Lynchburg area colleges fill-up for Fall (Charlottesville, Blacksburg: sales, hotels, schools)

[badger74]

Most of the Lynchburg area's four major colleges are enjoying solid enrollment despite the recession. Only Randolph College seems to be having difficulty as it makes the change form all women to coed college. Hopefully they will get that trend turned around sooner than later. It's a fine small college and deserves to succeed.

The economic and social impacts of these colleges to the area are incredibly positive. A clean and high paying industry many overlook and undervalue as part of the economic base.

Randolph College expects enrollment dip, others expect jump | Lynchburg News Advance (http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/randolph_college_expects_enrollment_dip_others_exp ect_jump/17846/ - broken link)

[Mr_Jonas]

I agree 100%....yet, I have one question. How come Lynchburg does not feel like a college town?

Charlottesville, Annarbor (Mi), the college towns around North Carolinas Research Triangle, Austin (Tx) or Athens (GA) have a comletely different feel the Lynchburg. Yes, the just mentioned places are significantly larger, yet.....with the four schools here, Lynchburg SHOULD NOT feel like a very sleepy ultra conservative town, right??
Badger, I know you and I disagree quite "a bit" about Lynchburg, but I hope you can see what I am trying to say.

[badger74]

Having lived in three of the great college towns in the US (Madison, Austin, and Boulder) I feel weel qualified to answer this. In all those cases the town essentially grew around the university. All those schools were founded in the mid 1800s when the towns were but villages. Same for Cville and many others. So the campus is a central part of the city and the retail aspect that makes it feelo like a college town developed adjacent ot the campus. Also those schools are all larger in both students and scope. Wisconsin has nearly 20,000 employees on top of the 40,000 students so you have 60,000 people swarming the area day and into the night. None of L's colleges are even close to being in that league. Very few colleges in the US are in that league. Also the largest school is located on the fringe of the city and it basically is only a baby as far as schools go. Randolph has a mini version of the college town type of area nearby and probably that area feels the most like one right now. Nevertheless, L does enjoy some of the benefits of being a town with many colleges if not a college town. There are arts events every week at most of the schools and they are often excellent for the $$$$ or free. You have a wonderful art museum at RC, very good football and basketball at LU, and the kids do spend lots of $$$$ in town. I see them at restaurants, in the bars and shopping.

L will never have the ideal college town look of a Madison or Ann Arbor or even Cville. Those are unique places with powerful universities with budgets in the multiple Billions of $$$s and massive campus complexes. But the local colleges do add much to the local business community and offer plenty to local residents if they would bother to take advantage.

[Mr_Jonas]

Thanks for an informative answer.
Randolph has a nice campus and the area around the school is quite cozy.

[badger74]

Also I was mostly focusing on the economic impact of the colleges--payroll, students spending money around town, the parents filling hotels and spending money (some weekends you cannot find a hotel room in town). Added together higher education is probably L's third largest industry after nuclear and healthcare. Also it is a "base" industry which means most of the money they take in comes from outside the area and stays in the community where it is spent and respent. That is the opposite of the big retail stores where the money is taken in and most of it goes outside the area. Economic health comes with base industries as there is not much wealth created selling each other clothes and groceries that are mostly produced outside the community. That's why I support the success and health of all our local colleges whether or not I agree with all their policies and beliefs.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by badger74

Also I was mostly focusing on the economic impact of the colleges--payroll, students spending money around town, the parents filling hotels and spending money (some weekends you cannot find a hotel room in town). Added together higher education is probably L's third largest industry after nuclear and healthcare. Also it is a "base" industry which means most of the money they take in comes from outside the area and stays in the community where it is spent and respent. That is the opposite of the big retail stores where the money is taken in and most of it goes outside the area. Economic health comes with base industries as there is not much wealth created selling each other clothes and groceries that are mostly produced outside the community. That's why I support the success and health of all our local colleges whether or not I agree with all their policies and beliefs.

Well said!

[biged12]

Originally Posted by badger74

Having lived in three of the great college towns in the US (Madison, Austin, and Boulder) I feel weel qualified to answer this. In all those cases the town essentially grew around the university. All those schools were founded in the mid 1800s when the towns were but villages. Same for Cville and many others. So the campus is a central part of the city and the retail aspect that makes it feelo like a college town developed adjacent ot the campus. Also those schools are all larger in both students and scope. Wisconsin has nearly 20,000 employees on top of the 40,000 students so you have 60,000 people swarming the area day and into the night. None of L's colleges are even close to being in that league. Very few colleges in the US are in that league. Also the largest school is located on the fringe of the city and it basically is only a baby as far as schools go. Randolph has a mini version of the college town type of area nearby and probably that area feels the most like one right now. Nevertheless, L does enjoy some of the benefits of being a town with many colleges if not a college town. There are arts events every week at most of the schools and they are often excellent for the $$$$ or free. You have a wonderful art museum at RC, very good football and basketball at LU, and the kids do spend lots of $$$$ in town. I see them at restaurants, in the bars and shopping.

L will never have the ideal college town look of a Madison or Ann Arbor or even Cville. Those are unique places with powerful universities with budgets in the multiple Billions of $$$s and massive campus complexes. But the local colleges do add much to the local business community and offer plenty to local residents if they would bother to take advantage.

This much is very true. But LU also has a different impact on the city that hinders that 'College Town Feel'. Drinking amongst its students is highly discouraged. Most college towns thrive on beer sales and other typical collge traditions, whether we agree with them or not. Now we know some do, but a lot do not. Just compare Blacksburg and Charlottesville to Lynchburg. They thrive on the night life. Lynchburg does not.

LU never used to be that big, and the town was not built around a university. LC and RM are too small to capitalize on.

[badger74]

No, but they drink lots of coffee and eat in restaurants, shop at the stores, etc etc. There's more to a college based economy than beer sales. And LU students have been known to hoist a few too.