What is the exact population number deciphers a town from being a "college town" to a large town with a college. I'm from the city of Tallahasse, Florida. The population is somewhere between 140,000-160,000 excluding the students from both Florida State and FAMU. I've read in an earlier post that someone thought Gainesville, Fla. (home of UF) is the same size as Tallahassee. But i don't think that is accurate. While UF is in fact alot larger than FSU the town itself is alot smaller, ranging between 50,000-60,000. Any thoughts?

Just wondering how other forumers make this distinction. For most cities, the university population absorbs in the urban setting... a lot of commuters and part time/ non-traditional students. The classic college scene is simply a mix, but not a dominant force within the urban culture of the city. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the "college town" which is too small to have an urban dynamic without it's college population (good examples would be College Station, TX with Texas A&M or Ann Arbor with the University of Michigan).

But what about the cities in between? Austin's college dynamic is very prevalent, but the city is also the home of state government, a burgeoning IT hub, and not to mention the fourth largest city in Texas. What are your thoughts?

.... Why should I watch how fast I'm going. I'm on a busy street trying to maintain speed with traffic in a designated bike lane. I'm permitted to speeds up to 30 mph! Furthermore, I can't veer out of the way, I might veer into traffic and it's my life. I do know that our state law doesn't hold motorists or cyclists responsible if someone runs recklessly out into traffic, but still, it puts me in danger since I don't have a steel shell and seat belts to protect me........
Thoughts?

Like oil and water? Are you saying that everybody holds this to be true? hmm...

I have difficulty thinking of either one as cosmopolitan or progressive. That's not a slam against either one; rather, it's just not their niche.

Which city do you think has more to offer people who live in it? In other words, which is more cosmopolitan, more progressive, and has a higher quality of life than the other? Why did you choose the one you did?

... I guess if I hit someone they deserve it for being so stupid.

I don't think many people consider Greensboro to be a college town. Greensboro is one of the largest cities in NC and part of the 3rd largest metro area in NC.... hardly a large college town. The main college towns in North Carolina are Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), Boone (Appalachian State), and probably Greenville, NC (East Carolina). These are towns that fall into that category of places that would not exist without their colleges. Greenville, NC may be an exception, since it would very likely exist in some form without ECU.

For my money Denver. I hear more about Fort Collins and Boulder from... you know... people who are trying to prove how cool they are by drinking trendy microbrews in trendy city's. My city is very not cool. In fact, if you are from here, you are treated as a leper.

I'd argue Denver is the only city in Colorado period, actually... but what do I know.

I am applying for the Master of Urban Planning in 2008 Fall.
I am admitted as a graduate student to the Univ. of Cincinnati, Cleveland State Univ. and Michigan.
Right now it is really difficult for me to decide which university is better.
Could anyone tell me which university is better at economic planning and community planning? I really don't like design.
Which one should I go so that I will easily find a job?
Thanks a looooot~!

I was simply trying to say that it's all a matter of perception and personal opinion.

You seem to be stating this as a fact.

Even so, Ohio has no "cool" large cities.

Any city is what you make of it.

If you find yourself bored no matter what city you're in, perhaps the problem isn't the geography.

Ohio has no "cool" large cities.

In Ohio, for the nightlife, and young vibe being a large college city, Columbus would be it, but for a better urban coolness, it has to be Cleveland.

Wow, I can definitely say this is a har question for both of my "home states" of Arkansas and Texas. Im assuming that our interpretation of "cool" is referring to the more unique aspects of the city.

For Arkansas, I'll have to go with Hot Springs. For a listed city of only 35,000, it just seems to have close to everything... nice ultra modern facilities, beautiful parks, historic architecture, a great nature setting, and a diverse population. Even after going to college near there (and partying there most every weekend), the city still takes my breath at how much it can offer. And the fact that it's only 1 hour from Little Rock is very cool too.

My experience with Texas is still limited... I've only spent decent time in four of the five major cities, but among those, I think San Antonio gets the win. Austin has a constant college vibe, but SA is where all of the fun is (literally with Six Flags, Sea World, Universal, and the Riverwalk). Downtown is a flippin' mess now, but hopefully will be looking great in another year or so. The cultural foundings of SA are very peculiar... there's a lot of German influence still left in the local citizenry, and that mixed with Hispanic culture is very very cool. The gay/ lesbian community is also growing exponentially. Again, this is just on my limited experience, but I'd go with SA.

I've posted about this on the Hartford board in the past. The pro's heavily outweigh the con's, but some people were so adamantly against it, it was nuts. They were concerned the density would drop. Nice to see this thread, Hartford merging with some suburbs or with Hartford County would be the best thing, in my humble opinion. A city of 17 sq miles has a hard time competing numbers-wise with other larger areas too, that's something else that was left out of this argument...