Undoubtably in our travels, we have come across some great college towns, you know, the ones that define the town they exist in. I'm not talking about NYC, or Boston, where the cities stand on their own merits already, but those charming and fun towns that leave you with a sense of something different.

Just wondering what some of you posters think are the best of these places.

this has been done soooooo many times!

Huh?

UC Berkeley. I'm not sure if the college defines the town or the town defines the college, but the two are inseparable. From the past history of 60s counter-culture to the present political activeness, community involvement, tolerance of cultural, racial and lifestyle differences ... I don't know what Berkeley would be without it's fine university. I believe students choose to go there for more than the stellar education they will receive, but also to be part of the Berkeley community.

I think a good barometer of your question is how many graduates of a college remain in the community. That's a very high percentage in Berkeley, for instance.

Athens, Ohio. Voted best party school, best party town by just about everybody.

Athens is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians in southeastern Ohio. It's far from everything so you have to make your own fun, whether it be drunken, artistic or outdoorsy -- or all three.

The beautiful campus borders a vibrant uptown with tons of bars and restaurants. The annual Halloween party can get out of hand and, at least when I was there, brawling spring riots were the norm. Good, clean college fun.

There is a very strong cultural and arts community in Athens, particularly sculpters and painters.

There are wonderful hiking trails in the hills and nearby state parks. At night, we used to go up into the hills looking for the legendary "Mothman."

Oh, to be 19 again and back in Athens...

Chapel Hill, NC
Tallahassee, Florida

Terre Haute, Indiana.

Clean air, a strong economy and well-educated inhabitants.

Dave, what a dull boring plae where you meet only one's class or economic background.

STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA!!!

Nothing compares to Happy Valley! Talk about charming, friendly, everything you could want in a college town.

If you do a search, you'll see that this question has been asked a couple times already and got numerous responses.
But, I'll chime in again for my faves.
In New England and NY:
Burlington VT
Northampton MA
Ithaca NY

Yes, Kel - State College, without a doubt!! I spent four wonderful years there. Not that I'm biased or anything...

Hey Arabella I'm with you on Athens. Beautiful campus. They have toned down the drinking a little since all the bars burned down...

Clemson, South Carolina

Close to the mountains and plenty of lakes in the area. Also close enough to have a day outing in Atlanta or Greenville, SC.

Burlington, VT
Plattsburgh, NY

Annapolis, Maryland with the U.S. Naval Academy and its gates opening iiiiinto the heart of the historic district and St. John's College, one of America's oldest. Home to four signers of the Declaration of Independence (all of whose homes still exist), historic restaurants - in Middleton Tavern, politicians have been meeting every Thursday evening since the 1700's. Fine restaurants, fun bars, Wendesday night sailboat races, ego alley and its yachtsmen.

Ann Arbor, MI!

This has been done to death, and done within the last 6 months! Oddly enough, a syndicated article about the best college town in the country came out soon after.

Marty, do a search and PERHAPS the search function will find that LONG LONG thread for you.

Otherwise, you people need to put away your pom-poms and get back to work.

Hey "Search", so this has been done before, BFD. Most of the messages on this board are cyclical to some degree. If you have been around so long to see these same themes re-appear, could that be a clue that it's time for you to find a new site to squat on???

Give me a break, I have not been hanging around the Fodor's board forever. Besides that, the people who respond today are likely to be different people, and give different answers, than those of the earlier thread. If you don't want to respond, don't! Just go away, and let those who do care to respond do so without you blow hards cracking them for it.

BFD yourself, you sophomoric twit. Why do you even ask, unless of course you are just itchin' to ROCK with the other alcoholic collegians and don't even know where to look. You gave no hint why you asked but I suspect it's that you had nothing better to do and the question just kind of bubbled up through the beer in your brain.

FYI, the other thread was just a few months ago. And I found it for you and topped it for you, and this is the thanks I get? Which of us needs a life?

TTT