The apartment search site ranked 244 towns in creating its best college town lists in various regions of the country as well as for the nation as a whole. Impressively, Athens outranked popular, classic Midwest college-towns such as Bloomington, Indiana and East Lansing, Michigan.
Colleges seize every opportunity to brag on themselves, and banner printing services often assist them in doing so.
Equally impressive if not more so was how well Athens did on the nationwide list – No. 7 among college towns throughout the country with the next Ohio location on the list, Oxford, home to Miami University, garnering the No. 20 spot on the national list.
According to RentCafé this year’s list was influenced less by prestige and more by factors important to Gen Z. As the report explained it:
"Gen Z is one of the most wellness-aware generations, thereby placing a great deal of emphasis on mental health and well-being. To that end, towns that rank well generally feel calmer and less overstimulating with a slower pace of living than major urban hubs, as well as with immediate access to nature."
This theory explains the success of Athens as a college town as it offers access to nature, the availability of hiking, a relatively young population, and a lively social atmosphere.