If you are considering living near a university, you might be wondering about the pros and cons. Of course, if you are currently attending college, it only makes sense to live in the town close by so that you have easy access to the school and all its amenities. However, living near a college has many pros even if you aren’t currently enrolled in classes. College towns such as Boulder, Colorado, have historical significance through their original Victorian houses and accents of classic Boulder architecture that are bound to get any homebuyer excited. This guide will cover all the advantages and disadvantages so you know exactly what to expect before moving.
Pros of Living in a College Town
A college town is a town that mostly focuses on a large university. Most of the town’s jobs and economy are centered around the college. There are some big advantages to living in this type of town.
Here are the main ones:
Lower Cost of Living
Most college towns have more rentals available compared to places for buying. This is because landlords know that most tenants are college students looking for a cheap place to live while they are taking classes.
As a young working adult, you can enjoy the very low cost of living in these college towns but still have all the comfort and amenities close by that you need.
Opportunities to Make Money
Since college students are everywhere in these towns, there are tons of chances to make money by opening a new business. Some people also find that they can make large sums of money just by being a DoorDash or Uber delivery person.
This is because college students rely on delivery services, especially if they do not have a car or bike where they can go out and get around on their own.
Some people also find that it’s easier to own a small business in these towns since there are fewer chain restaurants and shopping centers.
You can consider opening a small restaurant or bar as these things appeal to college-age students.
There are many chances to make money in a college town, just make sure you are opening businesses or have ideas that are meant for college students as this is your client base and will bring in the most money.
More Chances to Have Fun
College towns are known for being a lot of fun because many events are going on all the time. If you like college sports, there are especially tons of chances to have fun because you can tailgate, go to the college team events, and even host your own events when it comes to celebrating college sports.
There will always be some events that are for the students only though, so make sure you know which ones you can attend and which ones are for the students and alumni.
If you are an alumni, you will often be invited to special events and tailgates so it’s always a big plus if you choose to live in the town where you went to college whether it was recently or a few decades ago.
Cons of Living in a College Town
Unfortunately, there are a few cons to living in a college town that you should be aware of before making a big move. Most of them are minimal compared to the pros though so you should be fine unless one of these things bothers you.
Traffic
Cities with big college campuses always have tons of traffic. This is because you have students going to class and staff members trying to get to work each day. On game days, there will be especially huge traffic because people come from all over the country to see the sports games.
College towns also have more cyclists and people walking around which can cause an increase in traffic. Just make sure you try to live as close to your work as possible and watch out for students as they are walking and driving to class.
Noise
This usually isn’t a big deal unless you are living right near college kids who like to party and make a lot of noise. It might also be very noisy if you are living near fraternity and priority houses.
This might be annoying, but keep in mind that partying and making a lot of noise is a common part of the college experience.
If you live close to a sports field or stadium, you can also expect an increase in noise when games or people are coming and going for practice.
If noise bothers you, make sure you choose where you live carefully. You can also ask the landlord where people tend to host parties or tailgate so that you can be as far away from those places as possible.
Not A Lot of Families
College towns are mostly for students and young adults so there are not a lot of families around. If you live in a neighborhood where there are a lot of college students, people will be moving out frequently and you might not ever have that feeling of a permanent neighborhood with families that you can get to know.
This is why many people move out of college towns when they get older and decide to start families because they want something that feels more like home.
If you are not looking to get married or have kids soon, this is probably not an issue, but consider your timeline when you plan to have kids and get married.
Conclusion
There are many pros and cons when it comes to living in a college town, but these are the main ones. Before packing up your things and signing a lease agreement, make sure you take these pros and cons into account to decide if you can move to this new place or not.
If you do decide to move to a college town like Boulder, you’ll have tons of fun, be able to save money, and you might even be able to start a business or two!
