Living in a college/university town?

chrissyk

<font color=deeppink> It will be great to have a b
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I have been interested in this topic ever since Money Magazine did an article about how university towns are great places to retire. Do you live in a university town, and if so, do you find it a great place to live? I am relatively curious about living in one. Would it be a great place to raise kids? Do these towns tend to have a more academic "vibe," and therefore better schools? We LOVE where we live, but we would like to move somewhere with more kids when we have kids. I wonder if a university town would fit the bill...the overall crowd would seem to be younger. Anyways, I'm curious to hear from people who live in one of these towns.
 
I don't live in one but my niece goes to UVM in Burlington VT and I love that town!!!!! It has a great downtown area, a great area along lake Champlain...it just seems like it has an eclectic mix of interesting things and people.
 
I live in Hartford, VT, which is just across the river from Dartmouth college. The school district in Hanover (where Dartmouth is) is amazingly good. There are many educational and cultural activities available. We have a world class hospital associated with the College.

When I went to college at UNC, Chapel Hill was fast becoming a hot spot for retirees, too, for the same reasons.

The only point I would caution you about, is that property taxes are SKY HIGH. But you can still enjoy many of the benefits of the university/college life by living in the surrounding areas.

Denae

Edited to add: Disney Doll - Burlington is one of my favorite places to visit.
 
I guess technically I live in one (RIC is on the North/Providence line) but I work in Providence (next town over) which is definitely a college town (we have 4 here in the city plus 2 satellite campuses). I also work for one of the Universities.

Being that it's also the state capital it's not the typical college town. I like the fact that it creates such a wonderfully diverse population in a small area. The city has also undergone a huge revitalization thanks in a large part to the Universities buying up a lot of downtown buildings and are committed to really beautifying the area.

We are not well liked in the downtown area because they feel the University I work for is taking over the city and they don't like the construction that is going on. Without having the schools here I doubt we would have as much of the demand for different types of restaurants, different shopping, or to be a desirable test market for new products (trying new beer months before it's released to the public is kind of cool).

Living close to a College, especially a large one also means you are able to attend seminars and lectures you normally wouldn't able to see. For example, I got to meet President Clinton last year and we often have famous guest speakers that are open to the public.

A huge down side to living in a college town is crime. Specifically how it's handled/reported to the public. A very popular tourist area on college hill is actually been a hot spot for armed muggings lately and that information doesn't get released to the public because it's been handled by University police departments at several colleges.
The biggest downside of them all is parking and traffic. It's bad on a given day but it's a nightmare while school is in session.
 

I live just outside Boulder which is where the University of Colorado is located. I love living in a college town. There is always lots to do on campus be it sports, theater, concerts, lectures...The public schools are great. M children are in High School now but have had a wonderful education from pre-school to High school. I just think the atmosphere here is forward looking and vibrant.

There are what are called the "town/gown" issues which are the University versus the general population but many of us realize that if it wasn't for the University and the students that attend, many of us would not have jobs nor our quality of life.

I think, as with most places, there are pros and cons.
 
Crankyshank said:
A huge down side to living in a college town is crime. Specifically how it's handled/reported to the public. A very popular tourist area on college hill is actually been a hot spot for armed muggings lately and that information doesn't get released to the public because it's been handled by University police departments at several colleges.
The biggest downside of them all is parking and traffic. It's bad on a given day but it's a nightmare while school is in session.

You've hit on the two problems we see as a college town also. Serious crimes like rape are very under-reported in our area because the local police aren't involved unless the victim involves them by filing a report with them seperately. And for whatever reason they don't make it into the local paper like crimes committed off campus do. I would never have realized this was the situation but my dh works in the local ER.

And parking near the campus can be impossible while school is in session.

But I think we do have more restuarants, shopping opportunites, a few more cultural events, and probably a lot more drinking opportunities than we would have otherwise.

Overall it's a good place to live and I think the campus has brought some of the things that make it more enjoyable.
 
i pretty much live in a college town. its cool. there is fun stuff to do. no parking. crime is high, but at least there is publice transportation. i dont know, it is a trade-off.
 
I lived in a college student ghetto for about 10 years. While universities do bring certain opportunities, they also bring in an element that I wouldn't want a young child exposed to - namely drinking and associated behavior. My advice would be to make sure the neighborhood you choose to live in is far enough away from the campus itself to make it unattractive for college students. And even then, keep in mind that it probably wouldn't be too difficult for your teen to find a college party to crash.

Another thing to consider close to campus is the transient nature of the neighborhood. Alot of the buildings around our old apartment did not have the most conscientious landlords. It would show in the maintenance of the building, which could affect your property value.
 
I grew up and still live in an area which is a mishmosh of very similar small towns. Except one...the town where I went to high school is home to a college. And I realize now that it's a very unique and interesting place. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. You have the "townies" who tend to be...simple. Then there are the students of course - now there's a clash of lifestyles. But more than anything the college has brought academics and art (especially) to what would be just another small down in PADutchland.

PapaDuce- want to add anything about KU???
 
We used to live in Chapel Hill where UNC is and will likely retire there if we can figure out a way to afford it! We found it to be a wonderful place to live, but it is significantly more expensive than the rest of North Carolina both in taxes and property prices. The public schools are private-school quality. A downside to raising children there is that older teens sometimes try to be like the college students and, in the case of girls especially, may end up with older boyfriends. There are lots of cultural events, academic opportunities, sports (Go Heels), outstanding healthcare, etc.

College towns that are homes to major universities (and I mean places like Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Ann Arbor, etc. rather than cities that happen to have a university) tend to be very liberal places. That suits DH and me perfectly, but some people might be uncomfortable with that. Although it's changed somewhat, when we lived in Chapel Hill, the Democratic primary was the election b/c there were no Republican candidates.
 
I went to school in Columbia, MO which is about halfway between KC and STL. It's a very nice town and we loved living there. And being so close (about 2 hours) from two major cities was nice. It was especially great during the summer and college breaks--just a little quieter. As much as I miss it, I'm glad I don't live there with my kids. It just doesn't have as much to offer as St. Louis does. I suppose retirement living would be a different story though because we wouldn't need all the children's entertainment.
 
I have to second living in Columbia, MO (which is where we live). It's a wonderful place and has consistently been in the top 10 in "Money" the last several years. My DS lives and goes to school in St. Louis and agrees there is much more to do there than here in Columbia. But, we love it! There are three colleges/universities here. The population is about 90,000.
 
I lived in Williamsburg, VA for five years because I attended undergrad there and also am in graduate school right now. I have since moved to Norfolk for my last few months due to the fact that my DBF is at EVMS for the next three and a half years and I couldn't stand living in Williamsburg anymore.

As many know, it's not only a college town but a huge tourist spot. I think that may be what makes it different than most college towns. I'd love to retire here... but making me live one more year here as a 20 something would have been like prison to me. It's a cute town- I'll give it that. And there is a lot to do as a tourist, but it gets boring as a college student. I'd say it's a great place to raise a family or retire to, but not as much fun for a college student. It was fun in undergrad (if it weren't for my sorority though... I'd probably have hated it) but living as a graduate student in an apartment for a year was a little trying.

I love Norfolk so much more and don't even mind the 120 miles I have to drive each day. I think the burg was a little too boring for me and the tourists definitely wear on you. The migrant workers that come in the summer and the foreigners that come to work at Busch Gardens are also not a plus.

I'd say great to raise a fam or retire to.. but ironically not as much of a college town as one might think. Five years was enough for me.
 
There are 4 colleges here and a few very small "specialty" schools. We aren't even aware the schools are here. The town is big enough to absorb them into the general population. In other words, they just "blend in". I'm not aware of many cultural advantages of the colleges being located here. Sadly!
 
Disney Doll said:
I don't live in one but my niece goes to UVM in Burlington VT and I love that town!!!!! It has a great downtown area, a great area along lake Champlain...it just seems like it has an eclectic mix of interesting things and people.
This is great to hear! UVM is one of my DD's top choices, and she recently received her acceptance! She also likes UMASS, and we both loved Amherst. I do think that the surrounding area is important when choosing the college, so that she has easy access to activities off-campus. As far as retiring, I'm not at that point...yet.
 
I don't live in a college town. I am in college now though, and one of my roommates grew up practically next door to NH's biggest party school around. Guess who in the room parties hardest, is bored if we're just watching movies or at a hockey game, etc. Yup, it's the one that grew up next to good ole PSU. She spent most of high school at their parties. I have other friends that have grown up in college towns, including a friend that goes to UNH with me that grew up in the town UNH is in. She also says there was nothing to do in town in high school other than going to stuff at UNH. And it wasn't always hockey games or cultural events either. The downtown area tends to be filled only with drunks on Friday and Saturday nights too.
I know the town my college is in is definitely (at least around the campus) geared to college aged kids. The stores and restaurants are all very student friendly. Public transportation is better than I've seen in my area (and open to the public) which is a plus for getting to other towns in the area. From what I hear housing costs are insane (possibly worse than where I live, and it's BAD here), and their school system is excellent. Not sure whether that's typical of all college towns, but it is there.
I'm only 19. I have no intentions of ever having kids. But if that changed and I did someday have kids, I don't think I'd want to raise them in a college town. Teenagers can find alcohol and drugs anywhere, but I really think it's easier to come under the wrong influence if it's everywhere (and in most college towns it seems to be)
 
monarchsfan16 said:
Teenagers can find alcohol and drugs anywhere, but I really think it's easier to come under the wrong influence if it's everywhere (and in most college towns it seems to be)

It definitely depends on the area and the type of school. I didn't live in a college town but grew up in a suburb outside of Albany, NY. I can definitely say that having almost nothing to do and left to our own devices didn't help anything. I found it MUCH easier to find drugs and was far more exposed to them than I have been while living in college or in a college town.

The less to do, the more drug use there seems to be. I have a few friends who grew up here (ie college town) and were less exposed than I was growing up.

It does make a huge difference as to whether you're next to a party school or a highly academic one. William and Mary weighs far more on the academic side. And from those I know who went to PSU- it was definitely more of a party school.
 
I have not one, but 5 colleges in my town, or in towns next door: UMASS Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke College, and Smith College. There are pros and cons to living in a college town. The pros are lots of different cultural events at the different campuses, colleges provide employment for lots of locals, students boost local economy ( especially restaurant industry ). The cons- we have to pay for increased police and fire dept. coverage to the campuses in our town. During baseball playoffs and spring party season this runs into the tens of thousands range every weekend :earseek: Students boost the economy, but basically take over our downtown area when school is in session. It's difficult to find a parking space, a seat at the movies, or a table in a restaurant. The noise factor is also an issue for town residents who live near campus, or live in the downtown area- they basically don't get a full night's sleep on weekends when school is in session. I've lived in this area for over 25 years, so I've become accustom to the cons. My town definitely feels more " alive " when the students are here!
 
Disney Doll said:
I don't live in one but my niece goes to UVM in Burlington VT and I love that town!!!!! It has a great downtown area, a great area along lake Champlain...it just seems like it has an eclectic mix of interesting things and people.

Ooooh, I love Burlington too! If it weren't so darned cold for so much of the year, I'd want to live there :cold: That bone-chilling wind off of Lake Champlain is just too much for us, though! Burlington in the summer is incredible, though! Now THAT is my idea of a college town :goodvibes

This thread is very interesting to me, and has given me a lot to think about. I hadn't considered that teens growing up in a college town might try to party with the college students! Since we don't have kids yet, I was thinking more along the lines of it being a good place to raise young kids...young kids to turn into teens, though :rolleyes: Don't know why I didn't think of that! Also, I didn't think about the crime aspect. That is rather scary.

I don't think that I'd want to live right around a university itself, because of many of the issues with property maintenance. I agree that a lot of college area landlords are less-than-excellent about keeping up their properties. I also don't want to live near any party-hardy crowd that is going to wake us up all night long. I would, however, like a liberal-feeling town, and I think that college towns usually embrace this vibe. This is definitely a topic that I want to explore more with my DH in the future...I think that a college town could be one cool place to live at some point :banana:
 
If it is a big city college town then the academic benefits in the public schools are likely diluted. If it is truly a "college town" where education is the largest employer then, yes, the public schools reap the benefits of being full of children of parents who value education.

Colleges do bring entertainment, seminars, art showings, etc. to town but do the locals really particiate? Are they welcomed? Those are things to look into. In some areas the "town and gown" relationship isn't as Norman Rockwell as you might expect. In others, it is great.

Do students all live on campus, or is that not required? In a truly small college town you might end up with a student rental next door to you....probably not what you want. In a larger town the students might end up in rentals near campus and the rest of the area is just residential.

Do you or your spouse have jobs that could translate to employement at the college? Once part of the college community then you have no trouble becoming part of the college town atmosphere.
 













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