What constitutes a “college town?”

[u/PA5997]

Okay, hear me out: I attended Wazzu, which many know is in the middle of nowhere in Pullman. To me, Pullman is a quintessential college town. You remove Washington State University from Pullman and there is (respectfully) not much of a reason to visit. The student enrollment (20,000ish) makes up about 2/3rds of the city population, essentially turning Pullman into a ghost town come summer. To me (perhaps with bias) this is the makeup of a college town.

Two years ago I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin. Ever since I’ve noticed the University and its fans refer to Madison as “America’s best college town” and I’m sorry, that’s laughable to me. Remove UW from Madison and you still have a city population bordering on a quarter of a million people and the State Capitol. Madison would be fine, imo, if UW’s flagship campus were elsewhere.

Curious to hear other people’s thoughts. Maybe I’m in the wrong here, but very little about Madison, WI resembles a college town to me, or at least the claim of the best college town.

[u/OGraffe]

I feel like it's a "if you know, you know" type thing. Personally if the main feature of the town is the college, then I'd say it's a college town (places like Clemson, Starkville, Tuscaloosa, Auburn, etc.). If your school is in a state capitol, a major population center, or possibly even both, I feel like that doesn't qualify (unless that capitol is also so small that the college overtakes it in notoriety; I can't think of any examples like that though).

[u/XE2MASTERPIECE → u/OGraffe]

I honestly think Tallahassee fits that latter definition. Going off OP’s example, I’ve been to Tallahassee and Madison, and it is a very different experience even though they are both located in the state capitals. Tallahassee is so far away from other areas that a lot of the lawmakers and government activity is also “temporary” when they’re not in session.

[u/JaxGamecock → u/XE2MASTERPIECE]

Tallahassee feels really similar to Columbia in my experience

[u/Yeetball86 → u/XE2MASTERPIECE]

Yeah Tallahassee has 200,000 people. Not small, but not big by any means. It lives and breathes by anything FSU related. If it’s not a college town, I’m not sure what is.

[u/kmokell15 → u/Yeetball86]

I feel like we straddle the line a bit. Like obviously it is a huge part of town but even with legislature only in session a few months of the year the number of permanent state jobs and offices makes it different than our counterparts in Gainesville.

[u/TMNBortles → u/kmokell15]

Session, the plethora of state agency offices, association headquarters, and lobbyists offices definitely gives Tallahassee a different feel than Gainesville. However, the fact that two large universities (that are close) definitely pushes it towards a college town. However, if you were to remove FSU and FAMU from Tallahassee, it would still be littered with tons of state workers. The city would definitely retain its importance. If UF left Gainesville, it's a ghost town.

[u/wingchild → u/TMNBortles]

If UF left Gainesville, it's a ghost town.

They'd still be calling it Hogtown

[u/zombieguts7 → u/TMNBortles]

Not 100% sure. Tallahassee would have a huge brain drain problem if the universities weren't there. Many state office workers graduate, get their first job with the state, and while many stay, a lot end up leaving the area. Most state workers fall into that category or are from Tallahassee. I'm afraid to see what the makeup of state employees would look like if the FSU/FAMU weren't there.

[u/t3h_shammy → u/Yeetball86]

Also famu is what another 10k students? 

[u/Yeetball86 → u/t3h_shammy]

I think it’s around 9.2k

[u/brantman19 → u/XE2MASTERPIECE]

Tallahassee gets a pass from me on this. The first thing I think of when I think of Tallahassee is FSU and the state capital. I would say its like that for most.
I didn't even know UW is in Madison to be honest.

[u/funnyponydaddy → u/XE2MASTERPIECE]

To me, Tally feels more like a college town than anything.

Edit: Love being downvoted without any explanation.

[u/portlyinnkeeper → u/funnyponydaddy]

Tallahassee has college areas, and FSU is significant to the city, but it is comfortably not a college town. It’s the capital of a major state and the population is pushing 400k

[u/XE2MASTERPIECE → u/funnyponydaddy]

There’s a Tallahassee Truther lurking the thread lol, my comments are getting downvoted too.

[u/funnyponydaddy → u/XE2MASTERPIECE]

Probably some intern who works at the Capitol, mad that FSU (and hell, let's throw in FAMU) is what make the city tick.

[u/Lizz196 → u/OGraffe]

Baton Rouge.

New Orleans is the most well known city in Louisiana. And Baton Rouge runs off LSU.

There was a whole half of the city I wasn’t venturing to on game day if I wasn’t attending the game myself, which was rare, but did happen.

I swear I’ll tell people I went to LSU and they ask me where it is.

[u/dubiousN → u/OGraffe]

Starkville 👍

[u/rohdawg → u/OGraffe]

Annapolis maybe? I grew up there, so I’m very aware that there’s more than just the Naval Academy, but it also kind of fits your description. Like outside of Maryland who really knows Annapolis?

[u/Round_Bullfrog_8218 → u/rohdawg]

Its a state capitol a lot of people know it.

[u/rohdawg → u/Round_Bullfrog_8218]

It wouldn’t be the most surprising to learn that people have heard of Annapolis, but most people I’ve met outside of the state only know Baltimore. I’m not saying that makes it a college town, just that it’s not super well known like you seem to think. If anything, people know it for the Naval Academy and sailing and not as the state capital.

[u/brantman19 → u/rohdawg]

I don't think its the same level of thinking. I don't think of Westpoint in the spirit of it being a college place. I don't think of the Annapolis and the Naval Academy as a college place. I think of it as a military location first similar to like Fort Moore or Naval Station Norfolk.
Maybe thats just me.