Survey Says Burlington is the Place To Be for College Students

Author: Greg Duggan

Because of its limited nightlife and small-town atmosphere, Middlebury may not be the ideal college town for many students. Thirty-five miles north, however, Burlington offers a lively music scene, numerous bars, clubs and restaurants. As the home of several colleges and universities, Burlington fits the stereotype of a young, bustling college town.

In a recent survey conducted by Collegia, Inc., ranking college towns throughout the United States, Burlington ranked seventh out of 15 metropolitan areas with less than one million people and at least one nationally recognized university. Vermont's biggest city ranked behind communities such as Boulder, Colo., and Madison, Wis., but beat out areas like Syracuse, N.Y.

Collegia gathered data in three different categories - a student index, a city index and a lifestyle index - to rank the college towns. Within the student index, Collegia looked at such information as the educational attainment of the city's population (the number of citizens with at least a bachelor's degree) and the number of students per capita, among other data. The city index was based on data such as unemployment and safety. The lifestyle index included data on the number of restaurants, bars and performing arts centers per capita. Although Collegia did not consider input from students, faculty or administrators - the company's Research Director George Smith explained that their strategy was "to keep everything as objective as possible" - future polls may include student surveys.

Collegia is a consulting firm that works with colleges, tourism agencies and economic development groups. As Smith says, the goal of Collegia is to "bring all those various people to the same table, because they really have all the same goals in mind. They want their region to be perceived well, in the eyes of students, and also in the eyes of young professionals, in the eyes of a company that's thinking about moving to the area. There's so much research coming out talking about what an important factor having a young vibrant community is to a region." By releasing the survey, Collegia hopes to show the role that colleges play in a city's quality of life.

While Collegia's survey may numerically prove Burlington's qualities, students and residents have long recognized the city's appeal. Colin Stephenson, a senior at the University of Vermont, remembered the vibes he first received from Burlington. "I came up to visit UVM and just getting out of the car in Burlington, before I'd even seen it, I said, 'I'm going to school here.'" Stephenson's roommate, St. Michael's senior Matt Sylvester, pointed out the attractions of Burlington, saying, "It's got a great music scene, it's got a lot of cool places to go eat, it's got Church Street." Stephenson also acknowledged the attraction of the music scene, saying, "There's a lot of good music that comes through for not too much money in small venues, intimate settings. I'd say that's the best part of Burlington for me."

Emily Furlong, a senior at Middlebury College, grew up in Burlington and remembers seeing college students all over the city. Like Stephenson and Sylvester, she finds it to be a great town for young adults.

"The students are right downtown, so they can walk to the bars and to Church Street. They have access to the lake [Champlain], and the mountains are really close by, so there's skiing, hiking - outdoorsy stuff," she says.

That's more than enough reason for Middlebury students to escape for a day to Burlington when Middlebury becomes too intimate.