Redefining the American College Town

Richard Florida takes the end of summer, and impending awakening of campuses across the country, as an opportunity to explore which of America's metro areas have the largest higher education concentrations.

1 minute read

August 27, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


When looking at the metro areas with the largest share of the adult population enrolled in college or graduate school, the list reads like "a veritable who's-who of college towns," with Ames, Iowa; Ithaca, New York; and State College, Pennsylvania leading the pack.  "While these metros each have a large share of college students, taken
together they are home to a surprisingly small number of the nation's
student population [just 3.5% of the nation's total]," notes Florida. 

Things get more interesting when looking at the metro areas with the highest total number of college students. According to Florida, "Although we tend not to think of them this way, America's largest metros are also its largest college towns."  

"Two metros are home to more than one million college students - greater
New York City with 1.3 million and greater Los Angeles with nearly 1.1
million." Among the surprising entrants in the top ten are Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, "the nation's seventh and eighth
largest college towns respectively, with roughly 380,000 students each."

"These figures show that our perceptions of college towns - small main
streets near liberal-arts schools with sprawling, ivy-covered grounds -
are misnomers," writes Florida. "In fact, the norm of U.S. college life is more filled
with concrete sidewalks, taxi cabs, and late-night diners."

Monday, August 27, 2012 in The Atlantic Cities

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1 - KQED

Tents inhabited by unhoused people lined up on sidewalk in Los Angeles, California in front of industrial building.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling

An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.

July 1 - Times of San Diego

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.