what is the defacto university for major metropolises ? (state, people, Boston)

[stanley-88888888]

what are the defacto universities for cities like:
boston (b.u. ?)
nyc (n.y.u. ?)
philly (temple ?)
d.c. (georgetown ?)
l.a. (ucla ?)
...

[Mr Ambitious]

Chicago (U of Chicago but possibly Northwestern since it's big 10. The U of I has a strong following, although it's not located in the metro.)
Twin Cities (U of Minnesota)
Milwaukee (Marquette?)

[gladhands]

I legitimately don't understand what the OP means by de facto university. Does it mean the one most closely associated with the city, the preeminent, the school most likely to of been attended by a resident, the biggest footprint?

[2nd trick op]

I'm guessing that "default" rather than de facto was what the poster met; Penn State would be a good candidate for that.
It has a long tradition of drawing students from New Jersey and to a slightly lesser extent, New York -- and a lot of that can be attributed to the somewhat slower development of a "megaversity" in those states (Rutgers was a late-bloomer, and the SUNY system was both scattered, and faced stronger competition).

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I legitimately don't understand what the OP means by de facto university. Does it mean the one most closely associated with the city, the preeminent, the school most likely to of been attended by a resident, the biggest footprint?

My guess is the op is inquiring about what people consider to be the flagship university of the city/metro. Perhaps the OP can clarify.

[stan4]

I don't think Dallas has one stand-out university.
Or Houston.
Or L.A.
Or N.Y.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by stan4

I don't think Dallas has one stand-out university.
Or Houston.
Or L.A.
Or N.Y.

In LA it would be between USC and UCLA.
In Houston, it would be between U of H and Rice.
In Dallas, it would have to be SMU.

[i'm not a cookie]

Boston - Harvard
NYC - NYU
DC - Georgetown
Chicago - Northwestern
LA and southern California in general - USC

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by mjlo

My guess is the op is inquiring about what people consider to be the flagship university of the city/metro. Perhaps the OP can clarify.

Then it would seem odd that he skipped the Ivy League schools in New York, Boston and Philly.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Then it would seem odd that he skipped the Ivy League schools in New York, Boston and Philly.

It would appear he created suggestions based on his knowledge. If you'd like to offer your version please do