Ames compared to other Big 12 College Towns

Phaedrus · 02-27-2008, 09:43 AM

While I have to admit I love Ames, there ARE two other campuses that stand out in my memory when I was a younger man and single. NIU at Dekalb, and Norman.

Norman, because I met the most beautiful girl, there, and Dekalb, I met the most enthusiastic. I have limited recollection of either town, though.

ISU2007 · 02-27-2008, 10:02 AM

Went to Texas A&M-Iowa State game when Blythe had 4 TD's... awesome game, but A&M atmosphere was amazing, tailgating and stadium. Only improvement to tailgating would be more grass lots... I am kinda partial to grass lots.

cybsball20 · 02-27-2008, 10:09 AM

I was blown away by how big the A&M campus was. We played night games there so a few of us thought it would be fun to walk around the whole campus. We got to the other side, by the baseball stadium and rec center and it had taken forever and our hands were swollen from walking so long (blood rushing to them). We had to bum a ride back to the hotel with some girls leaving the rec center (not that that was a bad thing).

Broodwich · 02-27-2008, 10:19 AM

Ames needs to decide if it's small town Iowa or if it's a Big 12 University town. It has a very schizophrenic personality when trying to decide. have lived in Boulder, CO and Iowa City and have been to all of the schools of the former Big 8 and most of the schools in the Big 10.

I love ISU. I love Jack Trice on a Saturday in the fall when the leaves are turning the fall is one of the reasons I decided to stay in Central Iowa. Let me state that I love the Story County area with all of my heart, but I hate Ames. I have never lived in a place that is more fixated on controlling the most trivial aspects of everyday life. It's a stifling place to live. I think there is unlimited potential in Ames to be a really great town, but until we have more young progressive and business oriented people calling the shots there we're going to have essentially Pella with a major university in it.

Wesley · 02-27-2008, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by AirWalke

The only town I've been to was Lawrence, and honestly, I wasn't there long enough to get any good impression of it. I'd love to visit Lincoln for the stadium sometime, as well as seeing Austin for the town.

ISU has a very nice campus, it is just that location of the sports facilities does not bring that "campus cute feature" into play. I do not think the Lincoln split campuses and KU old buildings and KSU prairie campus is visually very pleasing. Maybe their bars are better due to the efforts of past Ames Town Elders to control businesses. Yet their campuses are not that exciting.

BryceC · 02-27-2008, 10:31 AM

Best I've been to - Austin, easily. Awesome town and close to San Antonio too. If I could have gone to any other Big 12 school I would have loved to go to Texas.

I liked Norman - the OU campus is amazing but the town is kind of crappy, at least the area I was in. Football stadium is amazing though and I love how it's at the direct center of campus.

Cybone · 02-27-2008, 10:49 AM

Lincoln - Memorial Stadium is simply an awesome sight
Lawrence - always kinda liked it
Norman - eh..its in Oklahoma think Nebraska with less trees, and it is brown in stead of green
People's Republic of Boulder - Nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.
Ames will always be some form of home for me.

TxCycloneFan · 02-27-2008, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by ISU2007

Went to Texas A&M-Iowa State game when Blythe had 4 TD's... awesome game, but A&M atmosphere was amazing, tailgating and stadium. Only improvement to tailgating would be more grass lots... I am kinda partial to grass lots.

I was at that game as well. I had the same impression. I bought season tickets to A&M this past year.