According to Yahoo! ...

[Highlifeman21]

... 4 Big 11 teams in their Top 10 College Towns across the Nation...

Top 10 College Towns in America, According to Yahoo!

10. Hoosiers
4. They are, Penn State
3. Wisky in the Jar
1. M*ch*gan


... sorry tOSU fans.

Heck, even WMR's Wildcats of Lexington made the Top 5 (#5)

[MWM]

Columbus really isn't a college town. Bu neither is Lexington, so I'm surprised they're on the list. I love college towns and I can vouch for what a great college town Ann Arbor is. Madison is also a pretty cool place. But I think perhaps the best college town out there is Chapel Hill, which they have at #7. Chapel Hill is a very cool place and I'd live there in a second.

[WMR]

Thanks for posting that, HL.

Question: Why isn't Lex a college town? There's no professional teams (asides from the minor league Legends) and the focus of the entire city, as far as sports, is on UK...

doesn't that qualify?

[MWM]

Well, I've always considered "college towns" to be those that are smaller towns there for almost no other reason than for the University. It's not a knowck on Lexington, it's just that it's more of a larger metropolitan area. Every large city has colleges, but generally I wouldn't consider a place like Lexington a "town." Columbus is definitely not a college town even though they pretty much have nothing else, unless you consider the NHL. Cincinnati isn't a college town becase UC is there. Heck, even New YOrk City could be a college town to some if you consider that they have more than a dozen universities there.

But if you look at places like Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor, you're not in a big city. It has a different feel to it. You can't be in the town without understanding you're in college town. There's dozens of them throughout the country. Lexington is not a place that has a feel of a college town. I've spent lots of time there, and have lived in two college towns. Lexington is apples and oranges to places like Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill. I like Lexington quite a bit, just like I do Columbus.

[*BaseClogger*]

Was the focus of this poll on big schools, like say, BCS schools?

[Sea Ray]

When I think of Lexington I think of horse racing first, UK second. Sports wise I'd say horse racing is #1 in that town, not UK sports

[WVRed]

Originally Posted by MWM

Well, I've always considered "college towns" to be those that are smaller towns there for almost no other reason than for the University. It's not a knowck on Lexington, it's just that it's more of a larger metropolitan area. Every large city has colleges, but generally I wouldn't consider a place like Lexington a "town." Columbus is definitely not a college town even though they pretty much have nothing else, unless you consider the NHL. Cincinnati isn't a college town becase UC is there. Heck, even New YOrk City could be a college town to some if you consider that they have more than a dozen universities there.

But if you look at places like Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor, you're not in a big city. It has a different feel to it. You can't be in the town without understanding you're in college town. There's dozens of them throughout the country. Lexington is not a place that has a feel of a college town. I've spent lots of time there, and have lived in two college towns. Lexington is apples and oranges to places like Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill. I like Lexington quite a bit, just like I do Columbus.

I've not been through North Carolina much, but both Duke and North Carolina are located in the Raleigh-Durham area, aren't they? (Duke in Durham and UNC in Chapel Hill) I would think that would qualify as a metro area.

[elfmanvt07]

Originally Posted by MWM

Well, I've always considered "college towns" to be those that are smaller towns there for almost no other reason than for the University. It's not a knowck on Lexington, it's just that it's more of a larger metropolitan area. Every large city has colleges, but generally I wouldn't consider a place like Lexington a "town." Columbus is definitely not a college town even though they pretty much have nothing else, unless you consider the NHL. Cincinnati isn't a college town becase UC is there. Heck, even New YOrk City could be a college town to some if you consider that they have more than a dozen universities there.

But if you look at places like Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor, you're not in a big city. It has a different feel to it. You can't be in the town without understanding you're in college town. There's dozens of them throughout the country. Lexington is not a place that has a feel of a college town. I've spent lots of time there, and have lived in two college towns. Lexington is apples and oranges to places like Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill. I like Lexington quite a bit, just like I do Columbus.

I tend to agree with this assessment, and am kind of miffed about Charlottesville being above Blacksburg, if they're going to pick a Virginia town. First off, the Burg is more of a true college town anyway (town population relative to the university), not to mention that half of the students at UVA don't really care about their sports teams.

[elfmanvt07]

Originally Posted by WVRed

I've not been through North Carolina much, but both Duke and North Carolina are located in the Raleigh-Durham area, aren't they? (Duke in Durham and UNC in Chapel Hill) I would think that would qualify as a metro area.

Chapel Hill, IMO, has enough of it's own feel to qualify as a college town. Duke, not so much.

[Roy Tucker]

I agree with MWM's definition of a college town and was a little surprised Lexington was on the list. Nothin against Lexington (I like it), but UK isn't the sole reason why the town is there.

I was a little surprised about Palo Alto too. I can't say I get a college feel from that town with all the $$$ abounding.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by MWM

Well, I've always considered "college towns" to be those that are smaller towns there for almost no other reason than for the University. It's not a knowck on Lexington, it's just that it's more of a larger metropolitan area. Every large city has colleges, but generally I wouldn't consider a place like Lexington a "town." Columbus is definitely not a college town even though they pretty much have nothing else, unless you consider the NHL. Cincinnati isn't a college town becase UC is there. Heck, even New YOrk City could be a college town to some if you consider that they have more than a dozen universities there.

But if you look at places like Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor, you're not in a big city. It has a different feel to it. You can't be in the town without understanding you're in college town. There's dozens of them throughout the country. Lexington is not a place that has a feel of a college town. I've spent lots of time there, and have lived in two college towns. Lexington is apples and oranges to places like Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill. I like Lexington quite a bit, just like I do Columbus.

Totally agree, I lived in college towns for most of my adult life.. or did I ?

Palo Alto was a college town when I moved there, by the time I left it was a playground for the rich, Santa Cruz is a college town with a surfer culture that has nothing to do with school, Berkeley was a college town but with a big town breathing over its shoulder, Portland could be a college town (There's a college 900 yards from my house) but it's not a college town.

Lawrence Kansas is a college town, Lincoln Nebraska, Madison Wisconsin, they're college towns, not Minneapolis, Chicago, or Miami.. though they all have colleges in their area.

Colleges make the town and the town rotates around the college as means for an existence, not the other way around.

[WVRed]

Take for example: Morgantown, West Virginia.

When college is in session, the city is booming. During the summer, it is a ghost town.

The same cannot be said for Lexington, Columbus, or the Raleigh-Durham area.

[MWM]

Chapel Hill is pretty much separate from Raligh-Durham. If you've been there, you understand. It's definitely a college town, and a great one.

[redsbuckeye]

That's an odd method for determining best college town.

[SunDeck]

Originally Posted by MWM

Chapel Hill is pretty much separate from Raligh-Durham. If you've been there, you understand. It's definitely a college town, and a great one.

Agreed. I lived in Raleigh and the college atmosphere there is pretty much limited to the few square miles around NCSU, very much like Clifton really. And Durham is definitely not a college town.

Chapel Hill is 100% college town, although the growth of the Triangle has mingled Durham and CH so much that it's becoming less idyllic than it was even when I was there ten years ago.

If you ask me the critical thing is this: would the town be a relocation destination without the university? If the answer is "no", then it's a college town. Take my blessed Bloomington, for example. Take away IU and it's just another cruddy, southern Indiana town that has lost it's manufacturing.

I think Chapel Hill may be losing that somewhat. It's becoming less dependent on UNC for its character.