Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was just going to say that - but there will be a bit of the wholier than thou rich kids weilding their parents credit cards and pontificating on how they are better and more refined while in the same breath relentlessly describing and rationalizing reasons why not to work. not all of em though
That's more of the Cornell crowd versus the Ithaca College crowd. Then, you have Tompkins-Cortland Community College is nearby Dryden, which has more "down to earth" students, for lack of a better term.
A nice laid back community with a college is Oswego NY and Plattsburgh NY might be nice, with it's city beach and close proximity to Burlington vT and Montreal. Oneonta NY with it's 2 colleges might be another place to consider, but it is a good 60 miles from another city of decent size(Binghamton, Utica and Schenectady).
I think Ithaca will be a little too small for you. Too much like Northampton. Burlington, VT may be a good fit.
You mention that Seattle and Portland are dream locations, but they are large cities that have more in common with Boston than the small-ish town that you claim to be looking for (esp. Seattle). I'd really look at Boston again - in particular the Inman Sq. area of Cambridge or the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. While both are "in the city," they are neighborhoods unto themselves that possess that hipster vibe.
Cambridge overall is a great area. It's dominated by Harvard and MIT so it has the intellectual crowd with good restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops and fun bars. There are party bars, but because the area boasts a large number of older grad students and young professionals, you'll also find lots of bars that are more about people grabbing a few drinks with friends rather than people drinking until they get sick. The big downfall of Boston/Cambridge is cost, but most college students and just out of college adults live with roommates.
Also, look at Providence and even Portsmouth, NH or Portland, ME.
Otherwise you will have to move a bit. You'd probably really enjoy Charlottesville.
I think Ithaca will be a little too small for you. Too much like Northampton. Burlington, VT may be a good fit.
You mention that Seattle and Portland are dream locations, but they are large cities that have more in common with Boston than the small-ish town that you claim to be looking for (esp. Seattle). I'd really look at Boston again - in particular the Inman Sq. area of Cambridge or the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. While both are "in the city," they are neighborhoods unto themselves that possess that hipster vibe.
Cambridge overall is a great area. It's dominated by Harvard and MIT so it has the intellectual crowd with good restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops and fun bars. There are party bars, but because the area boasts a large number of older grad students and young professionals, you'll also find lots of bars that are more about people grabbing a few drinks with friends rather than people drinking until they get sick. The big downfall of Boston/Cambridge is cost, but most college students and just out of college adults live with roommates.
Also, look at Providence and even Portsmouth, NH or Portland, ME.
Otherwise you will have to move a bit. You'd probably really enjoy Charlottesville.
Good choices and Ithaca, including the Cornell crowd is generally laid back though.
I hate to sound like your dad, but shouldn't you consider the colleges you want to apply to, rather than making the towns where they are located your first criterion?
Okay, I can see how you might have a picture of the kind of town you'd like, and then you might make a list of those and see which colleges you like which are located in towns that you would prefer. But it might help people here if you gave some idea about the type of college you're looking for. Kind of a waste of time for someone to suggest a town where the one college there is an Ivy, Little Ivy, or Sister if you're not likely to be applying to schools at that level, or, conversely, to suggest the home town of Podunk State College if you're Ivy League material.
I will say that I looked at JHG722's list, and Providence really caught my attention. There are several colleges there, so you have a better chance of finding a school that's a good fit than you would in a town with only one college.
The two I thought of instantly were State College, PA and Morgantown, WV.
No way. She said she doesn't want a party school and needs something laid back, and well...I don't think that two recent winners of awards like "best party school" and "most drunken school" really qualify for that. The party scene is completely unavoidable in Morgantown and takes over all of downtown and then some about 4-5 nights a week, so I'd scratch that one off the list at least. State College has the type of setting she'd want, but it's still a big party school although a bit easier to avoid it all if you want to. Doesn't sound like she'd be into couch burning though...so no to WVU/Morgantown.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Happy Valley
.
