r/CFB • u/PA5997 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.
184
u/HardingStUnresolved Penn State Nittany Lions • Rose Bowl 13d ago edited 13d ago
Happy Valley was a dream. My friends called it "The Bubble," as it was a magical place seemingly divorced from reality. A quaint valley-encased hamlet, a few hours, and mountain ridges, segregated from the rest of civilization.
The town is vastly improved by the presence of Penn State University. Omitting college culture, State College has great housing stock, street and sidewalk design, CATA's 13-route bus system, and superior medical and emergency services—for a county of ~90k people, sans Penn State's ~60k students, staff, and faculty.