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June 25, 2004
What makes a great college town?
The best college towns are entirely unique.
Students are looking for a diversity of very affordable choices to entertain and feed themselves within walking distance from the university. The most popular venues within these places provide something unique that can't be found anywhere else, whether it's an award-winning draft beer at a factory-turned-brewpub, an 18-block art & entertainment fest, or a musicians' incubator.
Creating a successful college town is more about establishing a diverse, creative environment where the most eccentric, innovative and bold entrepreneurs thrive and are inspired to provide the kind of food, service and atmosphere that emotionally grabs people. It is not about creating a formal system for attracting retail and restaurants much the same way shopping malls are done.
Click here for more on this subject, as well as examples.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 24, 2004
Best College Towns: Charlottesville VA
What makes Charlottesville the place to be for University of Virginia's 22K students?
[b]Unique entertainment[/b]
- Fridays after 5 - A heavily-attended, extremely popular 24-week long event held in the Downtown Amphitheater, attracting over 150,000 people to the Downtown Mall each season. It started off as a small gathering over 8 weeks at a makeshift stage.
- The Annual Downtown Blues Festival
- Court Days, the semi-annual downtown arts & crafts festival
Affordability
- "The transportation downtown is enjoyable as well. modernized trolleys can be seen driving all over the city, and riding on one almost makes you feel as if you were on the older trolleys of days gone by. It's a great way to tour parts of the city, and free."
- "If you make it in the fall, apple cider is like affordable gold!"
- "Aside from wealthy residents and visitors, vegetarians and enviromentalists can enjoy a great time without going broke."
Overall uniqueness
"Food is great here. One of the great places to go eat near the University is the Corner District. There, you'll find different restaurants and coffee shops all within a student's budget. One of my favorites is a shop right in the Corner District that combines a coffee bar and a make-your-own-pizza shop. Have never tried pizza with a chai latte before, but I'd do it any time."
Click here for the full description.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 23, 2004
Best College Towns: Chapel Hill NC
What makes Chapel Hill one of the most desired college towns for UNC's 25K students? In the words of the students themselves...
Entertainment
"On any given night you can find a hang-out on Franklin Street."
"Franklin Street boasts an impressive string of bars and restaurants ranging from Players, the college meat market, to the Dead Mule, a members only bar that caters to the slightly older set who won't get drunk and rowdy. BW-3 runs NTN trivia and is always a great place for a tall beer and a snack."
"The town also has a rich artistic offering, with a steady stream of theater offerings, a pottery shop, and the Carrboro Arts Center. Truly there is something here for everyone, not just for the partiers looking to go out and get hammered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights."
Mobility
"The bus system in Chapel Hill is nice. I went through 4 years without a car and was able to get most places by the bus. If the bus did not run to a place you needed to be in Chapel Hill they had a shuttle service that would transport you there. I actually had to use this and there was no extra cost and it was fast and efficient."
Affordability
It was all very affordable and I always felt safe.
The Bottom Line
"Anyone can thrive socially at this school."
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 22, 2004
Best College Towns: Ann Arbor MI
Keys to Ann Arbor's popularity with the University of Michigan's 41K students:
1. Entertainment
- The Ann Arbor Film Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in North America. The Ann Arbor Art Fair: Every year, from Wednesday to Saturday of the second week in July, the population of Ann Arbor explodes (1200 exhibitors, 750,000 visitors) with three art fairs on eighteen blocks. Then there's the Blues and Jazz Festival in the fall and the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in the winter.
- There is a strong Mom & Pop presence throughout the town. Ann Arbor boasts a vast diversity of restaurants, cafes and pubs, and especially known for its myriad bookstores and coffee shops. The oldest brewpub in town, the Arbor Brewing Company was voted "Best Brewpub in the Midwest" by the National Brewpub Conference and Tradeshow and BrewPub magazine.
2. Jobs
Ann Arbor has a very low unemployment rate, a top engineering school and home to a slew of IT companies. Borders Bookstore and Dominos Pizza were founded here as well (which may explain why there are so many good bookstores and pizza joints.)
Cons
Ann Arbor is fast becoming a yuppie town if not already so. Starbucks is making a more noticeable presence and students are describing dining out as pricey, expensive.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
June 21, 2004
Best College Towns: Athens GA
What makes Athens (University of Georgia - UGA) such a great college town?
1. Great entertainment
Great music scene - Athens claims The B-52s, R.E.M., Widespread Panic and countless other groups of at least local renown. It hosts AthFest, a summer weekend festival showcasing local and regional bands that perform on outdoor stages by day and in downtown clubs by night. There's even a musicians' incubator. Also, the work of local artists can be found on display all over town, UGA hosts a ballroom dance craze that's been in full swing for several years, lots of local theater in multiple venues, a major film festival, and a reputation for great writers.
2. Affordability
Athens is a very affordable place to live. Because the city revolves around the university, local prices are set with student budgets in mind. Housing and transportation costs are modest.
3. University economic development program:
University-related business incubators and technology transfer programs are central to Athen's economic growth. The Athens New Media Synergy Center is an incubator for digital media startup companies downtown, and another incubator houses several biotech startups in a wing of UGA's new Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, attracting $30 million in venture capital and corporate financing.
4. Health & Fitness/Recreation:
Many people seek an outdoor venue for exercise. UGA officials cooperated to purchase 200 acres of land along the Oconee River to create an extensive bicycle and walking trail. People park cars in decks and walk or use the bus system. Surface parking lots were converted into parks.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
