Instant Alert: The 20 best college towns in America

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   The 20 best college towns in America by Abby Jackson on Aug 1, 2017, 3:27 PM Advertisement As summer vacation winds down, the newest crop of college freshman are preparing for their first year in a new place. If they — or their parents — are wondering what to expect, they can look to a ranking of college towns in Americas from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER). AIER compiled its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. It defines college towns as those which are home to a college or university and have fewer than 250,000 residents. Aside from the overall ranking, AIER scored each city on nine metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. Below, we've highlighted the metric for which each city scored highest. Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns. SEE ALSO: The most affordable college in every state 20. Bellingham, Washington — home of Western Washington University Metro area population: 208,832 College student population in the metro area: 24,926 No. 4 in arts and entertainment 19. La Crosse, Wisconsin — home of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse Metro area population: 136,824 College student population in the metro area: 16,081 No. 1 in youth unemployment 18. Jacksonville, North Carolina — home of the University of Mount Olive Metro area population: 186,684 College student population in the metro area: 15,297 No. 3 in rent See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011