What do the top ten college towns in the US all have in common? Nobody saw them as contenders. A race full of dark horses.
Movoto Real Estate claims it has found the formula for selecting the best college towns in America. The criteria they used includes total amenities, quality of life, crime and tax rates, unemployment and weather. As a starting point this study assumed that liberal arts schools are surrounded by better environments. You know, that serve culture rather than ten cent wings and dollar pitchers. Ranking culture over party scene. #PGP.
Here is the top ten:
1. Hanover, NH (Dartmouth)
2. Bryn Mawr, PA
3. Charlottesville, VA (UVA)
4. Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan)
5. Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech)
6. Princeton, NJ
7. Swarthmore, PA
8. Iowa City, IA (Iowa)
9. Waltham, MA (Middlesex University)
10. Burlington, VT (Vermont)
[via Movoto]
Zero SEC towns. Hell, zero towns in the deep south at all for that matter. I could go on, but I’ll just summarize: what a garbage ass list.
“My school may ban alcohol, being out past 10pm and sex, but our tax rate is sooo low.” - No one
“The criteria they used includes total amenities, quality of life, crime and tax rates, unemployment and weather.” Weather? They ever been to Iowa City October-early May?
Middlesex University….? Brandeis?
Finally something about my alma mater I can be proud of…
Being on the east coast seems to be the only criteria they considered.
Movoto also wishes desperately that it was Zillow.
Here we go again…
This list loses all credibility for failure to include Athens, GA.
That and eliminating every non-liberal arts school as a starting point.
I didn’t even go to Tulane, but I don’t understand how New Orleans didn’t make this list.
As a Tulane alum, this list makes me very sad. As much as I hate to give the SEC credit for anything (even though we’re a founding member), Athens and Tuscaloosa should absolutely be on this list.