North Carolina Places Three Cities in Top 35 of College Towns Rankings
The South is filled with some of the best college towns, and North Carolina is showing out with some of the top college towns and cities in the country, according…
Chapel Hill came in at No. 13 in WalletHub’s top college towns rankings, thanks to the social environment at UNC.
Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty ImagesThe South is filled with some of the best college towns, and North Carolina is showing out with some of the top college towns and cities in the country, according to rankings by WalletHub.
WalletHub compared more than 400 U.S. cities of different sizes on 30 key indicators of academic, social, and economic opportunities for students. There is data ranging from the cost of living to the quality of higher education.
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (unsurprisingly) took the number 13 spot on the list - the highest for a school in our state. That was just behind Tampa, Fla. for comparison sake.
Raleigh came in just behind Chapel Hill, proud home of NC State University. Wilmington came in at No. 35 on the list, thanks to the beach atmosphere at UNCW.
And what about Fayetteville? Well, it's on the list... coming in at No. 352, just ahead of Jackson, Miss., and Kent, Wa. Last on the list at No. 415 is Compton, Ca.
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Wallet Friendliness | Social Environment | Academic & Economic Opportunities |
| 1 | Austin, TX | 63.6 | 209 | 10 | 23 |
| 2 | Ann Arbor, MI | 62.83 | 250 | 17 | 14 |
| 3 | Provo, UT | 62.3 | 22 | 63 | 45 |
| 4 | Orlando, FL | 59.96 | 80 | 4 | 141 |
| 5 | Oxford, OH | 59.35 | 3 | 1 | 304 |
| 6 | Gainesville, FL | 58.93 | 130 | 62 | 61 |
| 7 | Scottsdale, AZ | 58.92 | 309 | 140 | 1 |
| 8 | West Lafayette, IN | 58.8 | 39 | 39 | 112 |
| 9 | Rexburg, ID | 58.7 | 5 | 97 | 118 |
| 10 | College Station, TX | 58.33 | 28 | 53 | 125 |
| 11 | Orem, UT | 58.24 | 133 | 206 | 19 |
| 12 | Tampa, FL | 58.05 | 175 | 22 | 92 |
| 13 | Chapel Hill, NC | 58.03 | 185 | 72 | 55 |
| 14 | Raleigh, NC | 57.85 | 198 | 35 | 74 |
