Clemson ranked as one of the best small college towns in the U.S., recent study says
Clemson was recently ranked as the seventh best small college town in the country, according to a study conducted by Preply.
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Clemson campus is surrounded by hiking and other outdoor activities but is adjacent to a downtown full of local shops and restaurants. The lives of students and residents are intertwined, never more so than on football weekends, when tens of thousands gather outside Clemson Memorial Stadium.
Clemson University was founded in 1889 by Thomas Green Clemson in the upstate region of South Carolina. Clemson was a Philadelphia-born musician, artist, agriculturist, American diplomat and husband to John C. Calhoun’s daughter, Anna Maria.
Sometimes called “Tigertown” because of Clemson University’s mascot, The Clemson Tiger, orange and white, as well as purple, can be seen throughout the university and the city of Clemson.
The study by Preply, a U.S. based language learning app and e-learning company, compared 200 different small college towns in the country based on three separate categories: “wallet friendliness, social environment and economic opportunity.”
According to the study, Clemson’s index score was a 63.97, which was compiled by receiving a 22.59 for wallet friendliness, 18.57 for social environment and 22.81 for economic opportunity. The combined score was good enough for seventh best in America.
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Wallet friendliness accounted for 33.33% of the overall ranking in the study. This category was measured by four different factors: the cost of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant; a fitness club monthly fee for 1 person, the rent per month for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center and the cost of a domestic beer.
For social environment, this category also held a 33.33% share of the final score. This section included five indicators: the level of diversity in the city, cafes per capita in the area, nightlife per capita, parks per capita as well as the crime rate.
Lastly, economic opportunities made up an additional 33.33% of the ratings for the total tally. This category was assessed with just four indicators: average monthly net salary (after tax), the employment rate, the unemployment rate and apartment price, according to the company’s description of all three groupings.
In first place, Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, received an index score of 73.96. This was from 18.92 for wallet friendliness, 27.17 for social environment and 27.87 for economic opportunities.
Here are the 10 best small college towns in America, according to Preply.
Ann Arbor, Michigan- Index Score: 73.96
St. Charles, Missouri- Index Score: 72.43
Newark, Delaware- Index Score: 70.77
La Crosse, Wisconsin- Index Score: 70.30
Grand Forks, North Dakota- Index Score: 65.88
Rochester, Minnesota- Index Score: 64.43
Clemson, South Carolina- Index Score: 63.97
West Lafayette, Indiana- Index Score: 63.93
Asheville, North Carolina- Index Score: 63.92
Auburn, Alabama- Index Score: 63.47
