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America's Coolest College Towns
Brian T. Murphy
Oxford, MS (University of Mississippi)
On autumn Saturdays when Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is packed with 65,000 whooping fans, it may be tough to associate Oxford with anything but football. But in a place named for a scholarly English city and that is home to William Faulkner’s columned retreat, Rowan Oak, paperbacks take precedence over quarterbacks, especially at Square Books. Its tens of thousands of volumes include autographed copies of works by southern authors like Eudora Welty. When not reading, residents pedal the city’s fast-growing network of bike trails. “I was surprised to learn Mississippi could be so progressive,” says Kevin Stuart of Oxford Bicycle Company.
Local Taste: Act the southern gentleman on the upstairs porch at City Grocery by ordering a “Just North of South” bourbon mojito.
Comments (12)
Open / CloseCal Berkeley
Berkeley is a filthy town, do not go out after dark and be prepared for extreme liberal happenings on the campus. I lived there for many years, my son graduated from Cal, but I avoid going to Berkeley ever!! If you are looking for a visit to "concrete town" go to Berkeley, California.
Oxford, MS
We've lived near Oxford for several years. It is a wonderful, beautiful town. The people are friendly and there is always something going on. I have to say, too, that it is one of the few places left where I feel safe walking anywhere in town with my children at night. We frequently stroll through the park, the neighborhoods, or around the Square in the evening and we have never had any reason to be afraid. These days, that is a rare thing, indeed.
There are so many great pla... Read More
Ann Arbor ?????
Moved to MI 14 years ago to teach in a liberal arts college (from NJ/NYC). This is fly over territory. People spoke of UM and Ann Arbor as if the former where the University of Chicago or Princeton and the latter as if it were Paris. MI has some nice things and is pretty in the early Fall, not much else going on, I am afraid. The University is highly, highly, overrated and the town is almost as nice as New Brunswick. Go to Rutgers, you have UM and Ann Arbor. But in some respects (dependin... Read More
You are completely wrong. Ann Arbor is an unbelievable town. First, you say you moved to MI to teach at a liberal art college. I'm assuming that means you don't teach at UM and don't live in AA. For that reason alone, your post holds no weight. The state of Michigan (particularly Detroit) is struggling and probably wouldn't rank high on many lists, but ann arbor is great. There is unbelievable tradition and architecture. The buildings are all amazing (look at almost any building near t... More
Oxford, Mississippi
“I was surprised to learn Mississippi could be so progressive" - Yes, people in Mississippi DO read books and ride on bike trails! What an offensive quote to include in the article about Oxford! We have quite a few famous authors from our state - some who have received the Pulitzer Prize and one who received the Nobel Prize for Literature. And we DO find forms of entertainment besides football and hunting; the stores and restaurants on The Square are a good example of that.
UGA - Athens, GA
Athens is an "oasis" - great resturants and shopping near campus - may not be a fancy as some, but great town near a beautiful campus in the "heartland of Georgia!"
if you dont mind a high crime rate and the city being a sh*thole
Crime rate is exaggerated I don't even lock the door of my house. Probably not a good idea to walk home drunk from downtown at 2AM but that is why there are taxis. The city is lovely with great art and music and sports and dining and some absolutely wonderful people and a very pretty down town . Don't know what lightin2's problem is
America's Coolest College Towns
What happened to beautiful Brown University situated on College Hill in Providence, with lovely old homes, fireworks in the canal in summer, unique shopping, interesting restaurants nearby? There's the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson & Wales University where if you are lucky enough to get a reservation in their culinary school restaurant or in one of their hotels, staffed by students, you have a real treat..
(Olde time Rhode Islander)
I agree! I was surprised that Providence didn't make this list. It's a perfect college town-- with all the cool shops and restauraunts on Thayer Street, beautiful architecture, and who could forget about Waterfire? Plus, it has Brown University AND the Rhode Island School of Design, so it's not only a very intellectual town but a very artistic one as well. I think Providence deserves the top spot (:
America's Coolest College Towns
Shouldn't this be titled America's Coolest University Towns? Only one college as listed. And they all were spendy schools, no wonder the "towns" were so nice! Oh well, Cal State Uni @ San Bernardino is a nice place for a rowdy "town", and UC Santa Barbara is a cool university in a small "town" (although it is spendy too).
Nice photos, though :o)
Few of those listed are "towns"
The title was "America's Coolest College Towns" yet the overwhelming majority of the places listed are not town but rather large cities. Come on Madison WI, Austin TX, Boulder CO, Berkley, CA? You have to be kidding me if you really believe any of those are towns. There are lots of nice college towns out there including Clemson SC, Auburn AL, Blacksburg VA, State College PA, among others; places that probably wouldn't be there except for hte presense of the university they support.
I couldn't agree with you more. By the logic of this article, one could call New York City a "college town".
Evergreen State State in Olympia, WA
Just thought you might like to know that Fanny Bay oysters do not come from Puget Sound, but from Fanny Bay (hence the name), British Columbia.
Vermont
I graduated from UVM and loved every minute of being in Burlington. I am now attending law school in Colorado, but miss the small town feel of Burlington with the great parks down by Lake Champlain. The people are real and friendly, and there is something for everyone. I can't wait to move back!!
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