How isolated is Colby? I visited Middlebury and didn’t mind its location because i found the historic district to be really cute. How would you compare Colby’s location to middlebury’s?
Downtown Waterville is nice too but if you want easier access to a cool hub neither Middlebury or Colby have a good location in that regard. Burlington is about two hours from Middlebury and Colby is about two hours from Portland.
Bates or Bowdoin are much better choices because of proximity to Portland and even Boston.
I would give the nod to Middlebury for charm.
Waterville is roughly twice the size of Middlebury, so a little bit more there in terms of amenities. Waterville is close to I 95 and about 20 minutes from Augusta, the state capital. But both are (as you noted) pretty isolated.
FYI
Burlington is 45 min -1 hour from MIdd
Actually easy ride you literally stay on rt 7 which abuts to Midd and goes directly into Burlington
When we visit our kids at Midd we go into Burlington every trip for lunch or dinner, really nice town.
Yes, @fleishmo6 ! Burlington is a really nice spot!
And fwiw, Portland is just over an hour from Colby. Lots of great restaurants but I would rate Burlington as a more fun destination.
Portland does have an airport with decent service to many cities if you don’t want to fly from Boston but I don’t think that’s what you’re asking.
Isolated is such a relative term – isolated from what? And how?
Colby is right next to a major interstate highway. Middlebury is much more “isolated,” relative to the interstate highway system.
The city of Waterville, Maine, has about twice the population of town of Middlebury, Vermont, so that makes Colby half as isolated, right? Both are “large” towns relative to their surroundings, but both would probably be thought of as small towns for people who are used to major metro areas.
Middlebury owns its own ski area, about 30 minutes from campus. Colby is about 80 minutes from the Sugarloaf ski resort, so is Colby thus more isolated in that regard?
Middlebury is about an hour from the Burlington airport, Colby is an hour and a quarter from the Portland airport, so advantage Middlebury? Which airport can offer the most direct flights to the places where you want to go or come from?
I would say that Middlebury and Colby are pretty equally “isolated,” with neither really being isolated at all!
@gardenstategal I’m not sure saying that one is twice the size of the other and therefore has more amenities is entirely accurate. If one town has 350 people and another has 700 people, that doesn’t mean they will have twice the amenities, or even more amenities. According to the 2010 census, Middlebury had approximately 8,500 people and Waterville had approximately 15,400 people. Honestly, I’m not sure that translates to greater amenities, but I see your point.
Colby is investing $Millions into Waterville with a new Dorm (opening in 2018-19 year), new hotel, and office building to help grow the downtown. Looking forward, Waterville will be much more integrated to Colby and should be greatly improved with these investments. Also, Freeport is about 45 minutes away with great shopping and restaurants, Portland is vibrant and just over 1 hour from Waterville.
There isn’t much to do in downtown Waterville expect to go to the farmer’s market or eat. They have a few small shops which will ultimately be pushed out due to Colby’s expansion. Augusta is about 15-20 minutes away, and it’s the capital, but still nothing special. Bangor is an hour away and has a Chick-Fil-A
From a planning perspective, it is apples and oranges. The town of Middlebury suffers from being located on a through route and thus, believe it or not, does have traffic. They actually have a diverting cut off for drivers not planning on stopping in the town. The town square is small (in terms of scale to the buildings) and is not used the way many town squares are used in New England. The town is small, but most of the businesses are quaint. There aren’t all that many options for eating or drinking, but the town is easily walkable from campus.
Waterville is much larger, and there are more options for eating but many of the businesses are standard (Applebees, Walmart, etc.) While the town is definitely changing for the better, you used to be left with the “good bones” this could be a really great place feeling. I suspect with all the construction going on, it will only be a few years before the town comes onto its own as a delightful place to live. No matter the improvements, the town will still not be walkable from campus, although the Jitney and cabs fill the void.
It’s really a personal perspective and preference. My son loved Colby BECAUSE the campus wasn’t mixed in with the town. You have the feel of “ahhh, I’ve arrived on Colby’s campus!” I won’t speak to Middlebury since we didn’t visit, but one major turn-off for my son at Bates & Bowdoin was that the campus was too intertwined with the town. But that’s just his preference. For others that may be what they’re looking for.
I’ve tried to point out to my kids that the town shouldn’t make/break your decision to attend the school. They spend 95% of their time on campus and have all of their needs met, right down to medical care. For recreation, does it matter if the town has 10 bars/restaurants? Not really. If they leave campus, they will certainly be able to travel to places beyond the town their college resides. Colby students probably frequent Freeport and Portland, both known for shopping and restaurants. My point being, the college town doesn’t have to be this amazing hub of recreation. College kids are really not picky when it comes to places to eat, drink, and have a good time.
I haven’t been in Waterville in 3 years so don’t know how much it has changed (I doubt that much) but although both Middlebury and Waterville are tiny and somewhat isolated I would say that Middlebury stores and restaurants strike me as leaning more upscale and Waterville’s more downscale.
I grew up near Colby and went to school at UVM about 20 years ago and still visit both locales due to friends and family living there. Vermont/Middlebury hands down has more charm, college feel and yes more upscale. Stores come and go in Waterville and there is a definite feel of “old former mill town” there. Summer is the best time to be in Waterville as the Belgrade lakes region is there but college is not during that time…
Colby may have a good rep but the area around is boring and not a lot going on. Plenty of other great schools to consider -
I do think it is fair not to pass judgment on Waterville until we see how much of an improvement the $20 million dump in town will bring. With the new boutique hotel and dormitories, it is possible that the title “former” mill town can be discarded. While I don’t disagree that “there are plenty of other great schools to consider,” I also think it is a mistake to conclude that that boring for one will be boring for all.
The Waterville farmer’s market will be displaced by Colby’s new downtown dorm.
http://web.colby.edu/off-the-hill/downtown-watervilles-concerns-businesses/
Waterville has a “downtown”? 
Lol, blink and you will miss it