Get Schooled

By KLK

April 9, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this

A great college town is one that has history and legacy. It is going to be years before Lawrenceville can call itself a college town. Town size does not matter. I went to So. Carolina and can say it was a great college town. It is located in a city of about 300k, but has its own community within the city, a historic & active campus and Five Points where one can work, eat, have a coffee, shop, etc. Columbia is large enough to have intern and work opportunities. I was lucky to have a resume when I graduated and owe this to the several jobs I had while in school. A great college town offers a student opportunity off campus. And don’t forget the Gamecock spirit. Columbia itself also benefits from having USC there. On the other hand, small towns like Athens or Clemson are great college towns. Not a Bulldog or Tiger fan, but when I visit these two, they are for sure great college towns. Again, history and legacy. You just know it when you visit a college town - it takes years to achieve and Lawrenceville has many years to go.

By Animal House

April 9, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this

Dorm and frat house parties, 50 cent beers in bars, people passed out on lawns when the sun comes up, a college full of girls that put out, and fall football frenzy exclusive with ultimate tailgate parties.

By Blonde

April 9, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this

A college! Duh!

By Barbara

April 9, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

Chapel Hill, for sure. The town is centered around the oldest state university in the country, and mirrors the campus. It’s one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and the town has kept its historical atmosphere.

By ed

April 9, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this

hot chicks. .duh

By crawdaddy

April 9, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this

UNC is NOT the oldest state college, UGA is the oldest state sponsored university. The University of Virginia is the second oldest.

By Erin

April 9, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this

I agree with KLK … history and legacy make a college town what it is. You can’t just plop a college anywhere and call the town it’s in a “college town.”

You need the history. The college has to have been there awhile. You need students living both on campus and in apartments or houses around the city. You REALLY need things to do for the students (other than bars, though they are a big draw, too) to keep them IN the town for the weekends. Proximity to a larger city is a good thing, too, so students can go do things there, too. Good sports teams also help!

Most of all, I think a good college town has to have support among the regular residents of the town for the school and its students. And the students have to, to some degree, consider that town “home” while they’re there, even if they’re living in a dorm and not an apartment.

Like KLK said, Lawrencville has a LONG way to go to be considered a college town. Athens is a good one. So is Chapel Hill. I even liked Milledgeville the year I went to GC (before it became GC&SU) but San Marcos, Texas, was my favorite place.

It is a GREAT place for a college (yes, I went to school there) because it has all the factors mentioned above, plus it’s almost exactly halfway between both Austin and San Antonio.

It’s what I think of first when I think “college town,” though I also firmly believe there’s a big difference between “going to college” and “getting a college education.”

By Dave

April 9, 2008 12:09 PM | Link to this

Cheap beer and your drunken daughters for us to take full advantage of!

By DB

April 9, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this

Go Heels! Chapel Hill will always be, to me, the idyllic, quinessential college town. Small enough to get around in easily with a bike, if necessary, and loaded with charm. When my son was trying to choose a college, we were talking about factors, and one of the things that he was looking for was a college town feel, not just a bunch of buildings plopped in a cornfield or carved out of a city. I also enjoy Cambridge :-). And, of course, if you want to travel further afield, you have Oxford, in England. Now THERE’S a college town!

And, while I hesitate to mention this in Georgia, it IS true that UNC was the first public university to opens its doors to students. While UGA was chartered in 1785 (beating UNC out by 4 years), UGA didn’t begin offering classes until 1801. UNC started classes in 1795. You can charter schools until the cows come home — but until you actually have students and start to teach, it’s not a real school. :-) The original building’s cornerstone was laid in 1793, and it is still in use as a residence hall, overlooking the Old Well. THAT’S history!

By Professor

April 9, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

Crawdaddy—

How about you understand history. UGA was the first state established school in 1785. But it took years to get its act together and it wasn’t until 1799 that it actually opened with classes not until 1801.

Carolina was established in 1789 and was offering classes by 1795…BEFORE UGA. To me that settles the debate.

As for you UVA, get your facts straight (again. It wasn’t established until 1819.

By SAMMY THE HEAD MILLER

April 9, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

Ole Miss! Hotty Toddy! Girls, beer, hunting and fishing all in a small old town!

By smooth

April 9, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

I’ve been to Athens. It’s a good time no doubt! Too much red and black for me though. Now a college town that has history , you gotta be talking about Tuscaloosa, home of your Alabama Crimson Tide! There’s no denying T-town has history. Oh what a beautiful college it is!

By smooth

April 9, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this

I’ve been to Athens. It’s a good time no doubt! Too much red and black for me though. Now a college town that has history , you gotta be talking about Tuscaloosa, home of your Alabama Crimson Tide! There’s no denying T-town has history. Oh what a beautiful college it is!

By Jason

April 9, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

Actually, William & Mary (1693) is the oldest state school, followed by Rutgers (1766).

By DB

April 9, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this

Jason, we’re talking about public universities when we are discussing UNC and UGa — schools that were specifically chartered by their respective states to be public universities, and not founded by a private entity such as a church. William & Mary and Rutgers were both first chartered as private universities, although both have become public in the meantime, W&M in 1906 and Rutgers in the 1940s. On the other hand, Harvard was chartered in 1636, and began operations in 1650, and is usually acknowledged as the “first”, public or private.

By Sarah

April 9, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this

University of Texas, Austin! Hook ‘em Horns. A great college town offers a variety of things to do for a variety of people. Not everyone wants to get sloshed weekly on cheap beer. Also, Austin is a great city to live in once you’ve completed your studies and it’s not like some college towns where there’s no hope for life once you’re done. Austin, simply put….is wonderful! Excellent live music to be found there too.

By Jason

April 9, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

“Jason, we’re talking about public universities when we are discussing UNC and UGa — schools that were specifically chartered by their respective states to be public universities…”

Well, it was kind of impossible for a university to have been founded as a state school prior to the American Revolution. The fact is, W&M and Rutgers both came into existence before Chapel Hill and UGA, and are currently public institutions. Having attended none of these schools, I don’t really care. Actually, even if I did I wouldn’t care, since it’s arbitrary.

By drew

April 9, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

The best college town I’ve been to? Boulder, home of the University of Colorado.

It’s nestled right up against the Rocky Mountain foothills, in one of the most beautiful towns in America. It’s also one of the top 10 “greenest” cities in the country, as well as one of the most pet-friendly. When the football team is good (as it was in the 90’s), Saturdays there are as fun as any university in the South. In the winter, the ski resorts are only a couple hours away.

The big city experience is only 25 miles away in Denver (pop. 2.5 million), which is a great city in its own right.

By The Truth

April 9, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this

smooth, The blog is about College campuses. Not trailer parks. Tuscalooser sucks! Their football program sucks and so do all the hicks that go there. Nice try.

By Brain-e-ac?

April 9, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this

I was about to disown all of you and set your facts straight. Thank goodness someone of intelligence corrected you before I could - round of applause for “DB” please.

By erin

April 9, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this

I agree with Sarah about Austin … Hook ‘em Horns! And there’s NOTHING in Georgia that can compete with a good time on Sixth Street after a great fall Saturday with a win for Texas football!

By John

April 9, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this

Cheap Beer, Loose Girls and a good Football Team.

By GSUEagle

April 9, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this

Nothing to do and a cow field. Ahh Statesboro.

By GSUEagles

April 9, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this

Drew…hell yeah. I would have loved to go to school in Boulder. Don’t forget the kick a$$ music scene out there and lots of hippies! Fort Collins, CO is a cool college town too. Gotta love having the New Belgium brewery in town with free samples everyday.

By mathematical equations

April 9, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this

Beer + sex = good college town?

Did I miss anything? Oh, yeah:

cheap beer + cheap sex = good college town

By 28 yr. old freshman

April 9, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this

Sweet t**, libations, and good food, frats and sororities are for racists of both colors who can’t seem to function without other inbreds

By LG

April 9, 2008 3:24 PM | Link to this

Athens is a dump, drugs everywhere. Take a wrong turn and you are in the middle of the projects.

By WFS

April 9, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this

All I can say is, God help this country!! IF those that are graduating from our schools only care about getting drunk and having sex, We are in BIG TROUBLE, GOD HELP US ALL!!

By HS Teacher Too

April 9, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

You know, I think Boston is a great college town as well. It is more than a college town, of course, but during the school year I believe that 3/4 of the population are students. It’s got a great combination of everything you’d want in a city, AND everything you’d want in a college town — and if you’re on the outskirts, such as at Boston College — you truly get the best of all worlds because you also get a pretty and “college-y” campus (as opposed to, say BU, or Emerson, which are in the city proper and don’t have the lawns, etc.)

I’ve got to take the Supreme Court’s stance on pornography and apply it here: I might not be able to define a perfect college town, but I sure do know it when I see it! I’d say Athens, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Madison … they all fit the bill! And yes, Tuscaloosa too. :)

By Daniel

April 9, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this

I live in Athens and attend UGA. Athens is one of those cities that is completely dependent on the university. In the summer time, nearly all the students leave the city. On the other hand, due to the dependence on the university, students have lots of opportunities around town. Athens is good for school, and that’s it. Unless, of course, your an alcoholic. Most importantly, there is a female to male ratio that favors females, which actually favors males. Also, I know when I leave Athens because its a lot harder to find a good looking person.

By Kiki

April 9, 2008 4:59 PM | Link to this

Oxford, MS has got to be at the top of the list. It’s consistently voted as having the most beautiful women of the SEC (let’s face it, the SEC definitely has the hottest chicks). The Grove makes for unsurpassed tailgating (if you can call it that—tents have chandeliers, candles, catered food, and plasma screens). Oxford is thankfully not yet overrun with chain restaurants and shops, and has plenty of locally owned businesses and restaurants. The alcohol is cheap, the frat parties are rockin’, the local music and arts scene is great, what more could you ask for?? Hotty Toddy, Go Rebs!!!

By UGA Class of 1994

April 9, 2008 8:51 PM | Link to this

ATHENS, GA … end of discussion!

By GO BLAZERS

April 9, 2008 9:36 PM | Link to this

If you want a college town that is casual, low-key and not full of itself, try Valdosta. What a great place to go to school. Plus it’s only two hours from the beach!

GO Blazers and go GSU PANTHERS (the REAL GSU that is)!

By Kirby

April 9, 2008 9:53 PM | Link to this

There is only one GSU and thats Georgia Southern, true college towns are a city in itself. I think the best college towns are the ones who are close enough to a big city that you can go there, but far enough to not get the traffic and all. Statesboro is made by the college. That is a true college town. Savannah (the beach) is an hour away and Atlanta is close enough for a weekend visit.

By corey

April 9, 2008 10:16 PM | Link to this

On the UNC/UGA discussion…you can say you started classes first, but whose idea was it? Hmm.

So you copy an existing charter then build something and call yourself the “first?” If it wasn’t for the colony of GA, there wouldn’t even be the idea of a public educational institution.

UGA was chartered in Savannah and built when a suitable site was found. I’m glad we waited.

And having just moved from Austin…there’s plenty better in GA than 6th street. You’ve gotta be kidding.

By bronco

April 9, 2008 10:24 PM | Link to this

A good college town is composed of 80 percent of the idiots who wrote in to comment on this article. I thought we were “BAD” in the 70’s but the college kids now are idiots

By CBL

April 10, 2008 7:38 AM | Link to this

Cheep beer, rampant sex, parties that start on Thursday and go until Sunday night, late nights, coffee houses, Waffle Houses, $1-per-slice pizza, eco-mentalists, anti-war marches, scantily-clad women, women with body hair in the wrong places, coffee culture, profs in tweed, lenient police, crusty old alumni showing up on weekends wearing school colors, sports, tailgaiting, turning the entire campus into an alcohol-soaked lawn party on football weekends, tree lined sidewalks, bulgalow homes, parks, greenspace, and a true sense of community.

Face it, Gwinnett students party in the suburbs when their parents aren’t home or drive 35 miles east to Athens. Lawrenceville has a long way to go.

By jim d

April 10, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this

What makes a good college town?

A good college!

And from what I understand from speaking to students that are attending Georgia Gwinnett College, it isn’t this one.

Not to say that won’t change in time, but there appear to be some real issues that must be worked thru before it can happen. Those issues have absolutely nothing to do with on campus dorms and trolly’s to the bars. In my opinon the focus here should be on providing an education and not on providing another 4 years of baby setting and entertaining. But hey, what do i know?

By WFC

April 10, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this

Just a thought: grad school was a whole lot more fun than undergrad. The female grad students were much looser and I’d learned to handle alcohol. Better classes too.

By DB

April 10, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this

Ah, Corey :-), yes, it was a great idea, and I have no idea if NC “stole” the idea or not — but that’s the difference between the dreamers and the do-ers!

Re: Oxford, MS and Ole Miss — it’s a lovely campus, but as far as a college town, I tend to give Chapel Hill a higher score, only because so much of Chapel Hill is readily available on foot from the University, but is very close to larger cities such as Durham and Raleigh. If you live on North Campus at UNC, you are literally a five minute walk from downtown. In Oxford, you have a quaint town square that isn’t quite within walking distance, and then a long stretch of fast food suburbia-wanna-be on Jackson Street that isn’t at all pedestrian-friendly. Plus, Oxford is in the middle of NOWHERE — 75 miles to Memphis, which is the nearest “city”. The Grove is extremely fascinating on game day, and I readily conceed that Ole Miss has raised tailgating to an art form — UNC would never allow that kind of unbridled bacchanalia on McCorkle Place!

By Go Blazers

April 10, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

Georgia State University = GSU since 1969. In 1990 some Georgia southern alumni squatted on our acronym. I am appalled that the BOR let them commit this absolutely unethical act. To me and to any fair-minded person, the venerable institution at Decatur and Piedmont will always be the REAL GSU!!

By D

April 11, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this

I think a college town exists where students, professors, staff and college related service providers make up a majority, or at least a significant portion, of the town’s population. In addition to the, um, recreational venues (bars, coffee shops, clubs), there is a higher than usual intellectual market of bookstores, attendees from the town to school sponsored cultural events, and lots of good bookstores (preferably not the mass market chains). The focus of the town’s economics is the college and tends to provide youth oriented services. In some cases, it may be more of a “college suburb” such as Emory. The Emory area has the feel of a smaller community while still being part of the Atlanta metro area. If you go into a coffee shop and half the patrons have textbooks open on the tables….you are in a college town.

By D

April 11, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this

I think a college town exists where students, professors, staff and college related service providers make up a majority, or at least a significant portion, of the town’s population. In addition to the, um, recreational venues (bars, coffee shops, clubs), there is a higher than usual intellectual market of bookstores, attendees from the town to school sponsored cultural events, and lots of good bookstores (preferably not the mass market chains). The focus of the town’s economics is the college and tends to provide youth oriented services. In some cases, it may be more of a “college suburb” such as Emory. The Emory area has the feel of a smaller community while still being part of the Atlanta metro area. If you go into a coffee shop and half the patrons have textbooks open on the tables….you are in a college town.

By BAW

April 15, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this

Madison, WI.

By James

April 15, 2008 9:26 PM | Link to this

Atlanta! Georgia Tech has the best of both worlds! A great learning institution, football tradition, and the internships and Co-op opportunities are less than 5 minutes away. Plus once you graduate, you don’t have to move so far away (i.e. Athens, Tuscaloosa, Gainesville) if you want to live in the suburb of a major city.

By ma979zda

August 24, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this

c966t

By ma979zda

August 24, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this

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