Ames, ISU #3 national college destination for towns under 250,000

[Tornado man]

Another great ranking for Ames and ISU - rated by the American Institute for Economic Research as the number 3 college destination for towns under 250,000 population. Criteria includes academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunities.
And look who we finish just ahead of:

1. Ithaca, NY (Cornell)
2. State College, PA (Penn State)
3. Ames, Iowa (Iowa State)
4. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (Illinois)
5. Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa)

Colleges ranked on surroundings, city life off campus - USATODAY.com

 

[cyclonedave25]

Nice! I always felt like I needed to carry a gun when I went to IC. There's just a dirty, criminal feel to that town.

 

[dustinal]

Nice! I always felt like I needed to carry a gun when I went to IC. There's just a dirty, criminal feel to that town.

Righhhht...that's why they're rated just two spots below Ames. That's quite a gap if true.

 

[Cyched]

Nice! I always felt like I needed to carry a gun when I went to IC. There's just a dirty, criminal feel to that town.

Still got 5th though...

 

[Pseudonym]

Righhhht...that's why they're rated just two spots below Ames. That's quite a gap if true.

IC is going downhill in a hurry though. They've had a number of shootings/stabbings in just the last 6-8 weeks even, plus the usual assaults, etc downtown. It won't be long before some Chicago degenerate migrates from North Liberty and squeezes off a few rounds in the ped mall.

 

[cyclonedave25]

Righhhht...that's why they're rated just two spots below Ames. That's quite a gap if true.

It was only out of 5 spots, though. :wink:
I was just saying, IC doesn't have that community feeling that Ames has. IC is bigger than Ames so there's more crime. UI's campus is spread all over IC, whereas ISU's campus is all bunched together. It's just an overall better college town, by a decent margin IMHO. They only thing IC has over Ames is more bars. Ames has a lot more positives than IC, and a lot less negatives.

 

[Erik4Cy]

I had a uni friend get stabbed in IC in the summer in a random holdup, scary stuff. Funny my sis went to Iowa State for undergrad, UPenn for grad and now is workin on PHD and is a vet doc at Cornell. Ithaca is a very interesting, very green, very liberal city. It's a good visit and place to learn. Idk about living there tho, I lean very slightly to the left and must say that city is fun, but a lil TOO hippy and liberal for my tastes...

 

[alaskaguy]

I would put Colorado State University in Fort Collins above a number of the colleges that were ranked in the top five.

 

[Tornado man]

So I see Ames at #3 in 250,000/under, and do not see Lawrence, Columbia, Stillwater, College Station, Lubbock, Norman, Waco or Manhattan.
ISU is still thought so much of as a school in the middle of nowhere - yet Ames is so high on all these national lists. I hope our coaches take note and point them all out to recruits and families.
Like...Shirely Barnes, for instance...

 

[Cheer4Lyfe]

I don't know how Iowa City made this list.

 

[jbhtexas]

I went to aier.org and downloaded the free PDF with the complete results. It is attached here.

 

[jbhtexas]

I would put Colorado State University in Fort Collins above a number of the colleges that were ranked in the top five.

Ft. Collins has a population of more than 250,000.

 

[Aclone]

I don't know how Iowa City made this list.

This isn't Heaven, it's Iowa.

Of course two Iowa towns would have made the list. Cedar Falls must have just missed...:wink:

 

[cyclonedave25]

Wow, I didn't know Austin, TX was that big...

 

[frontrangeclone]

Ft. Collins has a population of more than 250,000.

good lord, what are they using for population estimates? MSEA's? I can guarantee you Ft. Collins is not 250,000.... more like 120,000-ish. And Boulder at almost 300,000? WTF? That must mean Des Moines has a population of 5 million? :wink:

 

[superman_101680]

Wow, I didn't know Austin, TX was that big...

I'm assuming it's metro area because I don't remember Ames having 80K plus.

 

[SeattleClone]

I'm assuming it's metro area because I don't remember Ames having 80K plus.

Ames just cracked 50K at the last census. What would they be counting as suburbs, Huxley and Luther?

 

[drlove]

I think they are counting Wyoming as a part of Fort Collins.
Boulder isn't anywhere close to 300,000 either.

You going to Maloney's on Saturday AM for the game?

 

[jbhtexas]

Boulder isn't anywhere close to 300,000 either.

According to factfinder.census.gov, Boulder County CO has an estimated ACS 2005-2007 population of 286,471.

Story County IA has an estimated ACS 2005-2007 population of 83,553.

The survey is probably projecting 2009 population based on the above county population estimates.

 

[WalkingCY]

Yeah Ames! Eat it IC- You criminals.