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List of college towns

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of college towns: towns and small cities that are socioeconomically dominated by a college or university (but not student quarters of larger cities), sorted by continent.

Generally, to be classified as a college town, a town should exhibit one or more of the following:

  • The town's cultural identity, social life, and public events are strongly shaped by the institution.
  • The college or university is a major or primary employer, and its presence significantly influences the local economy.
  • College or university students form a significant proportion of the town's population, often taken to be 20 per cent or more.[1]

Africa

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South Africa

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Ghana

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Asia

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Bahrain

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China

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India

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Indonesia

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Kazakhstan

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Malaysia

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Philippines

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Taiwan

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Europe

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Austria

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Belgium

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Bulgaria

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Croatia

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Czech Republic

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Denmark

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Estonia

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France

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Germany

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Iceland

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Ireland

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Italy

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Abruzzo

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Basilicata

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Campania

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Emilia-Romagna

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Lazio

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Lombardy

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Marche

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Piedmont

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Puglia

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Sicily

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Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

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Tuscany

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Umbria

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Valle d'Aosta

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Liechtenstein

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Malta

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Netherlands

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Norway

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Poland

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Portugal

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Romania

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Serbia

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Spain

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Sweden

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Switzerland

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Ukraine

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United Kingdom

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An Office for National Statistics analysis of towns and cities in England and Wales in 2021 identified that a high share of 16 to 24 year olds in the population was linked to the presence of a university, across all sizes of town and city outside of London. One of the main findings was that: "While most small towns had a relatively low share of 16- to 24-year-olds, shares were higher in the small number of small towns with a university." The average proportion of 16 to 24 year olds across England and Wales was 10.69 per cent.[7] The presence of a university has also been linked to a high proportion of the population working in education; the top quintile for this across all built-up areas in England and Wales is 14.1 per cent and above.[8]

The UK settlements with the highest proportion (over 30 per cent) of full-time students are St Andrews in Scotland (53 per cent), Aberystwyth and Bangor in Wales (both 42 per cent), and Durham and Canterbury in England (both 35 per cent). With the exception of Canterbury, these towns are dominated by a single institution that was established as a university or university college before the end of the 19th century. Canterbury has three universities – one established in the 1960s and two that became universities in the 21st century.

England

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Towns and cities with a university and a high proportion of 16 to 24 year olds (over 75 per cent above the average across England and Wales) in 2019 are listed below,[9][a] along with the 2021 population of their built up area (BUA),[10] the 2020/21 enrolment in their universities,[11][b] the proportion of people in the BUA employed in the education sector[8] and the proportion of people in the BUA who identified in the census as full-time students (England average 7.7 per cent).[12]

The BUA with the highest proportion of full-time students is Durham, with 35 per cent of the economically active population, closely followed by the multi-university city of Canterbury. The largest BUA to have over 20 per cent of its population composed of full-time students is Nottingham, at 24 per cent, with a population of almost 300,000, while the largest BUA containing only a single major institution is Exeter, with a population of over 125,000 and 21 per cent full-time students.

Town name Universities 16 to 25 Population Enrolment Ratio Employment in education Full-time students
Penryn Falmouth University 36% 11,195 6,000[c] 54% 13.8% 29.8%
University of Exeter
Canterbury University of Kent 33% 55,090 18,585[d] 79% 19.4% 34.7%
Canterbury Christ Church University 16,355
University for the Creative Arts 8,420[e]
Durham Durham University 32% 50,510 20,645 41% 21.1% 35.2%
Egham, Surrey Royal Holloway, University of London 28% 28,000 12,295 44% 12.1% 29.9%
Loughborough Loughborough University 27% 64,860 18,335 28% 17.1% 28.6%
Hatfield, Hertfordshire University of Hertfordshire 25% 41,560 30,100 72% 8.3% 28.0%
Bath University of Bath 23% 94,080 18,555 30% 14.9% 22.7%
Bath Spa University 9,235
Oxford Oxford Brookes University 22% 170,805 17,810 26% 23.2% 25.6%
University of Oxford 27,150
Nottingham Nottingham Trent University 22% 299,790 38,995[f] 25% 10.7% 23.9%
University of Nottingham 35,785
Falmouth Falmouth University) 21% 24,070 6,170[g] 26% 11.7% 19.8%
Cambridge Anglia Ruskin University; 21% 152,740 32,180[h] 36% 21.1% 24.6%
University of Cambridge 22,155
Guildford University of Surrey 20% 77,880 16,565 21% 12.5% 20.9%
Lincoln University of Lincoln 20% 104,555 17,565 19% 9.6% 18.3%
Bishop Grosseteste University 2,465
Exeter University of Exeter 20% 126,175 30,250[i] 24% 13.6% 20.6%
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University 20% 286,445 27,775 16% 11.0% 19.5%
Northumbria University Newcastle 31,860[j]
Lancaster University of Lancaster 19% 52,655 17,470 51% 17.9% 19.6%
University of Cumbria 9,280[k]

Northern Ireland

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Town name Universities 16 to 25 (2021) Population (2021) Enrolment (2021) Ratio Employment in education Full-time students
Coleraine Ulster University at Coleraine 11%[14] 24,483[15] 4,250[16] 17% 9.9%[17] 7.9%[18]

Scotland

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Proportions of full-time students from the 2022 Census for Scotland by census settlement[19]

Wales

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Towns and cities with a university and a high proportion of 16 to 24 year olds in 2019:[9]

Town name Universities 16 to 25 Population Enrolment Ratio Employment in education Full-time students
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University 38% 14,640 8,040 55% 18.1% 42.1%
Bangor Bangor University 33% 16,990 9,705 57% 13.2% 41.5%

North America

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Canada

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United States

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Blake Gumprecht wrote the first major study of US college towns in 2008.[20][1] For this work, he identified 305 cities where enrolment in 4-year colleges was more than 20% of the population and which met other criteria, including having an urban-area population of less than 350,000 and being physically separated from any larger city.[1]: 2–3  He specifically mentioned Austin, Texas, which is dominated by the state government, and of Tempe, Arizona, which is part of a larger urban area, as examples of places that have some of the characteristics of college towns but that he does not include.[1]: 1  The study covered 60 towns, including three cities located in urban areas that were noted as not meeting the criteria: Cambridge, Massachusetts, Berkeley, California and Claremont, California.[1]: xix  The full list of college towns that met the criteria in 2000 was published online as supplemental material.[21]

Gumprecht's college towns had a median population (in 2000) of 11,998, a median enrolment of 6,153, a median enrolment to population ratio of 48%, a median fraction of the population in the 18–24 age range of 31%, and a median fraction of employment in education of 21%.[21] Most colleges in college towns were established in the 19th century, with a median establishment date of 1883. There are 12 (4% of the total) from post-1945, with the most recent being Saratoga Springs, where the first college in the town was founded or moved there in 1971.[21]

Alabama

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Alaska

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Arizona

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Arkansas

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California

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Colorado

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Connecticut

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Delaware

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Florida

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Georgia

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Hawaii

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Idaho

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Illinois

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Indiana

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Iowa

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Kansas

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Kentucky

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Louisiana

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Maine

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Maryland

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Massachusetts

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Michigan

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Minnesota

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Mississippi

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Missouri

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Montana

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Nebraska

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Nevada

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New Hampshire

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New Jersey

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New Mexico

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New York

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North Carolina

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North Dakota

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Ohio

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Oklahoma

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Oregon

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Pennsylvania

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Rhode Island

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South Carolina

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South Dakota

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Tennessee

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Texas

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Utah

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Vermont

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Virginia

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Washington

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West Virginia

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Wisconsin

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Wyoming

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Puerto Rico

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Oceania

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Australia

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New South Wales

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Northern Territory

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Queensland

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South Australia

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Tasmania

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Victoria

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Western Australia

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New Zealand

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South America

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Argentina

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Brazil

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Colombia

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Venezuela

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Notes

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  1. ^ Catterick Garrison, a military town, has 22 per cent of its population in this age range but no university
  2. ^ This may include students enroled at the universities but not living in the BUA
  3. ^ Estimated size of the Penryn Campus[13]
  4. ^ includes students at Canterbury and Medway campuses
  5. ^ includes students at Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham campuses
  6. ^ includes students at Nottingham, Clifton,Brackenhurst, Mansfield and London campuses
  7. ^ includes students at Falmouth and Penryn campuses
  8. ^ includes students at Cambridge, Chelmsford and Peterborough, campuses
  9. ^ includes students at Exeter, Truro and Penryn campuses
  10. ^ includes students at Newcastle and London campuses
  11. ^ includes students at Carlisle, Lancaster, London and Ambleside campuses

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao Blake Gumprecht (2009). The American College Town. University of Massachusetts Press. pp. 1, 2. ISBN 978-1-55849-671-2.
  2. ^ Pascal, cleo (2008-08-02). "Innovative university sets the flavour of Indian town". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  3. ^ Mayank, Himadri (6 April 2009). "College Towns in India – Archisage". www.archisage.net. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009.
  4. ^ Harris, Brian. "Gent, Gand, Ghent in east Flanders, Belgium. A university town of bars and restaurants and the second largest port in Belgium". Alamy.
  5. ^ Sun-Cua, Alice (4 June 2015). "The university town of Leuven in Belgium". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "The 10 Best University Towns in Europe". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  7. ^ Understanding towns in England and Wales: population and demographic analysis (Report). Office for National Statistics. 24 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Industry. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Understanding towns in England and Wales: population and demography". Office for National Statistics. 24 February 2021.
  10. ^ Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 (Report). Office for National Statistics. 2 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Where do HE students study?". HESA. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Area profile". BUA (via search) > Economy > Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) > L15: Full-time students. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Penryn Campus near Falmouth, Cornwall". University of Exeter. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Age - 7 Categories A". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Settlement 2015 – Coleraine". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions: Northern Ireland Analysis 2021/22". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Industry (Current) - 16 Categories". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  18. ^ "National Statistics Socio-economic Classification - 10 Categories". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  19. ^ "National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) - 10 groups, collapsed by Census Settlement - Locality 2022". Scotland's Census. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  20. ^ "Professor Writes First Book about Life in the American College Town". Newswise. November 10, 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy fz ga gb gc gd ge gf gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc hd he hf hg hh hi hj hk hl hm hn ho hp hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo jp jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks kt ku kv "The American College Town". University of Massachusetts Press. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay "The 50 Best College Towns to Live in Forever – College Ranker". College Ranker. Archived from the original on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
  23. ^ "College-town life has good and bad points". Tuscaloosa News. May 16, 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  24. ^ "Fayetteville, Ark., no longer just a college town". Deseret News. July 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  25. ^ Serrano, Richard A. (January 26, 2008). "Huckabee's Jonesboro book still rankles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  26. ^ Casnocha, Ben (October 10, 2008). "Start-Up Town". The American. Archived from the original on 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  27. ^ "Frontier Outpost Grows Up". Sunset. October 2001. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
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  30. ^ Morton, David (September 29, 2006). "Shell of a Town". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
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  33. ^ "About Winona MN". Weekend on Wheels 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
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  35. ^ Brad Edmondson, "All Dolled Up" Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, Preservation Magazine, May/June 2002, reprinted by Aurora Coalition, Inc., accessed 10 Apr 2009
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  37. ^ Winnie, Trista.Top 10 Small College Towns for Investment, NuWire Investor, August 15, 2007
  38. ^ "Corpus Christi Education Center | Saint Leo University". www.saintleo.edu. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012.
  39. ^ "Colleges & Universities – Marshall, TX". City of Marshall, Texas. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  40. ^ Kurlantzick, Joshua (October 26, 2008). "36 Hours in Charlottesville". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
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  42. ^ "Things to Do in La Plata". Frommer's. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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