad kids. It's a magnificent spot. As a native Virginian, though, have to tell you I'm genuiinely surprised Charlottesville, Williamsburg and Blacksburg got left out. UVA, VATech and William&Mary are bigtime, and totally dominate those wonderful cities. Burlington, VT is truly great in so many ways.
Yes, on Blacksburg. such a beautiful area and the campus is also gorgeous, loved my time at Tech!!
Have to add after recalling a few trips to Ithaca, NY. That's one spectacular college town. Cornell University and Ithaca College with the Southern tip of Cayuga Lake in the front yard. Definitely should be up there. It's GORGES, if you hadn't heard already!
He might have filtered out Charlottesville and certainly Williamsburg because they are major tourist sites.
Blacksburg, OTOH, should at least get an honorable mention!
I’m happy that my college’s city (Chico) made the list. It’s definitely a great place to go to school if you’re not looking for an Ivy League school and not comfortable moving to a big city for college. It’s not as crazy of a party school as it’s reputation.
San Luis Obispo CA is another great college town and the closest college to where I grew up and live now. But it probably missed the list because it’s so expensive to live in the area. A typical home costs around 1 million dollars in SLO, which makes rent expensive as well.
However it provides some great education for technical STEM type careers at cheap tuition costs. So at least it’s not like a lot of colleges in nice areas where you pay a lot for the housing and tuition.
I love San Luis Obispo, but it's just too expensive.
I grew up near Chico and am a Chico grad.. Can concur... super laid back and chill town, and I do agree, it's not as big of a party school as it used to be. It used to exceed it's reputation!! I do crave me some Hula's every now and then though!
Excellent criteria for "college town". I've been to the majority of these towns, and before seeing your list, I would have picked Athens, Ohio as my favorite. But those pictures of Boone NC made jealous of anyone who got to go to college there. I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I'm wrong, I'm going to get my second bachelor's degree at Appalachian State!
Don’t go it’s awful. Way too crowded and no one there can drive
@@Traumvita You sound just like a New Mexican. "Oh please, it's so awful here . . . please don't *anyone* move to our terrible, godforsaken place" all the while hoping to not become the next Arizona or Seattle that became overpopulated because so many people sang their praises. Well, if you want to keep people away, you're going to have to come up with something better than "bad drivers".
@@BS-vx8dg over crowded and it’s full of druggie degenerates. I live in near by county. Screw off. Assuming I live there when I don’t. I know the place you don’t. Are you slow? Are you dumb? Are you purposely an idiot?
@@BS-vx8dg blocking you now. I don’t need to see anymore foreigner dog sh*t degenerate takes
@@BS-vx8dgBoone is very crowded and has horrible traffic. But is also legitimately one of the best college town in America, and an amazing place to spend your undergrad years. The video's words of "maybe a bit too much college in your college town" is probably accurate however.
As an IU geography grad I'm glad to see Bloomington made the list. Did you know the photo you picked for 3:30-3:40 is a perfect shot of the geography building through the sample gates? That was a nice little easter egg for me :) Either way, great video! I'd like to see you do a video on the best big city college towns next!
Was hoping to see Western Mass. Amherst/Northampton area make it with Umass
Mom’s family immigrated to Athens following WW2. Dad met mom in Athens while going to OU. My wife’s from Athens. We got married at the same church by the same priest who knew both my grandparents and my wife’s family, the reception was at Baker Center. Our wedding cake wasn’t cake, but coffee cake mufflins from the OU bakery that was still using the same recipe my grandma brought them in the 40’s. We’ll likely be buried there. Glad to see it make the list.
I guess Oxford, OH missed out due to Butler County being over 250k and it might also be in the Cincinnati MSA, but anyone that has ever been to Miami knows it’s an ideal traditional quintessential college town. It’s the GOAT. No greater quaint college town in the USA. Robert Frost called it the most beautiful place there ever was!
I was hoping to see Oxford as well!
@@SpecialFX99 IYKYK
I love your videos and this is definitely a fun theme to evaluate. I can personally vouch for Bloomington, Boone, and Athens GA - all excellent choices. I am crestfallen, nay, heartbroken to see Blacksburg, VA not included on the list. Oh well, it can just be a diamond in the rough.
Blacksburg sucks and it’s a boring, soul sucking void. Only thing exciting in that general area is Roanoke.
Blacksburg, VA I think would fit on this list but perhaps it is knocked by proximity to Roanoke? Though Bburg is a 40 min drive away up a plateau, doesn’t feel connected to RVA
I like Blacksburg. It came down to living there or Chattanooga when we moved. I don't consider it too big to be considered for this video, but with just 10 some nice towns will be left off.
Top tens are tough! Thanks for another great video
I'm really surprised that the home of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY didn't make the list...
I have to give shoutouts to both Charlottesville, Virginia (UVA - great town, and the awful stuff that happened there in 2017 does not represent the general vibe) and San Marcos, Texas (Texas State - overlooked but a fun little spot halfway between Austin and San Antonio).
I had 2 nieces that went to App St. and they both loved it there. As a NC State grad there is no love lost between me and UNC, but I have to admit that Chapel Hill is a great college town and probably deserves to be on this list. Although they aren't that far from Raleigh (or Durham) I don't think there is much influence from those cities. Your point about Chapel HIll becoming largely suburbia is well taken though.
Fun fact: State College, PA becomes the third biggest city in PA on gameday Saturdays
I was surprised you excluded Ann Arbor. I suppose it’s arguably in metro Detroit, and it’s got a large automotive industry presence. But I thought for sure it would be ranked highly on your list. It’s definitely a college town. It’s totally dominated by the university of Michigan. Which is by far the largest employer, followed by the hospital, and children’s hospital of the university. By far the largest contributing factor to its growth and success is the university
Did you not watch his intro where he explained his methodology?
@@Tahj_G clearly I did I just said I was surprised he did that because it’s a college town. I was explaining how his reasoning was a little off
So glad you placed Chico on the list. Its the best pure "college town" I've ever seen. Cool town and a great school, where the atmosphere and academics are so good, nobody cares about NCAA football and other silly "big school" diversions. The city has great parks and better weather than any other city on your list! Should be number 1!
As a Chico state graduate I do feel that the city has terrific weather for the students. Unfortunately for year round residents it’s unbearably hot over the summer. That said, it still probably has better weather than the rest of the list. 😆
I grew up near Chico and am a graduate from Chico State. It's such a chill town. Had a bit of a reputation in the past, for better or worse, probably still does, but still close to my heart! Definitely sad The Graduate closed... Been craving me a Grad Burger
Cant believe you missed ithaca ny, theres literally an adjacent place called "college town" . Multiple waterfalls, walking trails. You really missed a good one
So glad Chico made the list!! Warming up to its charms and settling into the town. Its got the second oldest CSU, the college started in 1891 so the town has some real old and historical allure. It has an egde of weirdness i really dig too, odd houses and cool locals. Can't forget Bidwell Park either
As someone who grew up in Asheville and went to App State I would argue that there is a much higher percentage of tourists/second homes in Boone/Blowing Rock than the Asheville area.
The entire high country up there is overrun with tourists all the time.
Not that I don’t love Boone, the traffic and constant catering to tourists in the area just got to me.
Im from Athens, GA. My dad was born and raised in Athens. The UGA campus is absolutely beautiful in the fall. GO DAWGS!!!
I quite like Iowa City, and the Iowa River Landing area of nearby Coralville is a pretty impressive redevelopment.
I think another runner up would be Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins (FoCo for short) is home to Colorado State University (CSU) and is about an hour north of Denver, CO and about an hour south of Cheyenne, WY; so you’re a relatively short drive away from larger cities but still far enough away to not have to deal with big city living (not that Cheyanne is the best example, but you get the point). FoCo has some wonderful nature nearby and is about an hour away from Rocky Mountain National Park.
Sure there’s Boulder, CO with Colorado University (CU), but being only about 15 to 20 mins from Denver doesn’t give as prominent of that independent “college town” feel.
Downtown Boulder to downtown Denver is nearly 30 miles. Fort collins probably didn’t make the list because it’s too big of a city these days. Too big of a metropolitan area independent of Denver metropolitan area. It’s almost gone to the point where Fort Collins has been absorbed by Denver. Cheyenne isn’t a factor.
@@patriclo9509 I'm confused, you said FoCo is "independent of Denver" then said it's been "absorbed by Denver", so which is it? People outside of Colorado who know briefly about or have visited CO like to make the claim FoCo is a subset of the Denver metro area, but from the perspective of someone who's lived here a greater majority of my life as well as actively right now, I can prominently say Denver and FoCo are completely separate metro areas, with their own separate feel with miles of farmland and sparse rural area separating them.
And without researching the other cities on this list or rewatching the video, I'd be shocked if FoCo was much bigger than some of the larger college towns on this list, sitting at a population right around 115K.
Also, the Cheyenne add wasn't supposed to be any factor, more just additional geographical information.
@@zachvanarsdale7065 i’m not sure where you’re getting your statistics. Fort Collins is 167,000 people. The metropolitan Fort Collins area is 310,000 people. I go by Metropolitan statistics areas(MSA). You don’t read very well. I said it’s almost been absorbed by Denver. I’m not sure where the miles upon miles of open farms that you talk about are. The gentrification of Fort Collins has made it just another Denver suburb. Interstate 25 used to be a rural Road, now it’s a linking interurban Highway, connecting all of the area. I hope you get a chance to visit Colorado someday, you really need to see how things look currently.
Didn’t the author of the video state that he was limiting college towns to those of 100,000 people or less? Certainly Fort Collins is well past that point.
Apparently you can’t read either 😂 I literally said CURRENTLY LIVE IN FORT COLLINS
@@zachvanarsdale7065 apparently, you don’t write well. Although you suggested that you have lived in Colorado, you didn’t say you did currently. As a native Coloradoan, I wish people like you would just leave. The attitude is a bit too much. You move in and do you think you know everything. Apparently, you don’t know Colorado very well, your lack of information shows so. Good luck clown boy
I grew up in Bloomington, so I'm glad to see it on the list. The only other town I've been to on your list is Iowa City, but I didn't spend enough time there to get a good feel for it.
On the flip side, I lived in Austin for a few years, and that's a totally different experience. I think they both have their pros and cons, but personally, I really like how Bloomington - and especially State College - are pretty far from any major or even mid-sized cities.
I absolutely love how remote State College is. It's just sitting there out on its own, doing its thing.
I am amazed at how many of these ten towns that I have some connection to or familiarity with. And I agree with those of whom I have personal connections. But, it must be said, the underlying commonality is that they are all are big university towns. If you had to go into the hundreds of small-college small towns, you would go numb trying to pick the top 50, I think. Chico was a surprise; never knew it has its charms. State College I have always discounted because I am from Maryland, but my maternal family lives in nearby Clearfield County. Boone is a great choice because of the mountains. My professors in grad school all went to IU; they spoke highly of it and Nashville, IL, the art colony just down the road. Lawrence KS is the most surprising, but that is because I am a history nerd and the first thing that pops into my head is "Bloody Kansas" and the attack on Lawrence prior to the Civil War. I am also a geography nerd (it was always engaging and easy for me), so I enjoy your channel. If you are ever in Charleston, SC, drop me a line and I'll buy you lunch!
Pretty good list. You nailed Iowa City pretty good. Boone, North Carolina is definitely a good choice too. But Champaign-Urbana looks too rough for me to put on the list.
No Corvallis, Oregon... ouch
Agreed
I went to school in Columbus, OH and currently live between Eugene and Corvallis OR. Both are awesome college towns in my opinion.
My favorite college town is Missoula, Mt. Great town in the mountains.
A bucket list venue for me to see a college football game.
Well, now they have that nice Washington Stadium, much nicer than it used to be. I'd like to see a game there, myself! When I was there in the 80s, the Griz played at Dornblazer, just a glorified sandlot with a few bleachers. @@jonboxleitner7354
Your only video where I don’t necessarily disagree but I think you left a lot out. So many amazing towns out west. Need to do this one by regions.
Makes me so happy to see Athens OH on this list
Great list. I’ve always wanted to move to a walkable college town after I retire. Great opportunities for intellectual and physical growth, and usually the restaurant choices are decent as well.
You are the king my man!
I was pleasantly surprised to see Boone North Carolina on your list. I thought maybe it was too small to make it. But here it is! I swear it's the coolest town I've ever been in!
I took my wife there for her 30th birthday weekend. We stayed in a log cabin type lodgement complete with a fireplace and your own back door to take walks along the woods in the cool crisp autumn evenings. The people were great the food was great. I can't send any bad about Boone. It was sad going back down the mountain to our sweltering home near the coast.
I might be biased considering I’m a student, but Auburn, AL is a great place to live that I think deserves an honorable mention. Downtown is nice and walkable and right next to campus with some good bars and restaurants, the campus and area itself is very pretty (plenty of nature around being at the foothills of the Apps), its a nice area in general with low crime and a low cost of living, it’s not too far of a drive from some big cities like Bham and ATL, and the culture, tradition and hospitality of Auburn is nearly unmatched. War eagle
Love this list and your reasoning. Please do a part 2!
Nice looking towns. Great video with you and Mr. Beat. 👍
Davis California , Moscow Idaho, La crosse Wisconsin, and Corvalis Oregon are some of my favorites.
Go BEAVS!
Great video! Having lived in Austin, TX, Cambridge, MA, and Boulder, CO, I was a bit bummed that those didn't make your list, but I totally get your reasons for focusing on the true college towns. I'll have to check these places out in the future. As a townie myself, I love places like this for trips and vacations, but I do miss the hustle and bustle of bigger cities. I'd be curious to see where Fayetteville, AR falls on your extended list of the best college towns!
Corvallis, Oregon (OSU) should be on this list.
Like yes, approve? You avoided several towns in the west. Bellingham WA, Ellensburg WA, Pullman, WA Moscow ID, Missoula MT and Bozeman MT come to mind.
Some excellent choices here! Especially Burlington, Boone, and Chico.
Did you look at Arcata, CA or Bozeman, MT or Blacksburg, VA? I've been to all those and thought they were great little college towns. Not sure if they met your criteria, though.
Nice video, Kyle!
Edited to add some more I love but not sure if they met your criteria for walkability. Flagstaff, AZ and San Luis Obispo, CA. I think Charlottesville, VA might be too big, but I love the campus. Hanover, NH is great.
Charlottesville (the city since VA has separate cities and counties) has close to 60k with the surrounding county (albemarle) a little bit over 100k. I think it may fit the criteria, but not too sure since Virginia does their cities and counties so oddly. I think it should be in the list as a completely unbiased Charlottesville native, though.
You picked the perfect town for your number one college town! That area of PA is absolutely gorgeous, that’s why they nicknamed it “Happy Valley.” After spending one semester at Grove City College and hating it, my brother transferred to Penn State and loved it! Although he spent most of his education at the Shenango campus, he did spend a semester out in State College. I wasn’t so fortunate when I went to college. I ended up going to Youngstown State University. And I really wouldn’t consider Youngstown, OH a college town because it is an economically depressed former industrial city that is riddled with poverty and crime! But the suburbs aren’t too bad.
I wonder what State College would have been named had it not been given a generic name reflecting its role as a college town.
Two college towns I am familiar with. First, Boone. I think he summarized it correctly, almost entirely centered around App State. Boone is not deep in the mountains, but more at the base just beyond the foothills. Second, College Station. I understand why it is not on the list. The Bryan/College Station metro area may have gotten a little too big in recent years. And it's hard to say there is anything really interesting in or around the area other than the A&M campus itself. Probably some crime over in Bryan too.
Awesome video Kyle!
Kyle, I would love to see another college town video focusing on the smaller college towns. Places such as Cortland and Oneonta, NY are gems! I’m sure there are so many of these in other regions, as well! Be well!
Dilbert's Scott Adams was accepted at Cornell but turned it down for Hartwick in Oneonta. Why? More girls! Cornell had just gone co-ed a few years before, and was still lopsided, whereas Hartwick had a nursing program.
Hartwick, not Cornell, enjoyed an NCAA national championship in those years-- soccer in 1977.
Still, nobody would call Oneonta a "gem". Nice surrounding hills, though.
I'm a little surprised not seeing Morgantown, WV on the list. I'm a Penn State grad and totally agree with it being #1 as well as Bloomington, IN being another great college town but I'd say Morgantown is also a quintessential college town.
Morgantown is harder to get around than State College.
I’m considering moving to Champaign-Urbana. I’ve been there twice and the place has everything I believe I’d need to be contented and stimulated - ample nice eating places of national varieties, some wonderful libraries, and great Amtrak access.
However, housing affordability is an obstacle, and the metro area has had a surge in handgun crime.
As a future international student I LOVE THIS! I would love to hear about college towns on the western side of the country: Colorado, Oregon, Arizona etc
There tend not to be really any of what we consider “college towns” out west. I think this must be related to when the areas were developed. These towns are in the 1800s mostly, and much of the west coast was developed more in the early/mid 1900s. Good luck!
I was at Flagstaff, AZ, on a national student exchange at Northern Arizona University. I loved it when I was there, a long time ago. Maybe that part of Arizona, being near the Grand Canyon and Route 66 was too touristy for the list.
My mom loves living in college towns. She grew up in Valparaiso and has lived in a couple non college towns but also Corvallis, OR and Silver City, NM.
I love college towns for the academic energy, the veritable fountain of youth offered by an endless stream of kids showing up to learn and research cutting edge knowledge, and the nifty amenities that such people demand in the business environment. It’s a tough category to define, and I can appreciate how “college town” may get lost with state capitals and large cities, yet it’s probable that some good locations like Madison and Cambridge, which really do carry the collegiate vibe, get lost in that filter.
Even with that though, the size cutoffs left me wondering: how many college towns in the US actually fit the definition that you used, with 10000+ students and
Aw man, what about Ithaca??
I LOVE college towns. Big mistake to eliminate state capitals, IMO. Madison might be the nicest college town I've been in. Much harder to pull off living in the sort of college town you are describing. Got to work for the university almost to pull it off.
Madison *is* a great "college town", but it is also so much more than that. As the only capital city in the US located on an isthmus, it just fits into a category of its own.
Having grown up right off University avenue, maybe 3-5 miles west of campus, I concur. As kids we used to ride our bikes downtown all the time. There are so many unique individual spots even among the campus itself. I was never a student there but I probably knew the geography of it better than many who were. I have stories for days... My personal favorite spot is a lookout point. It sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Mendota along a very narrow road, I believe it's Campus Dr but don't quote me on that. It's a great spot to enjoy a sunset over the lake. 🙂💙🦡🦡🦡
@@bubzilla6137 I've been to Madison, Lawrence, Chambana(Champaign/Urbana) Boone and State College. Madison was/is probably my favorite of them, except in Winter. I am the riff raff that 20 below keeps out.
@@rodgerbane3825 Spent five winters there and the coldest it ever got was 10 below with the wind chill -- on the first day of spring, 2002. But yeah, five months out of the year it's a tundra.
Visited Madison quite often as a kid and for state level competitions while in high school. It’s always a blast visiting the city.
I always loved Fort Collins and CSU. But that was back in 2002. Now it is so damn big like every other front range city in CO that its just not the same.
Nice. A different qualification could be the undergrad population is at least half of the census population of the town/city.
One bad thing about State College is it must be one of the least imaginative city names in America.
I mean... it does live up to it's name at least!
As someone who lives here, I don’t think Ann Arbor should be excluded. It’s far enough from Detroit that the growth really does not have to do with Detroit’s growth. The university itself is also growing and the city is growing along with it.
Agreed! I lived in Ann Arbor and it feels like a poster child college town. I've spent time in State College and have friends who've lived there, and to me Ann Arbor is a little better than State College.
I was at Athens Ohio over the summer! It was indeed a great college town. I loved the small town feel and all the historical architecture!
My favorite is Santa Cruz, CA. The university has over 10,000 students, but I noticed that Santa Cruz County 267,000 people, and so it narrowly exceeds your arbitrary ceiling of 250,000. Not only does Santa Cruz have better weather than any of the ones on your list, but it also has the most stunning scenery, which include redwood forest and mountain views of Monterey Bay. In addition, it is a great place for surfing and mountain biking, which you can do all year.
As a (retired) professor, I've visited 5 or 6 of thse, and glad I did! If I had to pick a favorite, I think it would be Iowa/Iowa City.
I'm a little surprised San Luis Obispo, CA didn't make the cut as it has all the college town characteristics you outlined and more (but I suppose if "affordability" was a criteria it might not make it). Edit: Looking through the comments, it looks like you addressed this already. Thanks for the interesting video.
Most of the growth in Boulder, has not been around commuting to denver but rather the tech industry in Boulder. We have a Google campus that opened a few years ago and that drew a lot of people to the city. Boulder Definitely functions as a separate metro from Denver, but whether it has "too much else going on" I'll let you decide.
I do indeed love me a college town! An additional bonus campus, maybe: If Boone/Appalachian State is a step back from tourism compared to Asheville, then maybe go one step further. Near Boone is a quaint town with a private college. Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, NC. It’s hard not to enjoy.
I’m surprised Charlottesville didn’t make the list. Virginia has a lot of nice college towns.
Athens, Ga should be #1 because of the music alone. Home to the B-52s, REM, Widespread Panic, Drive-by Truckers, of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, the Goons, Pylon, Azure Ray, Reptar, Dead Confederate, Vigilantes of Love, Dreams so Real, Love Tractor, Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel, and so many others.
I reluctantly gave this video a thumbs-up, because you didn't give proper consideration to Oxford, MS. I live here and can say that Ole Miss and Oxford are wonderful. Plenty of activities for a city of its size, that's on the grow. Population of both the city and the university has increased substantially over last year though. (The extra traffic is annoying and beginning to strain our infrastructure.)
Burlington is pretty wild for a small city. Had a friend who was attending UVM and lived on Pearl Street. Me and some friends went to visit him spring of 2011. Good times.
My father is a graduate from Ohio University as well! He remembers driving out to Appalachia for camping on the weekends.
Okay, I have a list you need to do. Worst military towns. They would be Killeen, TX, Barstow, CA, Lawton, OK, and whatever city is near Ft. Polk, LA. I’ve been to all these places and they are considered the worst.
You missed a fact about Boulder. The bulk of work commutes are into Boulder from Denver and surrounding communities. It used to be a wonderful little college town. Sadly, it has been gentrified as has much of Colorado.
You should have had Flagstaff, Arizona on the list. It’s an idyllic college town
I went to NAU my freshman year. Beautiful campus and town. Transferred to Ole Miss. Another beautiful campus and town.
Can't argue with any of your list, little bummed to see Ithaca NY missing. I think the town has about 30k residents, with Cornell U having over 20k students and Ithaca College with 6700ish. Beautiful town, lots of mix with the townie and college areas, and it's definitely not all yuppie Ivy league either (though there is a fair bit of that around Cornell's campus for obvious reasons). Closest big town is Syracuse and that's over an hour drive away. It's a fantastic college town in a beautiful part of the state! I loved living there, even as a townie
I loved how this video clearly and more important correctly defined a college town. Look, I like Columbus OH and Austin TX well enough but those are big city state capitals, not college towns. I would push back a little on maybe places like Ann Arbor MI or Chapel Hill NC but overall I love any best college towns list that excludes state capitals, big cities, and suburbs.
Most of the best college towns I have visited are on this list - Boone NC, State College PA, Athens GA, Iowa City, Athens OH are my personal top 5. Of places I have been, I also like Charlottesville VA, San Luis Obispo CA, Oxford MS, Oxford OH, and San Marcos TX
Been to 7 of the 10 college town on this list and have to say its pretty good. Iowa City was always a stop for me going between Fort Berthold/Standing Rock and VA. Has a nice college town feel with nice shopping malls, incredible foods, newly modernized interstate and 1-380 acts a great connection going to Sioux Falls or Minneapolis, or University of Northern Iowa.
Not to get too picky, but the “downtown” of Athens, Ohio is actually called Uptown. Its uphill from the Hocking River as well as East, West and South campus greens and what was once a train depot. I just thought I would mention, as the name has a basis in the topography and geography of the town! Thanks for a fun video, I was excited to have lived in two of them! Athens and Lawrence!
I know it didn't meet your county size requierement, but i would add Houghton, Michigan for all the same reasons as Boone, NC.
Impressive. Job well done. I'm a city boy. I would prefer a bigger college town. I think Cambridge, MA is awesome.