While there are many great college towns, you'll be hard-pressed to find one as affordable, and full of opportunity and fun as Austin. Here's what exactly makes the ATX the best college town in America.
1) The University of Texas
Topping the list of course is the greatest university in the world, UT Austin. UT is one of the largest universities in the world, ranking highly in most of its programs and priced competitively as one of the cheapest public universities in its class.
2) Sixth Street
Less than a mile from the UT Austin campus sits Sixth Street, one of America's most renowned drinking spots. Incredible bars are piled on East Sixth in Austin, making the area a blast any night of the week. Things get so hectic, the city has to close off the street Thursday, Friday and Saturday night every week.
3) The transportation
While the public transit in Austin isn't great, it's free with your UT ID card, and you can easily bike just about anywhere you'd want to go. For a cash-strapped college student, being able to easily bike to the grocery store, campus, the Capitol and downtown is a big plus.
4) The weather
It snows maybe once a year in Austin, and if it does, you're sure to have off school. Even the cold can sometimes close down The University of Texas. Austinites prefer warm, sunny days, which are definitely the norm in the ATX.
5) The opportunity to work while in school
With Austin's bustling entertainment scene, you don't have to fight for one of the few minimum wage jobs available to help pay for school like in some college towns. Establishments in Austin go out of business because they can't find enough employees. It's easy in Austin to find part-time work while in college that pays a decent wage.
6) The opportunity to work after school
Austin's cutting edge in most professional fields, along with serving as the capital city to the great state of Texas. No matter what field you're interested in, there are sure to be many opportunities to gain professional experience while you're still in school and to further pursue a career afterward.
7) The "weirdness"
The city's "Keep Austin Weird" motto holds up from campus out to the city limits. You'll find all kinds of people in Austin, pursuing just about everything. It's really a place for everyone, that allows you to embrace who you are and what you want to be.
8) The tacos, queso and barbecue
Coming from a small city in Pennsylvania, I didn't put much stake in any of these foods before I moved to Austin, but I found out quickly that I'd been missing out on A LOT. Barbecue especially is an Austin staple that you've just got to try. Once you've had the best of the city's barbecue, tacos, and chips with queso, you'll never want to live anywhere without the tastes again.
9) The outdoors
Austin's full of big parks, natural springs and even mini mountains, all within a 15-minutes drive from campus. If you love the outdoors, the ATX won't let you down.
10) It's at the center of the Lone Star State
Austin is centrally located in Texas, pitting you just over an hour away from San Antonio and just several hours from Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth. Furthermore, you're surrounded by Texas culture, including the small Texas towns that you just thought were real in books. There's so much to explore and see, along with opportunity in almost any field, with Texas ranking as one of the fastest-growing states in the nation.
