When it comes to college towns, there are a ton across the U.S. Some of the greatest schools you could find to attend.  The schools are great, but remember, just like in business, it's location, location, and I think a third location! That's important to the overall college experience.

Wallethub's Best College Town and Cities

WalletHub is on the job once again, trying to help your wallet. It's not good to choose a school only to find out that the surrounding area doesn't fit your finances or lifestyle.

How Does WalletHub Come Up With These Numbers?

Wallethub says To determine the best college towns and cities in America, they compared 415 cities of different sizes based on three main factors: Wallet Friendliness, Social Environment, and Academic & Economic Opportunities. They used 31 metrics to evaluate each city, with each metric scored on a scale of 100, where 100 represents the best conditions for students. Some metrics were adjusted for population size to avoid bias toward larger cities.

Cities were ranked based on their overall score, which was calculated by averaging the scores across all metrics. Only cities with at least 7,500 college students were included, and the analysis focused on the city proper, excluding the surrounding metro areas. Cities were grouped into three categories: Large (over 300,000 people), Midsize (125,000 to 300,000), and Small (under 125,000).

What Do Those Factors Mean?

Here are some of the key areas they might have looked at:

  1. Academic Opportunities: This could involve the quality of schools, availability of higher education institutions (colleges and universities), graduation rates, student-teacher ratios, and academic rankings.
  2. Social Opportunities: This likely refers to social and cultural aspects of a city, such as access to extracurricular activities, student organizations, diversity, social integration, and general lifestyle options for young people.
  3. Economic Opportunities: This would include factors like the cost of living, availability of part-time jobs, job prospects after graduation, wages, and the overall economic health of the city.
  4. Other Factors: These might include crime rates (which affect safety), affordability of housing, healthcare options, transportation infrastructure, and overall quality of life in each city.

By looking at these indicators, WalletHub is trying to assess how favorable each city is for students, considering not only their academic experiences, but also how the city’s environment and economy contribute to their success and well-being.

 What Iowa College Town Came Out on Top?

Iowa made several appearances on the WalletHub Best College Towns list, and some were a surprise, but not really when you think about it.  Starting at #5 of the Best Iowa College Towns is Cedar Falls.  That is where you'll find it.

Their metrics of favorability: The Wallet Friendliness ranking: 34, the Social Environment ranking: 200, and the Academic and Economic Opportunities ranking: 343.

Univ. of Northern IA Facebook/Canva/TSM
Univ. of Northern IA Facebook/Canva/TSM
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Here is a College Town in Disguise

I was surprised to see this name on the list, but when you think about it, not only does this town offer higher education, but they have several different opportunities when it comes to colleges and universities.  That town is Cedar Rapids.

The colleges and universities in and around Cedar Rapids are many:

Cedar Rapids is not your traditional college town.  It's a very diversified area, and the cost of living in a non-traditional college town is sometimes cheaper for a student when it comes to things like rent and day-to-day living expenses.

Cedar Rapids' Wallet Friendliness ranking is: 134, Social Environment ranking: 266, and Academic and Economic Opportunities ranking: 222.

Coe College Facebook/Kirkwood Community College Facebook/Mount Mercy facebook/Canva/TSM
Coe College Facebook/Kirkwood Community College Facebook/Mount Mercy Facebook/Canva/TSM
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Who is Sliding into Third?

Iowa City making an appearance at #3 on WalletHub's list of Best College Towns in America.  I really thought that Iowa City would be #1, but when you factor in the cost of living in Iowa City versus the #1 school, you may have the reason the Hawkeye city is in the #3 position.

The Iowa City Wallet Friendliness ranking is: 73, Social Environment ranking: 107, and the Academic and Economic Opportunities ranking: 346.

Speaking of college towns, let's heap some praise on the Hawkeye Wave recently chosen as USA Today's 2024 Readers' Choice Best College Sports Tradition! Go Hawks!

Iowa Hawkeyes Facebook/Canva/TSM
Iowa Hawkeyes Facebook/Canva/TSM
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There Was A Close Second

Des Moines makes the runner-up spot look sweet.  Boasting several colleges, much like Cedar Rapids, that offer diverse opportunities for higher education. Colleges and universities include:

Des Moines' Wallet Friendliness ranking is: 175, Social Environment ranking: 183, and  Academic and Economic Opportunities ranking: 205.

Drake Facebook/Mercy College of health Science Facebook/Grand View Univ. Facebook/DMCC Facebook/Canva/TSM
Drake Facebook/Mercy College of health Science Facebook/Grand View Univ. Facebook/DMCC Facebook/Canva/TSM
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One is The Loneliest Number

The #1 Best Iowa College town is? As I read through the list, I thought Iowa City would be the first name I saw.  To my surprise, Ames, IA was #1.  There were 415 cities that were looked at, and Ames ranked 112th. Nice job all around Iowa!!
Iowa State Univ. Facebook/Canva/TSM
Iowa State Univ. Facebook/Canva/TSM
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The Ames Wallet Friendliness ranking is: 71, Social Environment ranking: 67, and  Academic and Economic Opportunities ranking: 340.

Eastern Iowa Restaurants We Want on 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives'

The Food Network show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' hasn't made very many stops in Iowa, so we wanted to give them a few ideas for their next visit! Our list contains diners, hole-in-the-walls, small town staples, places that have stood the test of time, and restaurants that just have that perfect dive-y vibe. Most of our picks come from the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City areas, but we did include a few favorites that are a bit of a drive! Here are some of the places we'd love to see on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' someday:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Area Photos

A collection of photos taken during trips to Wickiup Hill Learning Center in Toddville, IA.

Gallery Credit: Sloppy Joe

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