College Town Can Be Factor in College Decision

November 3rd, 2009

When I was making my college decision, I visited Athens, Georgia with my dad and knew the University of Georgia was the spot for me.

It wasn’t just about what degrees the school offered or its reputation in academic and athletics; I fell in love with the vibrant, pedestrian downtown that was just across the street from campus. It had trendy shops, small local restaurants, and clubs and music venues that hosted so many popular bands that Rolling Stone called it the #1 college music town.

You’ll find cities with colleges and universities among those of Kiplinger’s Best Cities for 2009, which looks at factors such as job stability and growth. These and other kinds of “best cities” lists are worth looking at as you consider where you’re going to call home during your college career.

Athens, home to the University of Georgia, comes in at #5 on the list and had 34,180 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in fall 2009.

The top city on the list – Huntsville, Alabama–offers students the University of Alabama at Huntsville, a research-intensive institution with 10,000 students.

Washington D.C. – #3 on the list – boasts more than 15 schools surrounding our country’s center of government. They range from Georgetown University to Howard University to American University to theological seminaries and smaller community colleges.

At #8, Austin, Texas, also has a collegiate atmosphere and a happening music scene, as host of the annual South by Southwest music festival. It’s also home to one of the largest public universities in the U.S. – the University of Texas at Austin – which has a staggering amount of students, nearly 50,000.

Madison, Wisconsin, #7 on the list, also boasts another large state university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison with 42,030 students.

Another school I considered – University of Virginia, with 21,057 students – is in Charlottesville, Virginia, which comes in at #4 in Kiplinger’s list. In Olympia, Washington, The Evergreen State College attracts about 4,600 students annually.  #2 on the list, Albuquerque, New Mexico is home to The University of New Mexico, which had a record enrollment of 34,674 students enrolled at its campuses in fall 2009. Flagstaff, Arizona at #9 offers schools such as Northern Arizona University, and North Carolina State University is in Raleigh, N.C.,  #10 on the list.

For me, the town atmosphere and setting was a plus in making my college decision. It could be for yours, too.

–Lori Johnston

Entry Filed under: Advice, College Admissions, News