I find this interesting as well. I hope posters keep sharing. I’ll have to give this correlation with safety some thought.
I will say that “clean, sparkly and safe” are not the first adjectives I associate with NY, Paris, Rome (as general examples) but that doesn’t keep me from visiting and always finding them magical. But if my kid were considering these cities for college, safety would be a factor in the decision even though she’s enjoyed all of them on vacations and study abroad.
Whether you consider Boston “major” or not, it’s fairly clean for a city.
Yeah, I went to Columbia and took the bus to many St John’s games in Jamaica, Queens. Jamaica isn’t Astoria or any area of Manhattan below 125th.
So, let me get this straight: every area above 125th Street in Manhattan is dirty and gritty, and all of Manhattan below is squeaky clean?
We liked Middletown. Wes was at the top of my kid’s list until he decided he probably wants engineering. He does not want rural, but thought Middletown CT and Lewistown ME were big enough for him.
Nope plenty of areas above 125th are fine but not all.
You like Jamaica area?
I haven’t been to Berlin since 1984. But it was not clean then under communism and many rules. Maybe that has some bearing. Frankfurt never hit me as dirty or unsafe. On the other hand Dusseldorf appeared to be very clean. I haven’t been there in about ten years though.
Cities go through cycles. Sometimes they are well run and that helps with garbage and also with crime. Cities can also fall into disrepair when an industry craters (like Detroit).
Agree with others, Boston is pretty clean for a city. It’s small and I think that helps also.
I think it’s too far to travel for a Columbia football game.
Compared to some schools we visited, St. John’s is far from gritty. Coming from a city, I was pleasantly surprised how nice some of the surrounding area was.
Having lived in Madrid (although many years ago), I can say it isn’t/wasn’t dirty and gritty. They paid people to clean the subways and streets at night.
I was always surprised by how clean European cities are…but then again it has been a while since I’ve been to Europe.
Madrid is VERY clean. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I went there on business. Another very clean city, Geneva Switzerland.
That is absolutely not true, there are large areas of NYC that are lovely, clean and family areas including the vast majority of the area around St. Johns. Most of that area is full of single family homes that sell for over a million dollars. And Donald Trump’s childhood home is just a few blocks from there is one of the most exclusive and expensive areas in the city.
https://crimegrade.org/violent-crime-jamaica-ny/
Apparently avoid the area of Jamaica around York College (part of CUNY). St Johns area is yellow vs. red in violent crime. I like the actual SJU campus and am a fan but parts of Jamaica are quite dangerous. The same is true for many urban campuses including Columbia (e.g., east of Morningside park).
Confirmed that area between Grand Central Pkwy and Hillside is solid. Check the area around York or my bus ride along Union Turnpike and along Grand Central to the SJU campus.
You and I are actually in agreement. We’re both responding to @tristatecoog, I think.
You’ll notice that yellow is the predominant color in both Jamaica and Flushing, the two largest neighborhoods in Queens:
Flushing, NY Violent Crime Rates and Maps | CrimeGrade.org
Maybe our deep dive into the yellow crime area of the area around SJU will encourage more high school seniors to apply to take Queens by (Red) Storm.
Perspectives will be different of what one believes is gritty and dirty, based on experiences.
I lived in San Francisco for many years and still have friends and relatives living there, who I visit frequently. And I think SF is “clean as a whistle.” 
Tokyo is as major as you get and neither gritty nor dirty. But a great place (same with other major cities in Japan that I’ve visited: Kyoto and Kobe. I might consider Osaka gritty.
@MTEL0510, can you expound a little bit more about the religion at U. of Portland? A student had asked about its level of religiosity over the summer and I’d love to hear more about how it felt to your family on your visit.