<p>How is Austin a college town? Austin is the 4th largest city in Texas and it doesn’t really revolve around UTexas.</p>
<p>Also, when I was there, I didn’t see any street well-populated with shops and restaurants. Things were pretty spread out and I didn’t see anywhere that’s pedestrian friendly. Shops were mostly found in strip malls (I wouldn’t call them exciting). 6th Street was mostly just clubs with few eateries and that strip is short anyway. I didn’t cover every single street so there’s a possibility I missed something. Perhaps some of you can clarify?</p>
Had to stop through there about five times before, two times this summer. Never liked the city, and wanted out. Recent relatives left the city due to it being too dangerous and hit hard by the recession. To sum it all up, I do not see a reason to like the city.
Live in the Lansing-East Lansing area, the only large nice city in Michigan ( 100k+) is Grand Rapids metro area to Lake Michigan.</p>
<p>“OL, coolbreeze, what is your opinion on Ann Arbor?” </p>
<p>“Had to stop through there about five times before, two times this summer. Never liked the city, and wanted out. Recent relatives left the city due to it being too dangerous and hit hard by the recession. To sum it all up, I do not see a reason to like the city.”</p>
<p>This is a blatant lie. Coolbrezze, who is not a newcomer to these threads, used to think that A2 didn’t look very good. The reason? He did a google map search from the air and didn’t think the campus had enough trees! </p>
<p>“Live in the Lansing-East Lansing area, the only large nice city in Michigan ( 100k+) is Grand Rapids metro area to Lake Michigan.”</p>
<p>Ann Arbor is 10x nicer and much safer than Lansing, his home town. Furthermore, the recession has probably hurt the city less than just about any other area in the state. Finally, Grand Rapids is a good 25 miles from Lake Michigan. I hardly would consider that on the lake.</p>
<p>Coolbrezze was REJECTED by Michigan and since then he has nothing nice to say about Ann Arbor. Bitterness has truly clouded his judgement.</p>
<p>Ok, listen cool breeze, its time you had a little talk. Just because a certain school rejected you does not mean you need to harp on that school in every single post. A school is not a woman, your life wil go on, and you will grow on to have a great and wonderful expirence at the University of Iowa. I got rejected by both of Virginia and BC, but do I always bash them, no, I relize that they are still great schools</p>
<p>ha i’m pretty sure ann arbor is one of the few areas in michigan thats not dying, grand rapids being the other. east lansing actually does have a nice downtown area, i wouldnt call it dangerous. i havent been around lansing for awhile but my friend says he was surprised at how nice it was and how much there was to do at night when he went out with some of his friends from state. it must be interesting enough to be considered a top 10 city for young people by someone.</p>
<p>Sam Lee - just because you went to Northwestern and not UT doesn’t mean you have to rap on Austin not being a college town.</p>
<p>You’re actually quite wrong, a lot of UT DOES revolve completely around the school. It’s the fourth largest city in texas because the University is one the largest in the country. You’ve never been down Guadalupe St. or Sixth Street if you feel that it’s not a college town.</p>
<p>It’s been known as a college town forever. I can’t throw at you statistics or information justifying why it is or isn’t - but I can say that when you went down there you probably didn’t get a good enough feel for it. It’s a big city - but that doesn’t downplay the college feel. Almost completely local restaurants and small business, very pedestrian friendly (in the parts I visited), and a great indie music scene. Parts of it are like a college town, and parts aren’t.</p>
<p>Austin is a college town, and a great one at that. It is the only college town with a population greater than 250,000. Most great college towns have populations between 50,000-200,000. </p>
<p>Boston, DC, LA, NYC and Philadepphia are great cities, but they are not “college towns”. A college town can only serve one master (one university) and MUST be a “town”. Cities with metro areas of 2-5 million are major urban centers and do not qualify as “towns”.</p>
<p>Since when does any large city qualify as a college town? A college town should be a charming little place that completely revolves around the college. Think Ann Arbor, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, and Ithaca. NYC, really?</p>
<p>thenatural, those aren’t college towns, they are cities. I love cities. I am as urban a person as they come. I consider a city with 10 million residents to be my playground. But that does not change the fact that a large city with several universities and with a majority of its population that cares nothing for any of them is not a “college town”. According to your definition, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, LA, Houston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Honolulu, Charleston, Miami, Dallas, Phoenix etc… are all college towns. </p>
<p>As a college student (undergrad), I would chose Ithaca over NYC any day…as would a majority of students who experienced college life in both areas. Most of the great things NYC has to offer are beyond the budget of the majority of college-aged students.</p>
<p>well then you’re all crazy! there’s NOTHING in Ithaca. Ithaca commons has like 5 restaurants and some run down shops. i’m not into the NYU or BU thing where there’s no campus and you’re just in the city, but if you go to school in DC or Boston or NY there’s gonna be a lot to do and there’s gonna be plenty of other college kids to be with. these cities are good “college towns” because they’re enjoyable places to spend your college years. not like those desolate places you and others have mentioned.</p>
<p>sorry if that came off harsh i don’t want to put down places like ithaca i’m just trying to explain why the bigger cities are the best college towns</p>
<p>Alexandre, I share your preference. Most students will eventually work/live in a large city like NYC or Boston. The only opportunity to truly experience a great college town, like Ithaca, is as a student.</p>
<p>“Most of the great things NYC has to offer are beyond the budget of the majority of college-aged students.”</p>
<p>Every college student needs to read this statement. If you come from a lower-to-middle-class background, then cost of living and budgeting are very important!!</p>