Best southeast college town to live as an adult? (living, places, people)

[Mutiny77]

Lots of votes for Knoxville...wouldn't have expected that.

[dude1984]

Knoxville and Athens...voted Athens because it's more of a college town.

[Mutiny77]

Yeah I get Athens...a quintessential college town and a well-known, popular one at that (and currently getting some free press with the Travelocity commercial LOL).

[ClemVegas]

I voted for Columbia. I think it has the best geographic location and best campus in that group. There is also a nice zoo across the river and the beach is only about 2 hours away and a lake nearby. I like that is near interstates.

I would add Clemson but only for people who don't shop on a regular basis or eat out a lot. Greenville SC is 40 minutes away for weekend shopping. Anderson is only 15 minutes away and has most big box stores, chain restaurants and decent local places.

There is a lake immediately adjacent to the campus, and two other clear water pristine lakes nearby at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Blacksburg VA is also another good one and has a little more stuff in its downtown and immediate surroundings than Clemson, but no lakes close to campus, and more cold in the winter with a lot of snow. it is also relatively isolated.

[creeksitter]

Blacksburg VA is also another good one and has a little more stuff in its downtown and immediate surroundings than Clemson, but no lakes close to campus, and more cold in the winter with a lot of snow. it is also relatively isolated

There's a megabus going by Blacksburg/Christiansburg twice a day that will take you easily and cheaply to Atlanta or DC.

Clemson but only for people who don't shop on a regular basis or eat out a lot

With so many other options, why even mention Clemson? Because it is 40 minutes to Greenville??? Well Athens is 70 minutes to the ATL, Lexington is about the same to Louisville OR Cincinnati. Oxford is 40 minutes to Memphis.

Knoxville has more lakes nearby than Clemson and it is....hmm, let me count... Zero miles to Knoxville!

[ColoradoOnMyMind]

Fayetteville is the largest city in a booming metro. Great biking and hiking trails, 4 nice seasons, Boston mountains, low crime, great schools. If I was starting a family it's where I'd go

[TD*]

I like Tallahassee,

[ClemVegas]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

There's a megabus going by Blacksburg/Christiansburg twice a day that will take you easily and cheaply to Atlanta or DC. !

those cities are several hours away from Blacksburg. bus availability doesn't change the fact Blacksburg is relatively isolated.

Originally Posted by creeksitter

With so many other options, why even mention Clemson? Because it is 40 minutes to Greenville??? Well Athens is 70 minutes to the ATL, Lexington is about the same to Louisville OR Cincinnati. Oxford is 40 minutes to Memphis.

Knoxville has more lakes nearby than Clemson and it is....hmm, let me count... Zero miles to Knoxville!

I never said live in Clemson because Greenville is 40 minutes away. I said Greenville is only 40 minutes away if a person wanted to shop on the weekend. you are so eager to be disagreeable. I listed the fact Clemson is near the mountains and has 3 lakes neary, included one immediately adjacent to the campus. I don't think Lexington or Lousville are near the mountains and have much colder winters. they are both landlocked and far from the beach.

i'd rather live be closer to Greenville than Atlanta (Greenville has much better downtown featuring a 30 foot waterfall and beautiful tree canopy over Main Street). Clemson is closer to Greenville than Athens is to Atlanta. Clemson is only 2 hours from Atlanta and 2 hours or so to Charlotte, 3.5 to Charleston and the beach.

there are no lakes in Athens that I know of it and it is farther to the mountains. in my view, Athens is a rough looking town. Clemson has a clean look to it and better streetscaping.

Knoxville could be viewed as an alternative to Clemson, if you want a bigger city. there isn't a lake adjacent to the campus and downtown though, like Clemson. there also isn't a golf course near the campus / downtown. the interstates run right through downtown Knoxville so it is hard to say it has a college town type atmosphere. I think there is something eerie about Knoxville and in general it looks pretty rough.

Oxford is 1 hour 30 minutes from Memphis. I think most people would prefer to be near Greenville and it is only 40 minutes. there are obviously no mountains nearby. Oxford is over 5 hours to a beach. the only other cities of some size that are fairly close to Oxford are Jackson, Birmingham and Huntsville, all a little under 3 or over 3 hours away, and not really road trip destinations. there are a couple small lakes near Oxford but not one next to the town/campus.

[creeksitter]

there isn't a lake adjacent to the campus and downtown though, like Clemson. there also isn't a golf course near the campus / downtown.

Google Vol Navy sometime. The backwaters of Ft Loudon lake run right up to downtown and beside Neyland Stadium. There is a new golf course near UTMC - on the shores of Ft Loudon lake across from the UT welcome center. Furthermore the lake is navigable all the way to the gulf of mexico, if that matters.

But why let facts get in the way of an argument?

so it is hard to say it [Knoxville] has a college town type atmosphere.

I think most of us agree on this point.

[Lo-Fi]

Athens and Fayetteville will give you the most bang for your buck in terms of the combo-pack of housing, quality of life, safety, culture, and intellectual stimulation.

Though if Lexington is in there, you seem to be opening it up pretty broadly in terms of what a "college town" is. And then I'd go ahead and add Louisville, Richmond, and Asheville to the list, all of which I prefer to Athens or Fayetteville by the above-mentioned metrics.