I don't agree! What say you?
http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-sec-college-towns-expert-poll
http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-sec-college-towns-expert-poll
Ranking the SEC College Towns
- Thread starter 7233
- Start date
I don't see how Tuscaloosa rates so high. I've been there and it's nice but no better than Columbia. Same with Auburn. I've never been to Fayetville, but I don't know how it could be better than Columbia. Also don't think Gainesville is better than Columbia either.
Columbia, Missouri better than Columbia, SC? Baton Rouge? College Station? Those media voting members just don't know how to 'get around' it appears to me.
Off campus/private property tailgating has many advantages (parking, walking distance, no open container laws, etc, etc) that get lost in rankings like these.
Given that the panel voting on these college towns mainly consists of folks who attended college a few decades ago, I don't give this poll any merit.
Furthermore, there appears to be a nonsensical criteria for this poll. Nashville is voted #1, but it's clearly not a college town. Other towns are held in high regard for having a "college feel," such as Athens and Oxford. Columbia, on the other hand, is seemingly punished for being a fairly large city with a university in it. It makes absolutely no sense.
Furthermore, there appears to be a nonsensical criteria for this poll. Nashville is voted #1, but it's clearly not a college town. Other towns are held in high regard for having a "college feel," such as Athens and Oxford. Columbia, on the other hand, is seemingly punished for being a fairly large city with a university in it. It makes absolutely no sense.
People always harp on that, but in our case I really don't get why. The stadium is less than two miles away for Christ's sake. It's not like at Miami where you have a half-hour drive between the campus and the stadium. You can walk from the Horseshoe to the Williams-Brice in less time, and tail-gate with half the city on your way.
I agree. I don't know why so many people apparently enjoy making 4 trips from their car to their shady tailgating spot in the center of campus lugging their food and chairs back and forth. There's a lot to be said for being able to park right where you tailgate.
I'll only comment on what I know from first hand experience. I live in the Columbia area and have been going to Gainesville all my life because I have family there. Gainesville...better than Columbia..? What a total crock of BS. Even my Gainesville relatives would say the same thing...and have.
Silly. Knoxville, Tuscaloosa and Gainesville too high. Columbia, Auburn, Fayetteville too low.
Last edited:
The first thing I'd do I reverse positions for Starkvile and Nashville. I've visited about 2/3 of the SEC home towns, and usually stop by the football stadium for a brief visit, even if it's the middle of summer. I was pretty disappointed in Nashville as city, the music scene seems to be very concentrated within a few blocks, the traffic is nasty, although the surrounding countryside is very attractive . But you would never realize you're in an SEC college town while visiting.
Starkville is a pretty ordinary looking town, although it does have some very nice neighborhoods near the campus, but you're never in doubt that you're in an SEC college town.
Oxford, Mississippi may be the nicest SEC town of all...very nice central square near the campus, lots of trees, Rowan Hall (William Faulkner's home) a couple of blocks away and never a doubt you're in SEC territory
Some of y'all are incredibly delusional. It REALLY pains me to say this.....Columbia flat out sucks as a "college town." Unfortunately, some of our most hated rivals are in true college towns.
Athens, GA
Clemson, SC
Auburn, AL
Chapel Hill, NC
Athens, GA
Clemson, SC
Auburn, AL
Chapel Hill, NC
After the initial 'Wow!' factor (Gee, ain't it quaint) wears off, most of those small 'college towns' are boring as hell. As far as fun 'watering holes' go, ColaTown probably has more to choose from (in 5 Points & The Vista) than those 4 burgs ^^^^ combined.
Columbia is extremely underrated. In addition to great restaurants and nightlife, we have a national park and a huge recreational lake very close.
You lost me at Clemson dude. What do they have, College Avenue and a 4 lane highway with a Wal-Mart and some fast food restaurants on it? That doesn't sound like a college town to me. Sounds more like Rock Hill or Spartanburg.
Yes it's only two miles but nobody walks it. You have to drive no matter. There are advantages but the norm is the on campus stadium and we get penalized for it. That's how I see it any way.
As for Miami, I wouldn't even bring them up. That program is such an outlier to the rest of college football that they really don't even compare. It's basically a pro team fallen on hard times.
In Athens we always park in the Classic Center garage. We sit there and drink beer and watch idiot after idiot pull in, pack up, and walk away. We actually laugh at some of them trying to carry 50 pounds of crap a mile across campus. All my dad says is, "Thank God our stadium isn't on campus."
And in Lexington if you're not on campus they don't even realize there's a game going on. They might during basketball season but not football.
Yep. Everything south or east of the state capitol is a college town. The campus is actually expanding to the stadium and I think we have a ton of advantages over the little Podunk towns.
Oh, yes, I've been to Athens. It is, indeed, a great college town, but it's not multiple times better for gameday/weekend entertainment than Columbia, imo.
I've been to all with the exception of Texas A&M. Will be there this coming fall. My favorite is Athens. Alabama is 2nd in my opinion. Then I would group them - Tenn, Auburn, Ole Miss. Followed by Fla, LSU, Vandy, KY Third group - Miss St, Ark, Missouri. I have only been to Missouri the one time, so maybe not giving them a fair assessment, but I was not that impressed. There is nothing in Starkville and I've been to Ark 3 times- their best venue is in Little Rock which is 2 1/2 hours from campus. SC is at least on par with Knoxville- I agree with post regarding tailgating for game- we have a great situation as for setting up near stadium and the VISTA has added a lot to the weekend celebrations.
That place is a dump other than a few blocks that include the campus. And of of course Dreamland BBQ rocks. The campus is all there is in the hell hole.
One of our fans that attended a game in Starkville said it made quempsum look like NYC.
We are just as good if not better than Knoxville, and I have been to Vandy and while Nashville is a nice city I don't see Vandy as being any better than us because the school is located outside of Nashville.
In my job at the S.H. I meet so many visitors and fans from other SEC schools who are in total awe of our city and university.
With the incredible USC related construction projects on Blossom, Gervais and the amazing Hub on Main we'll soon ( if we haven't already ) leave those other cities in the dust.
You really have to walk the USC campus in all directions to appreciate what is happening.
With the incredible USC related construction projects on Blossom, Gervais and the amazing Hub on Main we'll soon ( if we haven't already ) leave those other cities in the dust.
You really have to walk the USC campus in all directions to appreciate what is happening.
Great post.
I have a suggestion: for those fans/alums who live in the Columbia area, take the time to drive through and around campus (ALL of it, i.e. Horseshoe, Gibbes Green, South Campus, West Campus/Innovista, Davis Field, Womens Quad, Athletic Village, W-B Stadium area, Carolina Stadium, etc.) You'll be impressed. I promise.
You might also want to visit The Vista, Main Street, and 5 Points, too. They've changed and are changing more every day.
For those distant alumni/supporters, I suggest using Google Maps - Satellite and Street View. Take a visit over, around and through Columbia and USC from the comfort of your office, home or anywhere you choose.
GO COCKS! CAROLINA, FOREVER!!!
This ain't exactly in regards to the campus, I guess more about the stadium, but I'll take our parking any day over the small lot parking all of these so called scenic campuses have. It does look nice to have a bunch of big oaks around your tailgate but I enjoy being able to look out across all the tailgates and have plenty of foot traffic(read sun dresses) through the area. All of those places mention their pretty parking lots with all of the shades but sure is funny they still have all the same tents set up everywhere just like us. As far as Georgia and North Carolina, you better also make sure you know where you're at before you bust out the beer or you will get an ticket for open container.
The USC campus and Columbia are fast becoming one in the same.
Because of USC's unprecedented growth, property values in downtown Columbia have gone through the roof.
Hundreds of students walking to class each morning from the Hub on Main St is an impressive sight.
The east campus now almost touches Five Points. To the west ( Cayce side ) where the Treemont Motel and Monterrey's once stood, huge student housing construction is underway.
If you haven't driven down Blossom from Assembly to Huger in the last few months you're in for a shock.
Because of USC's unprecedented growth, property values in downtown Columbia have gone through the roof.
Hundreds of students walking to class each morning from the Hub on Main St is an impressive sight.
The east campus now almost touches Five Points. To the west ( Cayce side ) where the Treemont Motel and Monterrey's once stood, huge student housing construction is underway.
If you haven't driven down Blossom from Assembly to Huger in the last few months you're in for a shock.
Columbia is not a college town. Athens is not pretty....owned a restaurant there for years....dirty town. Nashville is fun near the river...notsomuch surrounding the university. Gainsville is an absolute dump....oxord is nice...so is auburn. I would like to go to lexington. Knoxville is fine...maybe a bit more to it then columbia, but it had some questionable areas nearby.
I suspect columbia will finally get its due when usc finishes its expansion to the river. At that point, and with 40,000 students, it will be a hell of a place to be. Expect the westside of the river to blow up in action as well. If you have not been through campus, the vista, main street and even five points in the last year or 2, then you probably dont know columbia.
I suspect columbia will finally get its due when usc finishes its expansion to the river. At that point, and with 40,000 students, it will be a hell of a place to be. Expect the westside of the river to blow up in action as well. If you have not been through campus, the vista, main street and even five points in the last year or 2, then you probably dont know columbia.
