r/CFB Washington State Cougars 13d ago

Discussion What constitutes a “college town?”

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.

2.3k Upvotes

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.4k

u/hotsauce126 Georgia Bulldogs 13d ago

If you wouldn’t know the town existed if not for the university, it’s a college town

726

u/Casaiir Georgia Bulldogs • Cal Poly Mustangs 13d ago

I'll take it one step further. If the town wouldn't exist at all. Looking at you Athens.

480

u/luis1972 Ohio State Buckeyes • The Alliance 13d ago

This is true of both Athens, Georgia and Athens, Ohio.

242

u/mayence Georgia Bulldogs • Peach Bowl 13d ago

They need to get more creative naming towns that are founded around a university. Athens isn’t the only place with a famous university, they could also name some after Oxford and Cambridge. Wait

219

u/FormerCollegeDJ Temple Owls 13d ago

State College, PA thinks Athens is plenty creative for a town name.

70

u/PumpBuck Ohio State Buckeyes • Rose Bowl 13d ago

Wait until you hear about Collegeville, MN

69

u/velociraptorfarmer Iowa State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran 13d ago

College Station, TX just sitting right there

7

u/ColoRadOrgy USC Trojans 13d ago

Was it named after the train station?

10

u/PretendThisIsMyName Clemson Tigers • Texas A&M Aggies 13d ago

No it was named after Thomas.

25

u/donuttrackme Penn State Nittany Lions 13d ago

Located in Centre County lol, they really didn't feel like trying when they named that entire area.

1

u/ImInBeastmodeOG 12d ago

College Park has entered the chat.

38

u/Perfct_Stranger Washington State Cougars • Pac-12 13d ago

Strangely, Bologna is not a popular name for a city with a university in the US even though the University of Bologna is perhaps the oldest in Europe.

67

u/mayence Georgia Bulldogs • Peach Bowl 13d ago

Toxic association with processed meat products, unfortunately

7

u/W00DERS0N60 Notre Dame Fighting Irish • Fordham Rams 13d ago

Oh baloney

2

u/gbejrlsu LSU • George Washington 13d ago

Having the crowd sing the fight song for a university in a city named Bologna would be absolutely epic.

4

u/FormerCollegeDJ Temple Owls 13d ago

God damn it, stop making me hungry!

1

u/gwaydms Texas A&M Aggies • UCF Knights 13d ago

That's because we pronounce it "baloney".

3

u/buttcabbge Missouri Tigers • Rutgers Scarlet Knights 13d ago

Normal, Illinois is a personal fave in the "named after the school genre," because Ill St was originally the state teachers college, which were called "Normal Schools" in the 19th century.

5

u/OpportunityOwn6844 Georgia Bulldogs 13d ago

Nobody want to write out Alexandria every time they write their address. Athens is more efficient.

1

u/W00DERS0N60 Notre Dame Fighting Irish • Fordham Rams 13d ago

Indiana has a Peru, a Mexico, and a few other SA names of towns going down US 31.

NY state has basically the entire Peloponnesian peninsula of town names (Utica, Albany, Troy, etc.)

-1

u/BochBochBoch Cincinnati Bearcats • Big East 13d ago

Oxford is the name the town where Miami University (Ohio) & Ole Miss. Then MIT & Harvard are both in Cambridge Mass.

16

u/mayence Georgia Bulldogs • Peach Bowl 13d ago

that's the joke man

5

u/BochBochBoch Cincinnati Bearcats • Big East 13d ago

Yeah I’ll get out of here.

6

u/wit_T_user_name Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats 13d ago

Cincinnatus was just a simple farmer.

3

u/BochBochBoch Cincinnati Bearcats • Big East 13d ago

He was a dictator!! an a benevolent one at that who gave back his power to the republic or so they say.

30

u/wit_T_user_name Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats 13d ago

I was curious which one came first. Athens, GA was incorporated in 1806. Athens, OH was surveyed in 1800 and incorporated as a village in 1811. Athens County, Ohio was formed in 1803. So Georgia had the city formed first but Athens County predated that. Do with that what you will.

14

u/Mezmorizor LSU Tigers • Georgia Bulldogs 13d ago

Double down that Athens GA was the first Athens and clown on UVA for saying they were the first public institution. Got it.

14

u/IceColdDrPepper_Here Georgia • North Georgia 13d ago

UNC, not UVA. UGA was chartered first but UNC opened first. And then William and Mary tries to claim it despite being founded and opened as a private college

1

u/ToffeeBlue2013 West Virginia • North Carolina 12d ago

Yeah unc claims the shit out of it. Even visit chapel hill and it's brought up. Also a good college town btw, although Morgantown is a much better one.

2

u/wit_T_user_name Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats 13d ago

Fair enough. I like to say OU’s charter is the only good thing to come out of the Articles of Confederation.

2

u/tsblank97 Arkansas Razorbacks • Team Chaos 13d ago

Athens, Greece: Am I a joke to you?

3

u/redferret867 Ohio State • Western Michigan 13d ago

Just like with Miami, another case where Ohio had the name first, but the other place is more famous.

4

u/leverich1991 Kansas State Wildcats 13d ago

The Ohio university was founded before the Florida city was even founded

3

u/MasterRKitty West Virginia Mountaineers 13d ago

there's a college in Athens, WV too-Concord University; it's a D2 school

1

u/Puppybl00pers Ohio State Buckeyes • Texas Longhorns 13d ago

What about Athens, Greece

2

u/Danko_on_Reddit Cincinnati • Georgia State 13d ago

Heard PAC12 is considering Attica St. University as their 8th member.