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Morgantown, W.Va., home of West Virginia University, was recognized in a recent publication as one of America’s best college towns.
The American Institute for Economic Research released the "2009-2010 College Destinations Index," which lists the top 75 best cities to attend college.
Morgantown placed 19th in the "college towns" category, which ranks towns under 250,000 residents, according to the Web site.
The rankings are broken into four tiers – "Major Metros," populations greater than 2.5 million; "Mid-size Metros," 1 to 2.5 million; "Small Cities," 250,000 to 1 million residents and "College Towns," under 250,000 residents.
"To determine the rankings, each city was assessed on the academic environment it provides, the quality of life it offers and the professional opportunities available to residents," said Kerry Lynch, AIER Senior Economist, in a press release.
The city was tested in categories including: the number of student per non-student residents, student diversity, cost of living, city accessibility, entrepreneurial activity and unemployment rate.
Being ranked highly on this list could attract out-of-state students, according to pre-sports management major, Janae Daniels, a freshman from Washington, D.C.
"I know of a lot of people who wish they were here," she said. "There is a lot of diversity, a lot of different cultures. The city is pretty alive – it doesn’t sleep."
The population in Morgantown was listed as 116,566 people and the cost of living as $602, according to the index.
The index also listed the earning potential of city residents as $31,439 and an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, one of the lowest within the list.
Morgantown’s strong quality of life and growing economic climate contributes to its success, said Donald Reinke, director of Monongalia Development Authority and president of Morgantown Area Economic Partnership.
"This ranking is another feather in the community’s cap," he said. "Just in the past year or two, our economy has received recognition from the national media. It’s a very positive thing because it shows the importance of (Morgantown) as an economic engine for the nation."
Using the city’s national recognition for marketing and promotional purposes, Reinke said a ranking like this would encourage prospective students and faculty to consider attending or teaching at WVU.
Morgantown did not rank highly in the "creative class" category, testing the city’s artistic climate. Reinke disagrees with Morgantown’s 0.0 percent of residents working in design, education, arts, music and entertainment.
"I totally disagree with this. Morgantown is probably the most artistic city within the state," he said.
"I think people look to us for music and entertainment. It’s totally absurd that it wasn’t listed higher."
Ithaca, N.Y., topped the list with the highest concentration of students and the most degree attainment than any city on the "college town" tier. State College, Pa., Ames, Iowa, Champain-Urbana, Ill. and Charlotteville, Va., all ranked within the top five, respectively.
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