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Is there really that much difference between Athens and Tuscaloosa, or Auburn for that matter..?
Definitely. Downtown Athens is much more lively. Its music scene is legendary. UGA is the largest campus of all, it's more diverse, and arguably a better university academically in offerings through the doctoral level, and in its international rankings. What the three schools have in common is football -- football fans, crowds of loyal alumni, and tailgate parties. That's it.
This is silly. You can't remove either of these cities from their state to create something that doesn't exist. That being said, it's unfair to compare Georgia and Alabama because GA is in a totally different tier...A realistic comparison for AL is SC and NC for GA.
I've never been to Tuscaloosa, but Auburn may as well be on another planet than Athens. I was extremely disappointed.
I think Auburn is more like a smaller College Station, TX, which also hosts a major land-grant school, than Athens. It has nice up to date suburban areas in addition to the university, but is not a particularly charming college town and cultural hub. Auburn has a twin city with nearby Opelika just as College Station does with Bryan as well.
I think Auburn is more like a smaller College Station, TX, which also hosts a major land-grant school, than Athens. It has nice up to date suburban areas in addition to the university, but is not a particularly charming college town and cultural hub. Auburn has a twin city with nearby Opelika just as College Station does with Bryan as well.
Yeah, I saw all of that. I remember a very nice Publix in Opelika. I was in a rural area on a private family compound that was beautiful, but the actual center of Auburn was a huge letdown. The topography really impressed me, that was an eye opener.
I'm more used to the Athens, Chapel Hill and Gainesville type of College town I guess.
I'm more used to the Athens, Chapel Hill and Gainesville type of College town I guess.
Right -- those three are definitely comparable. Auburn and Tusc are simply not on that level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdw1084
You can't remove either of these cities from their state to create something that doesn't exist. That being said, it's unfair to compare Georgia and Alabama because GA is in a totally different tier...A realistic comparison for AL is SC and NC for GA.
I totally agree, and Atlanta, its wealth, and its sociocultural aspects developed the state. It helped make UGA the school (and Athens the cool college town) it is. Savannah's port, despite its narrow shipping channel, has boomed because of Atlanta's GDP punch. And Atlantans love to visit Savannah. So Georgia is not Alabama or Mississippi, and hasn't been for a century.
Last edited by masonbauknight; 06-19-2019 at 08:47 PM..
This is silly. You can't remove either of these cities from their state to create something that doesn't exist. That being said, it's unfair to compare Georgia and Alabama because GA is in a totally different tier...A realistic comparison for AL is SC and NC for GA.
It's nothing more than an on-paper exercise for comparison purposes. We know they aren't real-life scenarios and couldn't be.
Definitely. Downtown Athens is much more lively. Its music scene is legendary.
Legendary, I can agree with, but that's history. It's not an on-going situation.
Quote:
it's more diverse, and arguably a better university academically in offerings through the doctoral level, and in its international rankings. What the three schools have in common is football -- football fans, crowds of loyal alumni, and tailgate parties. That's it.
I'm sure there are more recent #s available, but this should be relatively accurate for such small places:
From Wikipedia...
Athens:
Quote:
The racial makeup of the city was 64.71% White, 27.37% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.11% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.39% of the population.
Tuscaloosa:
Quote:
The racial makeup of the city was 53.8% White, 41.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 3.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Yes, Athens has a little higher numbers for non black minorities, but overall Tuscaloosa has a higher % of minorities.
What they have more in common is much bigger than that.
Most of the country doesn't distinguish the academics of either school as in separate places.
They are both SEC schools with popular football programs in college towns.
Yes, Athens has a little higher numbers for non black minorities, but overall Tuscaloosa has a higher % of minorities.
What they have more in common is much bigger than that.
Most of the country doesn't distinguish the academics of either school as in separate places.
They are both SEC schools with popular football programs in college towns.
Tuscaloosa has a higher % of minorities than Athens, but Athens has always been more white than most GA cities. Many southern college towns are predominantly white. The minority population of the university student body is more important.
"Most of the country" is a vague term and your pure speculation. Those who know about university education know that UGA is more prestigious than UA. UGA's rankings (every one of them, from US News & World Reports to Shanghai to the London Times) are considerably higher. Alabama is not Georgia, and UA and Auburn are not UGA and Tech. The Georgia schools are more selective, too, for freshman classes as well as graduate degrees. Finally, downtown Athens makes downtown Tusc and Auburn look the worse. You have to accept it.
Last edited by masonbauknight; 06-20-2019 at 11:49 AM..
I don’t know whose more diverse. But I can say that T-Town definitely has a larger Black presence than Athens.
Athens can be a bit 'hood though. A lot of folks don't know that.
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