Best College Towns Map

[Cardinal12 34]

Tulane is a bogus response as well. Who doesn't love NOLA but that's not a college town. Def should be LSU. 

[Beau Vine 55,891]

3 hours ago, immamac said:

I've had enough. Big game boomer posts will earn a ban. Stop spreading that guys idiocy. The topics he comes up with aren't bad, but his lists are complete and total garbage. His topics are fine to make threads about,  just don't include his posts.

Thank you.

[ousux 5,649]

Tulane is a bogus response as well. Who doesn't love NOLA but that's not a college town. Def should be LSU. 

The map is for "best". Outside of a few good restaurants and bars, red stick doesnt have anything notable surrounding the campus...and can easily veer into shithole status if you wander into the wrong part of town.

[Sbbruin 22,147]

15 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

So if all the colleges in California, it’s Berkeley?

not San Diego, not LA, not Malibu?

The best CA college town is UCSB (Isla Vista) and it's not even close.  Arguably one of the best in the country.

[Cardinal12 34]

4 minutes ago, ousux said:

9 minutes ago, Cardinal12 said:

Tulane is a bogus response as well. Who doesn't love NOLA but that's not a college town. Def should be LSU. 

The map is for "best". Outside of a few good restaurants and bars, red stick doesnt have anything notable surrounding the campus...and can easily veer into shithole status if you wander into the wrong part of town.

I mean your competition isn't really there in Louisiana. You take out Tulane for being in a metro city and take out LSU for BR sketchiness I guess ULL is the only other answer you can make without getting laughed out of the building. Unless you are some sort of psycho thinks there nothing better to live than 4 years in Monroe or Ruston

Edited May 5, 2021 by Cardinal12

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

I worked with a guy in Austin back in the mid-80s who swore that San Angelo had the old Austin atmosphere. He thought Austin was going to shit way back then. I’ve never spent any real time in San Angelo, so I can’t vouch for it. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by ImissWallyPryor

[TonyTexas 10,786]

32 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Holy Christ are the girls at CofC in another world. Best I've ever seen.

Plus they are abundant. Student body is 66% female. 

[SimonBolivar 11,068]

51 minutes ago, Cardinal12 said:

I mean your competition isn't really there in Louisiana. You take out Tulane for being in a metro city and take out LSU for BR sketchiness I guess ULL is the only other answer you can make without getting laughed out of the building. Unless you are some sort of psycho thinks there nothing better to live than 4 years in Monroe or Ruston

Lafayette is a cool place, but yeah I think it needs to be Baton Rogue. Post Katrina it may be too big though with 800k in their metro area.

[Beau Vine 55,891]

46 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Lafayette is a cool place, but yeah I think it needs to be Baton Rogue. Post Katrina it may be too big though with 800k in their metro area.

Plus, you'd be stretching things calling LSU a "college."

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, TonyTexas said:

Plus they are abundant. Student body is 66% female. 

I don't know, but I'm picturing a pair of scissors with that numeric data piece.  

[texifornia 59,061]

5 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I don't know, but I'm picturing a pair of scissors with that numeric data piece.  

You'd think so (*cough* Vassar *cough*) but CofC doesn't play like that.

[Guest Lobo]

4 minutes ago, texifornia said:

You'd think so (*cough* Vassar *cough*) but CofC doesn't play like that.

Ain't that the truth.  You picture two pair of Poketo Lucite scissors on a moist Charleston evening.  

Instead, it's a couple of thick, rusted art class scissors at Wellesley.  

[elfenix 34,778]

5 hours ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

  I'd consider anything over 5000 a city, as opposed to a town.

b/cs is not a city. 

i put the line at 250K. 

[Guest]

Lubbock sucks in general as a place to live.  It is an outstanding college town, however.

[BurntOrange&White 42,008]

6 minutes ago, slorch said:

Lubbock sucks in general as a place to live.  It is an outstanding college town, however.

San Marcos is the answer for Texas. The coeds, the square, the river systems/tubing, the pool parties, and etc 

[markstanco 12,806]

5 hours ago, closetojumping said:

nicest DoubleTree

This made me laugh 

[Hook1997 5,525]

9 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Austin isn’t a college town my guy

I hear what you are saying but can you really call San Marcos the best college town when most of the kids want to go to Austin on the weekend over staying there??

[BurntOrange&White 42,008]

1 minute ago, Hook1997 said:

I hear what you are saying but can you really call San Marcos the best college town when most of the kids want to go to Austin on the weekend over staying there??

Yes because of all the things I listed. Outside of DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio that’s the best college town unless you want to give it to Lubbock or College Station

[honolulu horn 6,241]

17 hours ago, Bodhi said:

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo or UC Santa Barbara are also in contention.  Your second statement is off the mark though.  Boulder is a better town, more scenic, is closer to everything, and provides access to the mountains in mins.  Cost of living is the only variable in which Fort Colins is better.

True on SLO and Santa Barbara. And cool, you can keep Boulder. You're right that it's closer to everything, which is its downfall. The fewer people in Ft Collins and the surrounding mountains the better. 

Also surfing sucks, don't try it 😉

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

7 hours ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

I worked with a guy in Austin back in the mid-80s who swore that San Angelo had the old Austin atmosphere. He thought Austin was going to shit way back then. I’ve never spent any real time in San Angelo, so I can’t vouch for it. 

If you are from Coleman or Santa Ana, San Angelo is Nirvana. If you are from civilization, um... it's better than Abilene?

[Grade of D as in David 13,256]

8 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Plus they are abundant. Student body is 66% female. 

[Macklemore 2,945]

8 hours ago, Cardinal12 said:

Tulane is a bogus response as well. Who doesn't love NOLA but that's not a college town. Def should be LSU. 

Quoted for truth. Baton Rouge is the quintessential college town. The number of people who descend upon that town during game day is unreal. No one gives a shit about Tulane, even in their own neighborhood in New Orleans.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Macklemore

[Macklemore 2,945]

8 hours ago, ousux said:

9 hours ago, Cardinal12 said:

Tulane is a bogus response as well. Who doesn't love NOLA but that's not a college town. Def should be LSU. 

The map is for "best". Outside of a few good restaurants and bars, red stick doesnt have anything notable surrounding the campus...and can easily veer into shithole status if you wander into the wrong part of town.

The Chimes is top 5 in the country when it comes to college bars next to campus. Getting a po boy from a sketchy convenience store and going to the original Raising Cane’s is also a BR game day experience.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Macklemore

[Carl Spackler 3,622]

12 hours ago, immamac said:

I've had enough. Big game boomer posts will earn a ban. Stop spreading that guys idiocy. The topics he comes up with aren't bad, but his lists are complete and total garbage. His topics are fine to make threads about,  just don't include his posts.

[Telegraph_it 3,379]

10 hours ago, NTVTXN said:

Because 99% of its inhabitants are old wrinkly/pruned-up sun baked raisins of human beings who obviously already “hit their number” and can afford retire in a such a place. 
 

TLDR- them old’s ain’t come to play schoo

Yea but the 1% is pretty good. I guess they probably don’t live in actual Scottsdale. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

If you are from Coleman or Santa Ana, San Angelo is Nirvana. If you are from civilization, um... it's better than Abilene?

I think he was from Manchaca. 

[Cardinal12 34]

14 hours ago, Macklemore said:

Quoted for truth. Baton Rouge is the quintessential college town. The number of people who descend upon that town during game day is unreal. No one gives a shit about Tulane, even in their own neighborhood in New Orleans.

The own students (at Tulane) don't even care about the football team. They drink at the tailgate wearing gear, nap, and go out. Don't even attempt to go in the stadium. It's kind of funny to watch. 

[Alien Octopus 666]

On 5/5/2021 at 12:01 AM, Bodhi said:

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo or UC Santa Barbara are also in contention.  Your second statement is off the mark though.  Boulder is a better town, more scenic, is closer to everything, and provides access to the mountains in mins.  Cost of living is the only variable in which Fort Colins is better.

Love this thread. headed to Boulder in a couple for a job with the Feds. Will smoke a fatty in both spots and settle this argument on disc golf course.

[Pato del Muerto 53,589]

On 5/5/2021 at 9:57 AM, Sbbruin said:

The best CA college town is UCSB (Isla Vista) and it's not even close.  Arguably one of the best in the country.

My list wasn’t intended to be exhaustive 

[Duane Moore 5,773]

This discussion begs the question of how do you define a “college town”? Is it a smaller municipality that is defined by and revolves around the college (to the point where the school and the town share the same name like Auburn and Clemson)? Or is it a city where it is really fun to go to college, like Austin, Charleston, or Malibu?

[tbone_ 14,466]

Because 99% of its inhabitants are old wrinkly/pruned-up sun baked raisins of human beings

Lol

[52-80 19,377]

so more or less a map of all the flagship state schools?

[MaybeACoordinator 8,350]

On 5/5/2021 at 12:12 AM, Telegraph_it said:

Phoenix is like Denver. A geographically small city surrounded by other cities that make it seem like a bigger city. 
 

edit. I didn’t finish my thought. Why isn’t there a college in Scottsdale?

 

On 5/5/2021 at 10:38 AM, texifornia said:

Holy Christ are the girls at CofC in another world. Best I've ever seen.

 

I think if the powers-that-be could get up a little fine arts / liberal arts college in Galveston, Texas could have it's own little SCAD or CofC. Move in to some of the old buildings in and around the Strand that still need renovating, make it a little gritty, a little historic, and a little cool. It's odd that Galveston has two schools for science brains in UTMB and Gulf Aggy but nothing for those of us in search of useless degrees but who would have liked to have attended a 66 percent female school where I could pontificated about books and history close to home. 

[WhatTheBuck 28,940]

On 5/5/2021 at 8:36 AM, alincoln said:

Athens is the right answer for Ohio.

If you’re just looking for a party and have never been to Oxford, sure. 

[Parliament 14,619]

Mayville > Grand Forks

[Al_4_ISU 12,662]

On 5/4/2021 at 8:14 PM, Asithappens said:

Ames over Iowa City? 

Iowa City makes a flashier first impression, but the suburban Chicago frat boy coked out scene wears on people pretty fast.

All my buddies who went to Iowa would admit that they had more fun partying in Ames, even though Iowa City is more cosmopolitan and larger.

[MirrOlure 15,309]

All you fuckers with the “Austin isn’t a college town”....

That’s like saying “Austin isn’t a Capitol City.” Geographically, economically, relevance, culturally, and population-wise from August through May....it is every bit a “college town.”

Of course it’s grown, matured (or devolved?) into more than JUST a college town or Capitol City....but a significant amount of the growth is as a direct result of the University.

And there a reason hotel availability and prices are different for six weekends in the fall than in the middle of February or July.....point being...the University is and always will be fundamentally and inextricably intertwined with the existence of the City of Austin.

[BurntOrange&White 42,008]

1 minute ago, MirrOlure said:

Of course it’s grown, matured (or devolved?) into more than JUST a college town or Capitol City....but a significant amount of the growth is as a direct result of the University.

Lmao, not recently. It’s all the tech firms moving in. 

[MirrOlure 15,309]

Lmao, not recently. It’s all the tech firms moving in. 

Nice to see that the nuances of word usage and qualifications continue to escape your comprehension.

[Somnio 751]

The city of Austin covers about 300 square miles, and has about 1 million residents.

The Austin metro covers a five county region with about 2.3 million residents.

No one could argue UT is not a major part of Austin, and always will be, but I just don't see how a city of Austin's size and prominence could be considered a "college town".

[South Austin 53,265]

New York is a great college town.

[MaybeACoordinator 8,350]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

New York is a great college town.

Ian Faith:
The Boston gig has been cancelled...

David St. Hubbins:
What?

Ian Faith:
Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

 

New York kind of exists outside of all other parameters, but smaller East Coast cities like Philly, DC, Baltimore and Boston with tons of small-to-midsized colleges in a relatively compact setting with mass transit seem like "college towns" even though they are large metros. Maybe not college football towns, but college towns. Same to a lesser degree with Chicago. 

Down here it's hard to think of comparable cities. Houston is a very shitty college town. 

[Irieguy 1,059]

I think the best college town maps are topographic. But geologic maps are good too. 

[WhatTheBuck 28,940]

Don’t overlook Kalamazoo.

[Brew 3,051]

For the most part it is clearly the best city in the state to go to college in, not the best “college town”. From a college town perspective, they don’t really exist any more. There are still some “college towns” around my area that are built around the schools with Oxford, Starkville, maybe Athens, etc but most major universities have ended up inside larger metropolitan areas as the cities have grown around them. Even with Oxford and Starkville, outside of the main street areas there isn’t much to do there and you’re leaving town if you want to get into anything. I would rather go to a school in a City with something else going on at this point.

[Knoxtnhorn 6,312]

Knoxville (Tennessee) is also not a very good submission.  It's a river, then campus, then kind of a "West" campus in which you're more likely to get robbed, raped, or carjacked than enjoy a decent party.  Football game day is cool, but the rest is sub par.

Also, if you're into the frat/sorority scene, the school doesn't allow off campus housing.  Open container laws are also enforced both on and off campus.

Edit: I think it's a state law, not school rules that keep Greeks on campus.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Knoxtnhorn

[PittsburghTiger 6,351]

On 5/4/2021 at 9:20 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Austin is a big city. College town is decades in the rearview mirror. 

Big Division 1 for the most part

Edited May 9, 2021 by PittsburghTiger

[billfromlaketravis 11,867]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:24 PM, BurntOrange&White said:

San Marcos is the answer for Texas. The coeds, the square, the river systems/tubing, the pool parties, and etc 

If I were ready to retire right now, San Marcos would be the pick. The food scene needs to get better, and it probably will. Plenty of good chefs in Austin looking for sites with lower rent.

[billfromlaketravis 11,867]

It was posted somewhere upthread, but it’s insane that Greater Baton Rouge is up to 800k. I guess former New Orleans residents like their backyards and staying dry during hurricanes. 
 

Off the top of my head, Baton Rouge would be the largest city in the SEC. Bigger than Nashville. 

Edited May 9, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[Guest]

Ok...you convinced me that a retirement village is the best college town in Texas.

 

C'mon mannnn....