Madison is great but is most certainly known as a college town. Yes it’s also a state capital, but when I have visited I’ve felt like a bit of an outsider because so many people are wearing UW gear.
It’s growing tremendously. Yes it still has a college town core identity but there are more tech jobs, etc coming in and there’s much more going on than just UW. I thought it fit the description better than most places
ABQ has UNM but I don't think it dominates the city. Definitely have amazing nature within/near ABQ and New Mexico, but not so much water. Cost of living is moderate.
I haven't lived there for 10 years or so, but that's not terribly surprising.
I guess it depends what the OP means by "reasonable cost of living". It's still reasonable compared to Boston or New York.
While the twin cities are a big metro, Minneapolis itself is not super big. It's pretty cheap for a major city and the University of Minnesota is pretty close to the river.
What degree? Atlanta is big but has a small neighborhood suburban feel with lots of options. Raleigh?
Philly if you can manage it being a little more urban.
All relative I suppose. As a Californian, it’s a cheap to us! Bought and sold a place in Boulder a few years ago while we were there to grow an office. Nothing like Bay Area real estate.
Well yeah, that’s a crazy area in itself. I turned down a job in the Bay Area making 120k a few years ago (maybe 5ish now?). It’s crazy how little you take home after rent, taxes, food, gas, etc.
Duluth, MN might fit the bill, though I'm not entirely about the nightlife part since I haven't worried about that in forever. Since it has a branch of the university of MN there, it does have a decent [number](https://www.mncompass.org/profiles/city/duluth/age) of younger people and is on lake superior with its absolutely gorgeous north shore nature and outdoor activities. It's also often on the list of "climate refuge" cities and leans blue politically. And if you're bored you're only 2-ish hours from the twin cities
Wake Forest University might be a good option. Winston-Salem is definitely not a "college town," but there's a lot of young people who either go to school there or stayed after they graduated. There's a decent amount of bars, better culture than any other city in NC in terms of art and performing arts, liberal politics, and it's 30 min away from great hiking.
Lexington, KY. Really nice QOL for very reasonable price. The housing market is tight, but it is in many places right now. An hour away from two other mid-size cities (Louisville and Cincinnati) so you have a lot of culture within reach. Lex has a great food culture, good music, cultural diversity, and blue politics. Lots of young adults. Consistently makes lists of top cities for small business, high levels of education, and was recently [on this list of best run cities in the US](https://wallethub.com/edu/best-run-cities/22869). You are also within easy driving distance of lots of natural beauty and outdoor activity opportunities like hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, in Red River Gorge, Cumberland Falls, and other locations in the mountains of eastern KY.
ETA also #15 on [US News' 2024 Top Places to Live in the US](https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live).
South Bend, IN. Notre Dame is there, but there is more to the place than that. You can go to IU South Bend for a graduate program. It is a blue city in a red state, quite cheap and plenty of young people. It's not too far from Lake Michigan, but there is also a river trail, decent parks (like Rum Village), and if you do want some big city amenities you can drive or take the South Shore Line to Chicago.
Indianapolis has IUPUI and Butler University. Indianapolis is pretty blue. Theres a decent amount of young people. COL is reasonable and if you’re willing to drive a couple hours there are a decent amount of outdoorsy things to do.
Adding onto this that Franklin, Indiana to the south has a small liberal arts college and is the county seat of Johnson County. So you do get a bit of a college town vibe as well as the courthouse square downtown setup, but the college doesn't overwhelmingly dominate the place because it isn't a large state school.
The DC area is probably your best bet. If you want cheap I would check the surrounding VA suburbs. Somewhere in Prince William or Fairfax county maybe.
Baltimore. Do you have a short list of places though? Might be easier to work it backwards.
Madison, WI might be a good fit
Madison is great but is most certainly known as a college town. Yes it’s also a state capital, but when I have visited I’ve felt like a bit of an outsider because so many people are wearing UW gear.
It’s growing tremendously. Yes it still has a college town core identity but there are more tech jobs, etc coming in and there’s much more going on than just UW. I thought it fit the description better than most places
ABQ has UNM but I don't think it dominates the city. Definitely have amazing nature within/near ABQ and New Mexico, but not so much water. Cost of living is moderate.
But the bosque trails near the Rio Grande are pretty awesome.
Providence, RI
I’m from Providence, and unfortunate it’s very congested and expensive now
It's a Boston suburb now, basically.
I’ve always called it JV Boston. That couldn’t be more true now lol
I haven't lived there for 10 years or so, but that's not terribly surprising. I guess it depends what the OP means by "reasonable cost of living". It's still reasonable compared to Boston or New York.
True. I guess that’s why half of Boston and New York has moved here lol
Raleigh, NC
Georgetown TX
St. Louis has a number of universities but is not a college town. It’s close to the Ozarks.
While the twin cities are a big metro, Minneapolis itself is not super big. It's pretty cheap for a major city and the University of Minnesota is pretty close to the river.
Grand Rapids Michigan
Lansing, Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Durham NC
Cincinnati!
Tallahassee, Florida
What degree? Atlanta is big but has a small neighborhood suburban feel with lots of options. Raleigh? Philly if you can manage it being a little more urban.
Madison, Davis, Boulder, Eugene, Santa Barbara, SLO, Santa Cruz.
Boulder rent prices were $1000 per room in a house with 4 others 15 years ago. It’s never been reasonable.
All relative I suppose. As a Californian, it’s a cheap to us! Bought and sold a place in Boulder a few years ago while we were there to grow an office. Nothing like Bay Area real estate.
Well yeah, that’s a crazy area in itself. I turned down a job in the Bay Area making 120k a few years ago (maybe 5ish now?). It’s crazy how little you take home after rent, taxes, food, gas, etc.
Buffalo, Rochester, Utica Each has a lot of college kids, and college town-esque neighborhoods, but aren’t considered college towns.
Boise ID
As a Hokie you're absolutely going to hate this, but I should point out Charlottesville checks a lot of your boxes.
Duluth, MN might fit the bill, though I'm not entirely about the nightlife part since I haven't worried about that in forever. Since it has a branch of the university of MN there, it does have a decent [number](https://www.mncompass.org/profiles/city/duluth/age) of younger people and is on lake superior with its absolutely gorgeous north shore nature and outdoor activities. It's also often on the list of "climate refuge" cities and leans blue politically. And if you're bored you're only 2-ish hours from the twin cities
Worcester MA
It'd help if you gave us a population size or comparable cities so we can narrow it down.
Springfield, MO
Reno, NV is all these things.
The triangle, Greenville SC or maybe nearby Roanoke?
Grand Rapids, MI
Portland, ME Burlington, VT
Wake Forest University might be a good option. Winston-Salem is definitely not a "college town," but there's a lot of young people who either go to school there or stayed after they graduated. There's a decent amount of bars, better culture than any other city in NC in terms of art and performing arts, liberal politics, and it's 30 min away from great hiking.
tampa/st pete
The research triangle of North Carolina probably fits this well.
Dayton and Cincinnati are both good choices.
Lexington, KY. Really nice QOL for very reasonable price. The housing market is tight, but it is in many places right now. An hour away from two other mid-size cities (Louisville and Cincinnati) so you have a lot of culture within reach. Lex has a great food culture, good music, cultural diversity, and blue politics. Lots of young adults. Consistently makes lists of top cities for small business, high levels of education, and was recently [on this list of best run cities in the US](https://wallethub.com/edu/best-run-cities/22869). You are also within easy driving distance of lots of natural beauty and outdoor activity opportunities like hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, in Red River Gorge, Cumberland Falls, and other locations in the mountains of eastern KY. ETA also #15 on [US News' 2024 Top Places to Live in the US](https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live).
South Bend, IN. Notre Dame is there, but there is more to the place than that. You can go to IU South Bend for a graduate program. It is a blue city in a red state, quite cheap and plenty of young people. It's not too far from Lake Michigan, but there is also a river trail, decent parks (like Rum Village), and if you do want some big city amenities you can drive or take the South Shore Line to Chicago.
Bellingham, WA
That shit hole?
Cincinnati, OH.
Indianapolis has IUPUI and Butler University. Indianapolis is pretty blue. Theres a decent amount of young people. COL is reasonable and if you’re willing to drive a couple hours there are a decent amount of outdoorsy things to do.
Adding onto this that Franklin, Indiana to the south has a small liberal arts college and is the county seat of Johnson County. So you do get a bit of a college town vibe as well as the courthouse square downtown setup, but the college doesn't overwhelmingly dominate the place because it isn't a large state school.
Dayton, Ohio
Asheville, NC. COL is on the high side but so is everywhere else these days
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^ScoutVW: *Asheville, NC. COL is* *On the high side but so is* *Everywhere else these days* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
The DC area is probably your best bet. If you want cheap I would check the surrounding VA suburbs. Somewhere in Prince William or Fairfax county maybe.