Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
College town
A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, but not including communities that are parts of larger urban areas (often termed student quarters). The university may be large, or there may be several smaller institutions such as liberal arts colleges clustered, or the residential population may be small, but college towns in all cases are so dubbed because the presence of the educational institution(s) pervades economic and social life. Many local residents may be employed by the university—which may be the largest employer in the community—many businesses cater primarily to the university, and the student population may outnumber the local population.
In Europe, a university town is generally characterised by having an old university. The economy of the city is closely related with the university activity and highly supported by the entire university structure, which may include university hospitals and clinics, printing houses, libraries, laboratories, business incubators, student rooms, dining halls, students' unions, student societies, and academic festivities. Moreover, the history of the city is often intertwined with that of the university. Many European university towns have not merely been important places of science and education, but also centres of political, cultural and social influence throughout the centuries. In university towns such as Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews and Durham, the town centre is dominated both physically and functionally by the university, with the result that the town has become identified with the university. While in many historical university towns, the town has grown up around the university, Durham is an example of a university town where the university has 'colonised' the town centre.
In the United States, many of the land-grant universities are located in college towns because of their historical mandate to provide agricultural education and research. In these towns, there is frequently a strong tradition of "school pride" in the community with many of the town's residents working for (and loyal to) the college or university, wearing the school colours, attending university sporting events (such as American college football games, which draw crowds of 100,000 or more). Examples of these land-grant college towns include Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia) and University Park, Pennsylvania (Penn State).[citation needed]
Besides a highly educated and largely transient population, a stereotypical college town often has many people in non-traditional lifestyles and subcultures and with a high tolerance for unconventionality in general, and has a very active musical or cultural scene. Many have become centres of technological research and innovative startups. Universities with start-up centers can be large cities like Munich or Boston,[citation needed] or small cities such as Trieste or Durham, North Carolina (home of Duke University).[citation needed] Small college towns also frequently see spinoff businesses launched and supported by universities and their resources.[citation needed]
In most of Europe, medieval universities grew or were founded in major urban areas rather than in college towns, although there were exceptions such as Siena in Italy, Tübingen in Germany and Cambridge in England. In the US, by contrast, the development of universities preceded urban growth and founders of colleges often chose (after the models of Oxford and Cambridge) to site their institutions away from cities, although, as at Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of Harvard University, the metropolitan areas have sometimes since expanded to take in the college town. A second driver of the growth of college towns in the US was that towns that wished to develop economically competed to attract colleges with donations of cash and land.
As a result of this history, the university buildings in classical European university towns are located on multiple sites in the city centre, while the university buildings in American college towns are concentrated on a campus distinct from the city itself. Thus, the student residential area in historic European university towns such as Oxford, Cambridge and Durham is around the city centre, while in US college towns such as Ithaca, New York, it is outside the city centre and near the campus.
Two examples of college towns in the US and the UK that have been the subject of academic studies are Ithaca, New York, and Durham, England. These are cities of similar sizes, with the Durham built up area and the Ithaca urban area both having populations between 50,000 and 60,000 in 2021. They both also have major universities founded in the 19th century, with student populations of over 20,000.
Ithaca is a relatively recent foundation, with settlement of the city beginning with a "military tract" designated in 1790 for veterans of the American Revolutionary War. In contrast, Durham is an ancient cathedral city, established in the 10th century. The university was founded by the cathedral in 1832 and is the third oldest in England. Unlike Cornell University in Ithaca, which developed on a campus east of the city centre there, Durham University was mainly based in the city centre, around Palace Green and the Bailey, until the mid 20th century, when it expanded into the Elvet area of the city and the hilly area south of this.
Hub AI
College town AI simulator
(@College town_simulator)
College town
A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, but not including communities that are parts of larger urban areas (often termed student quarters). The university may be large, or there may be several smaller institutions such as liberal arts colleges clustered, or the residential population may be small, but college towns in all cases are so dubbed because the presence of the educational institution(s) pervades economic and social life. Many local residents may be employed by the university—which may be the largest employer in the community—many businesses cater primarily to the university, and the student population may outnumber the local population.
In Europe, a university town is generally characterised by having an old university. The economy of the city is closely related with the university activity and highly supported by the entire university structure, which may include university hospitals and clinics, printing houses, libraries, laboratories, business incubators, student rooms, dining halls, students' unions, student societies, and academic festivities. Moreover, the history of the city is often intertwined with that of the university. Many European university towns have not merely been important places of science and education, but also centres of political, cultural and social influence throughout the centuries. In university towns such as Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews and Durham, the town centre is dominated both physically and functionally by the university, with the result that the town has become identified with the university. While in many historical university towns, the town has grown up around the university, Durham is an example of a university town where the university has 'colonised' the town centre.
In the United States, many of the land-grant universities are located in college towns because of their historical mandate to provide agricultural education and research. In these towns, there is frequently a strong tradition of "school pride" in the community with many of the town's residents working for (and loyal to) the college or university, wearing the school colours, attending university sporting events (such as American college football games, which draw crowds of 100,000 or more). Examples of these land-grant college towns include Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia) and University Park, Pennsylvania (Penn State).[citation needed]
Besides a highly educated and largely transient population, a stereotypical college town often has many people in non-traditional lifestyles and subcultures and with a high tolerance for unconventionality in general, and has a very active musical or cultural scene. Many have become centres of technological research and innovative startups. Universities with start-up centers can be large cities like Munich or Boston,[citation needed] or small cities such as Trieste or Durham, North Carolina (home of Duke University).[citation needed] Small college towns also frequently see spinoff businesses launched and supported by universities and their resources.[citation needed]
In most of Europe, medieval universities grew or were founded in major urban areas rather than in college towns, although there were exceptions such as Siena in Italy, Tübingen in Germany and Cambridge in England. In the US, by contrast, the development of universities preceded urban growth and founders of colleges often chose (after the models of Oxford and Cambridge) to site their institutions away from cities, although, as at Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of Harvard University, the metropolitan areas have sometimes since expanded to take in the college town. A second driver of the growth of college towns in the US was that towns that wished to develop economically competed to attract colleges with donations of cash and land.
As a result of this history, the university buildings in classical European university towns are located on multiple sites in the city centre, while the university buildings in American college towns are concentrated on a campus distinct from the city itself. Thus, the student residential area in historic European university towns such as Oxford, Cambridge and Durham is around the city centre, while in US college towns such as Ithaca, New York, it is outside the city centre and near the campus.
Two examples of college towns in the US and the UK that have been the subject of academic studies are Ithaca, New York, and Durham, England. These are cities of similar sizes, with the Durham built up area and the Ithaca urban area both having populations between 50,000 and 60,000 in 2021. They both also have major universities founded in the 19th century, with student populations of over 20,000.
Ithaca is a relatively recent foundation, with settlement of the city beginning with a "military tract" designated in 1790 for veterans of the American Revolutionary War. In contrast, Durham is an ancient cathedral city, established in the 10th century. The university was founded by the cathedral in 1832 and is the third oldest in England. Unlike Cornell University in Ithaca, which developed on a campus east of the city centre there, Durham University was mainly based in the city centre, around Palace Green and the Bailey, until the mid 20th century, when it expanded into the Elvet area of the city and the hilly area south of this.