Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Baton Rouge has chemical plants and refineries which are not an insignificant business in BR. I didnt vote as I think the list is arbitrary and the line between cities included and excluded vague at best and invalid at worst. OP can have his own poll but not his own facts
Yeah Baton Rouge has more industries and it's the largest metro on the list.
A note on Boston University is that it is a private school and it is the largest school another note Boston's economy is based on the colleges and hospitals which make up 17% of its economy tied with trade, transportation, and utilities as the highest share in the economy. Definitly a college "town".
Boston's economy is based on more than just colleges/universities and hospitals. Yes those make up a large chunk, but they don't fill the towers in the Financial District of Back Bay.
You missed this part of the OP's post: "This poll is limited to cities in which the college and the state government are the two main drivers of the economy. This excludes places like Austin, Nashville, Columbus and Atlanta." And I think that's fair, since it would otherwise be a very lopsided poll. However, I can see the inclusion of Annapolis, even though we think of the US Naval Academy as an entirely different sort of institution.
By this standard, MSU/East Lansing applies because the State and MSU are the largest employers, followed by GM which operates out of the old Oldsmobile plant in Lansing... the Michigan State/East Lansing experience stacks up pretty well against U.W./Madison imho. The campus is beautiful, the town is very atrsy/sophisticated, the commercial/residential area in central EL is growing/diversifying (mixed-use condos/apts are the hot ticket now), and the area is served by excellent mass transit: stretch buses pass thru the campus area every few mins, and a combined Greyhound/Amtrak station sits on the southern border of campus... Academic-wise, Michigan State stacks up pretty well: it's a top 100 school, internationally, and one of 61 AAU schools, with a better undergrad rep (+ individualized programs and facilites -- namely dorm/residential colleges) than most large schools. It has the top study abroad program (and is a top-5 destination school for international students) and recently landed the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) based on the university's #1 rated nuclear physics program...
Albany, New York and the University at Albany SUNY which has 18,000 students. There's not much going on in Albany except the New York state government and the college.
I thought about Albany, but I'm not sure if UAlbany is the second biggest employer in the area. With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if it is.
Madison and Boise are by FAR the best of any of those, none of your other choices are even close. I would take Boise because it has a warmer and sunnier climate than Madison and access to world class beauty and wilderness at your doorstep (12,000 foot mountain peaks, Sun Valley ski area, Sawtooth wilderness, etc, etc, etc....). But if you are just talking the downtown vibe, Madison wins there. But Boise does have a terrific little downtown too!
Madison and Boise are by FAR the best of any of those, none of your other choices are even close. I would take Boise because it has a warmer and sunnier climate than Madison and access to world class beauty and wilderness at your doorstep (12,000 foot mountain peaks, Sun Valley ski area, Sawtooth wilderness, etc, etc, etc....). But if you are just talking the downtown vibe, Madison wins there. But Boise does have a terrific little downtown too!
I don't know if it is by far, as Lansing and East Lansing does offer multiple urban/downtown options for its size and between the 2 cities.
Also, if Albany is included, it has 4 mountain ranges within an hour(Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires and Green Mountains) and its proximity to NYC and Boston doesn't hurt. It may have the most urban neighborhoods as well.
I think Columbia is the best. Nice zoo, nice weather, near beach and mountains, near two largest cties in southeast and Charleson and Savannah, low cost of living, nice downtown, nice state house, history, river through town, some hilly areas, decent shopping, two lakes nearby.
Madison is the best with Boise a close second. The others aren't that interesting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
