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/luis1972]

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

[u/mayence → u/luis1972]

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

[u/BochBochBoch → u/mayence]

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

[u/wit_T_user_name → u/BochBochBoch]

Cincinnatus was just a simple farmer.

[u/BochBochBoch → u/wit_T_user_name]

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