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^^Ithaca's climate is about as bad as Northfield's!
It is also over 20,000(about 30,000), but it offers quite a bit for its size. Nearby Cortland would fit the population criteria with 19,000 people and has a SUNY campus. It is minutes from Syracuse and Binghamton as well. City of Cortland Official Web Site
Oswego NY is almost a hybrid of both in terms of having 18,000 people and a somewhat historic feel. Unfortunately, while it has a SUNY campus, it has some of the highest snowfall totals on average in the country. http://www.oswegony.org/?redirect=false
If you want more of a climate winner check out Davidson College in Davidson, NC (population around 11,000 and about 30 minutes north of Charlotte). It's one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country and a great small town that fits your criteria well I think.
When I saw the 'Under 20k', first town I thought of was Clemson, SC. The student population outnumbers the full time resident population. Clemson also has an Amtrak station w/ service to Charlotte and Atlanta, among other cities.
Why are so many people ignoring the OP's requirements and simply suggesting the most popular and well-known universities? Not everyone wants to go to the University of Michigan or Wisconsin.
Apart from the train requirement, I would think that the state schools in Mississippi would mostly fit the OP's requirement, as might schools such as Louisiana Tech, Jacksonville State in Alabama, and Georgia Southern, although they might be closer to 30,000 people or so. I could be wrong though.
Why are so many people ignoring the OP's requirements and simply suggesting the most popular and well-known universities? Not everyone wants to go to the University of Michigan or Wisconsin.
Apart from the train requirement, I would think that the state schools in Mississippi would mostly fit the OP's requirement, as might schools such as Louisiana Tech, Jacksonville State in Alabama, and Georgia Southern, although they might be closer to 30,000 people or so. I could be wrong though.
Come to think of it, Oxford proper only has just over 20,000 people, and other than the lack of public transport, it really fits just fine into my ideal college town.
You make a very astute point, many people are just suggesting the big names because they don't believe in the reason I want to go live in one of these areas: ease of access!
I mean, if I'm going straight to four year college, I really don't want to be in a college town where you can't get to all the main areas by walking or taking public transit from my dorm; besides that, I really don't want to learn how to drive around a new city either.
Another Oxford that comes to mind is Oxford OH, which home to Miami University. It does have a little over 21,000 people, but it is NW of Cincinnati and Miami University is a good state school of a decent size.
I would suggest Clemson, SC. Its a big name, yes, but it is such a great place and awesome atmosphere. Everything there revolves around the college and the spirit of the school and its athletic teams I would say rivals about anywhere else I have ever been and easily one of the best college atmospheres in the country. It is also right by the mountains (many parts of campus and town you have a great view of them) and is right on Lake Hartwell. Everything in Clemson is easily walkable from the dorms which some of them are up hill and overlooking the football stadium in the foreground, the lake in the background, and the rolling hills leading to mountains off in the distance.
As for public transit, the CAT Bus can get you anywhere right around the town of Clemson and areas near by. They also have Greenville Commuter Buses that take you into downtown Greenville which is also awesome!
If I were you, I would look into each of these towns and visit them if you can. When you do, think of what type of college experience you are looking to have (do you want to have a big social life? do you want to go to a school that has really big sports teams and experience that? do you want a smaller college? etc) and see if any of these towns or schools fit that along with what you are asking for here. You almost have to trust your gut and ask yourself "does this feel right?" Thats how I did it.
Hope this helps a little bit, and best of luck to you and your search!
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Berea Kentucky came to mind, they actually prohibit freshman and sophomores from having cars on campus so there is a good system of bike trails and ride sharing programs to get around.
I would suggest Clemson, SC. Its a big name, yes, but it is such a great place and awesome atmosphere. Everything there revolves around the college and the spirit of the school and its athletic teams I would say rivals about anywhere else I have ever been and easily one of the best college atmospheres in the country. It is also right by the mountains (many parts of campus and town you have a great view of them) and is right on Lake Hartwell. Everything in Clemson is easily walkable from the dorms which some of them are up hill and overlooking the football stadium in the foreground, the lake in the background, and the rolling hills leading to mountains off in the distance.
As for public transit, the CAT Bus can get you anywhere right around the town of Clemson and areas near by. They also have Greenville Commuter Buses that take you into downtown Greenville which is also awesome!
If I were you, I would look into each of these towns and visit them if you can. When you do, think of what type of college experience you are looking to have (do you want to have a big social life? do you want to go to a school that has really big sports teams and experience that? do you want a smaller college? etc) and see if any of these towns or schools fit that along with what you are asking for here. You almost have to trust your gut and ask yourself "does this feel right?" Thats how I did it.
Hope this helps a little bit, and best of luck to you and your search!
Curious question about Clemson. I know that the University existed before the town. When I was there I don't remember the town having any of the charm of the old neighborhoods that the OP is requesting. Certainly nothing like Oxford, MS.
Clemson didn't even have a real "traditional" downtown to speak of. I realize there are several older towns around Clemson that have that charm, but not Clemson itself.
In 1940 the population of "Clemson" was less than 1000 people.
This is not to say that the University itself and the campus strip don't have some charm.
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