[EscAlaMike]

Both are great universities with beautiful campuses.

However, when you compare the cities, it is (to me) a night and day difference. Tuscaloosa has a lot of pretty rough neighborhoods and high poverty. Auburn doesn't really have that. It's much more of a clean, picturesque college town. Tuscaloosa is close to Birmingham, but Auburn is close to Montgomery and Columbus, and not too far from Atlanta.

Tuscaloosa is bigger than Auburn, but when you consider the entire Auburn-Opelika area, then they are pretty much the same size.

You can't go wrong with either school, but if the decision comes down to which city is nicer with less culture shock for a Californian, I would go with the Loveliest Village on the Plains (Auburn).

[CoreLysium]

Not sure you could experience true culture shock, beyond just amusing.

You're too old to "roll," aka toilet paper, trees. Leave that to the teenagers in college.

[nicagrace]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I will seriously look into adding a day in Auburn just so I can see what it's like, if only briefly. Yeah, I don't think I will experience real culture shock, as I have traveled a lot and am used to being in new places. I'm ready for a change and am looking forward to living somewhere new.

[205]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Both are great universities with beautiful campuses.

However, when you compare the cities, it is (to me) a night and day difference. Tuscaloosa has a lot of pretty rough neighborhoods and high poverty. Auburn doesn't really have that. It's much more of a clean, picturesque college town. Tuscaloosa is close to Birmingham, but Auburn is close to Montgomery and Columbus, and not too far from Atlanta.

Tuscaloosa is bigger than Auburn, but when you consider the entire Auburn-Opelika area, then they are pretty much the same size.

You can't go wrong with either school, but if the decision comes down to which city is nicer with less culture shock for a Californian, I would go with the Loveliest Village on the Plains (Auburn).

As an Alabama graduate, I can vouch for Tuscaloosa. The city isn't even remotely as bad as some Auburn people like to try to claim. The extensive "poverty" mentioned is over the top and overblown. Those areas are easily avoidable and are mostly in the far eastern side of town. The problem with Tuscaloosa that gives it a skewed perception is that a large portion of the city along with adjoining Northport are north of the river and many visitors never see that part of the city. There are some very very nice neighborhoods north of the river so don't listen to the people who try to run it down.

As for the city of Auburn, can't really say anything bad about it. In fact, it's a pretty nice decent sized city of about 55,000. Add in Opelika and it's around 80,000. Although Opelika has a few rougher spots that you won't find in Auburn. Tuscaloosa along with Northport is close to 120,000. If you avoid certain areas of Tuscaloosa, the rest of the city is decent to really nice.

[oakford4]

Hello,

Let me (perhaps) give you an "outsiders" perspective having lived in Auburn for about 7 years. I am not from the South, and don't proclaim to be, so I will try to be as unbiased and unoffending (though that can prove difficult) as I may be. Moving from California to the South (the "Heart of Dixie" as it states on the AL license plate) will very likely prove difficult. The southern culture is defiantly different (again, not saying better or worse, but just different) from ANY other regional culture (western, midwestern, northeastern) in the US--by far. You will find it difficult, if not very difficult, to "fit in". While people are friendly at skin level (the term "southern hospitality" does apply to a small degree), it is frequently not beneath the skin. You will find human nature commonly taking over and people talking behind your back (not directly to you!) for varying reasons ("wrong" church/faith, wrong ethnicity, wrong region in which you grew up, etc.).

The city of Auburn is a "relatively" nice town as a result of the university and the university only. If you take away AU, there is very little, culterally speaking, to do within a 120 mile radius of city center. That is, unless college football is the center of your universe and all but church revolves around it. I know that sounds critical, but it isn't meant to be. It is just a way for me to describe how different this part of the US is from almost everywhere else. If you want what a "city" can bring (in terms of culture, entertainment, etc.), you will, indeed, end up traving about 2 hours (door-to-door) to the Greater ATL area. Please discount most (if not all) of Montgomery and some of Birmingham.

Tuscaloosa is an area I have also traveled to extensively. While it is relatively close to Birmingham, it is still remote. Little is offered in this college town or the immediate 75 mile radius. I find Auburn to be a far safer locale, with a slightly more culteral offering (a relative term).

Neither town offers, particularly, good food, in my opinion. Chain restaurants rule (though I must admit that most college towns are the same). Its funny, because there were a handful of places we really enjoyed and they all ended up closing for (now, not surprising) varying reasons.

Your question/post could lead to a discussion of the culteral differences beyond what is referenced, above. I'll leave that to another one. Just in summation, unless you have spend a number of years in this region of the country, I would strongly recommend giving fodder to other schools in other regions. A leap from California would prove very risky.

[VeeBee66]

I currently live in Tuscaloosa and have for 8 years. While there are areas that aren't nice or safe there are plenty of places that are. Areas north of the river generally get the best reviews for schools and neighborhoods. My husband and I rarely ever eat at a chain restaurant as there are plenty of wonderful non-chain restaurants around, you just have to get off the main drag where most of the tourists and football fans frequent.

That being said. We do not like the area and hope to move before the end of the year. The "Good ole boy" network is alive and well in all aspects of life in this area. While I grew up about 50 miles or so from Tuscaloosa, my husband did not and needless to say he's not one of the "Good ole boys." If your life isn't centered around the University and Football there's not much else going on.

I can't say anything about Auburn other than I've visited the area and found it quite charming but having not lived there I can't comment.

[Jillian2]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Really, both schools are big into football are big rivals. Both have good and bad just like any place. You do have to choose tho it is either Roll Tide or War Eagle. Please note, I like both schools.

I would go for a visit and see which one feels like 'home' to you

"War Eagles ? Auburn Football team is the "Tigers"

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by Jillian2

"War Eagles ? Auburn Football team is the "Tigers"

While Auburn University's teams are called the Tigers, their battle cry is "War Eagle!"
Does it make sense? No...doesn't have to, it's tradition.
War Eagle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[pennquaker09]

I think moving to anywhere in Alabama would be a culture shock for someone from the Bay Area, so I think you need to visit both schools and decide which one will be the best fit for you.

To speak just on the academics, I don't think you would go wrong at either, both have very good programs.