Ranking the SEC College Towns

[67gamecock]

I'm reminded of the Dawg fan I had the misfortunate several years ago of discussing SEC football with in an ATL airport bar. This is a quote from said Jawja fan: " Columbia and Carolina are dumps!" Said I, "When's the last time you went to a football game in Columbia?" Said he: " . . . round '84. I reckon." Enough said.

 

[SCsandlapper]

I've always thought Columbia was at a disadvantage in comparison due to the stadium being off campus. It just feels different than other college towns.

No doubt the stadium setting/location is a major factor. The "2-mile walk" is not exactly a "walk in the park". The recent upgrades around the stadium are awesome, but the ugliness of that walk is pretty glaring.....certainly not like walking through "The Grove", etc......I think we're about right in the ranking as far as a "college town" is concerned.

 

[Gamecawks]

The great thing about Columbia is that if you're not in college, it's still an actual city and you could live there and enjoy yourself. Can't say the same for most towns on this list. Traditional college towns blow hard.

 

[Elgringo]

Ex-girlfriend was from up north and visited Clemson and Carolina. She had heard all about the Clemson campus, and was fully expecting to go there. She did the campus tour, but decided she didn't want to be in school ALL the time. If you've been to Clemson this makes perfect sense. You can't go anywhere without being reminded, "Oh, I'm in Bumf*** USA."

Later that day she visited Carolina and fell in love with the Horseshoe and the way such a historical area is intertwined with a modern capital city.

So personally, you can keep your "College town." They may be great for game day in the fall but whe you have to LIVE there, the same 2 bars, 3 restaurants and Walmart get really old.

 

[wallycock]

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.

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.

It's been 20 years since I spent any real time on or around the campus. I did show my wife around it briefly about 12 years ago. In my college days there was nothing beyond Carolina Coliseum, The Roost (The Sarge), The Horseshoe, and Capstone. The Vista, and Koger Center were brand new when I moved from Columbia. The place has absolutely exploded since. As for college towns, that's all in the eyes of the beholder. If you are from a small place, like me, Columbia is and was a wonderful place. It is amazing now, and offers so much more than a nice place to tailgate. If that's all you're going to measure a town by, then no, Cola is not your typical college town, but with Cola, you get to see and experience history, where the old meets the new, government meets commerce, science & technology meets performing arts, and some of the best restaurants, nightlife, and college sports and venues in the U.S. We are so much more than a nice place to tailgate, but on that note, in just a few more years, you'll be able to add that to the list as well, and in another 10-20 years, WB Stadium will be on campus!

 

[67gamecock]

It's been 20 years since I spent any real time on or around the campus. I did show my wife around it briefly about 12 years ago. In my college days there was nothing beyond Carolina Coliseum, The Roost (The Sarge), The Horseshoe, and Capstone. The Vista, and Koger Center were brand new when I moved from Columbia. The place has absolutely exploded since. As for college towns, that's all in the eyes of the beholder. If you are from a small place, like me, Columbia is and was a wonderful place. It is amazing now, and offers so much more than a nice place to tailgate. If that's all you're going to measure a town by, then no, Cola is not your typical college town, but with Cola, you get to see and experience history, where the old meets the new, government meets commerce, science & technology meets performing arts, and some of the best restaurants, nightlife, and college sports and venues in the U.S. We are so much more than a nice place to tailgate, but on that note, in just a few more years, you'll be able to add that to the list as well, and in another 10-20 years, WB Stadium will be on campus!

Might be sooner than 10-20 years. If we can ever wrestle the Fairgrounds property from the State Fair Assn., we'll have this campus thing locked down. Gee, if we can get the Agriculture Dept. to give up the Farmers' Market, we can surely snag the Fairgrounds property.

 

[bvmay]

The Campus is drastically improved since i graduated in 2001, but it is still a campus sprawled though out a small city. other than the horseshoe, it misses that "true" campus feeling. Clemson totally has the campus feel, but it is missing A LOT of things that a small city has to offer.

 

[usaguy40]

i enjoyed my time in college at usc.....different strokes for different folks i guess

 

[GhostVol]

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.

I'm from Nashville. Metro Nashville has 26 colleges/universities. There's more to NashVegas than Vandy (even tho they might argue otherwise)!

 

[cockhornleghorn]

I'm from Nashville. Metro Nashville has 26 colleges/universities. There's more to NashVegas than Vandy (even tho they might argue otherwise)!

Likewise, there are a lot more colleges and universities in Columbia besides USC, though it's the largest.

 

[Rollerdude123]

some of the folks on that list don't experience college towns and football stadiums like regular fans.

They are flown to games, escorted to games, some of them don't even drive themselves to a game.

In addition, college age kids experience towns differently than adults. I have kids. I am not concerned about the quality of bars at an away game. I want ease of parking, quick exits, decent restaurants nearby.

I have been to away games at Vandy many times. Nashville is a college town as Tom Selleck is a teen sex symbol these days. Tens of thousands in Nashville couldn't tell you one thing about Vanderbilt. You can pick up a newspaper on Gameday in Nashville and not read a word about the Vandy football game.

 

[tngamecock#]

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.

The worst/best logo column from that same link is actually comical. Gave Auburn a top 10 for best logo...........wow.

 

[conCOCKshon]

some of the folks on that list don't experience college towns and football stadiums like regular fans.

They are flown to games, escorted to games, some of them don't even drive themselves to a game.

In addition, college age kids experience towns differently than adults. I have kids. I am not concerned about the quality of bars at an away game. I want ease of parking, quick exits, decent restaurants nearby.

I have been to away games at Vandy many times. Nashville is a college town as Tom Selleck is a teen sex symbol these days. Tens of thousands in Nashville couldn't tell you one thing about Vanderbilt. You can pick up a newspaper on Gameday in Nashville and not read a word about the Vandy football game.

Nashville is one of the best, coolest towns in the nation. It's a hot destination right now too because the world has discovered it. Anyone who thinks that place is a dump should have their head examined. Cola would be lucky to ever be considered on even par. In fact, I remember back when Patton Sdams was Mayor he often traveled to Nashville, planning to emulate the things they did.

 

[Coyote89]

I don't agree! What say you?

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-sec-college-towns-expert-poll

I've been to almost all of them and Columbia, SC is highly underrated. It's an entirely different town today than it was 10-15-20 years ago. Huge renovations just about everywhere you look both on campus and in the surrounding city. Columbia has great nightlife, tons of good restaurants, and there is huge school spirit for the local University. Plus, Lake Murray is right there and it's only 90 mins to Charleston or the beach. My only complaint about Cola is that it is so damn hot. Other than that, it's a great place.

In fact, I honestly believe that if USC had a dominant football or basketball program overt he last 50 years, Columbia would be considered one of the best college towns. It's ranked low because a long history of mediocrity in sports has caused it to be overlooked.

 

[Francis Marion]

'bout where I figured we'd be

Starkville must really suck.

I would rank Starkville first. Stark Vegas. Nice campus too

 

[Francis Marion]

I've been to almost all of them and Columbia, SC is highly underrated. It's an entirely different town today than it was 10-15-20 years ago. Huge renovations just about everywhere you look both on campus and in the surrounding city. Columbia has great nightlife, tons of good restaurants, and there is huge school spirit for the local University. Plus, Lake Murray is right there and it's only 90 mins to Charleston or the beach. My only complaint about Cola is that it is so damn hot. Other than that, it's a great place.

In fact, I honestly believe that if USC had a dominant football or basketball program overt he last 50 years, Columbia would be considered one of the best college towns. It's ranked low because a long history of mediocrity in sports has caused it to be overlooked.

Many Columbians don't like it when people say it is a college town.

Columbia is pretty nice . IIt is probably nicest big city SEC campus/town.

 

[Francis Marion]

Nashville is one of the best, coolest towns in the nation. It's a hot destination right now too because the world has discovered it. Anyone who thinks that place is a dump should have their head examined. Cola would be lucky to ever be considered on even par. In fact, I remember back when Patton Sdams was Mayor he often traveled to Nashville, planning to emulate the things they did.

Most people can't afford Vandy though for college. I prefer Columbia myself

 

[Francis Marion]

The Campus is drastically improved since i graduated in 2001, but it is still a campus sprawled though out a small city. other than the horseshoe, it misses that "true" campus feeling. Clemson totally has the campus feel, but it is missing A LOT of things that a small city has to offer.

SC feels like a true campus too me and I went to Clemson for undergrad but did 1 semester at SC later on.

Clemson has enough for college kids, there are a lot more restaurants there now than late 90s and Anderson and SEneca not too far away for more. Unless you eat out a lot, it could work for many adults too especially if they like outdoors stuff.

 

[Francis Marion]

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."

It would be pretty cool if the stadium was adjacent to 5 points or the Vista, or right on the river. Would cause some major traffic issues though. lol

 

[Francis Marion]

Ex-girlfriend was from up north and visited Clemson and Carolina. She had heard all about the Clemson campus, and was fully expecting to go there. She did the campus tour, but decided she didn't want to be in school ALL the time. If you've been to Clemson this makes perfect sense. You can't go anywhere without being reminded, "Oh, I'm in Bumf*** USA."

Later that day she visited Carolina and fell in love with the Horseshoe and the way such a historical area is intertwined with a modern capital city.

So personally, you can keep your "College town." They may be great for game day in the fall but whe you have to LIVE there, the same 2 bars, 3 restaurants and Walmart get really old.

Clemson isn't in middle of nowhere, Greenville county is right up the road and it is most populated county. There is def more than 2 bars in Clemson, and more bars exist in Anderson, Seneca,. We used to go to Greenville's main street many weekends too.

Downtown Columbia isn't that urban and Clemson has th kind of restaurants that colleg ekids go to, Chipolte, pizza places, moes, etc. same kind of stuff that you see in the Vista and 5 points.

Plus you are right on a lake, near the mountains, and there is golf course right on campus.

 

[conCOCKshon]

i enjoyed my time in college at usc.....different strokes for different folks i guess

I don't think anyone is saying USC and Cola are dumps. Instead, people are posting that there are other schools and other cities that are pretty cool.