SEC towns ranked 1-14

#3
#3
I would agree, been to all of these except College Station, I would say Starksville might be # 14, but that town is clean, I mean they keep it up.........and they have some awesome BBQ, but these days.........who doesn't? I really like the surrounding area at LSU.......I mean, you can get some awesome Cajun food, sit in the LSU section........with some powerful...intestinal issues :) LOL

Go Vols!
 
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#5
#5
Any combination of Oxford/Athens/Nashville in the Top 3 is cool with me.

As much as I loathe UGA football, Athens is a really cool college town...ditto for Oxford minus the irrational hatred.

Nashville is more than a college town imo.
 
#8
#8
Any combination of Oxford/Athens/Nashville in the Top 3 is cool with me.

As much as I loathe UGA football, Athens is a really cool college town...ditto for Oxford minus the irrational hatred.

Nashville is more than a college town imo.

Athens is a solid 3. It's a helluva experience but Nashville and Oxford are on their own level.
 
#9
#9
Athens is a solid 3. It's a helluva experience but Nashville and Oxford are on their own level.

Nashville is a great American city where Vandy just so happens to be located. Take Vandy out of Nashville, and Nashville is no less awesome.

Oxford is old school SEC southern charm where winning football games is optional, winning the tailgate is mandatory.

Athens is a cool college town, in spite of the college located there. :cool:
 
#13
#13
You
Athens is a solid 3. It's a helluva experience but Nashville and Oxford are on their own level.
You can’t compare any of these towns to Nashville, another level. The square in Oxford and the campus is nice but that is it, bottom line is it is still in Mississippi. T-town over Gainesville post tornado as it has really improved as long as you stay west of 59, North of the bypass and on the right side of the river. Athens is real good but the barking, man, really? Thought I read where the Strip is complete? Riverfront and Market Square have Knoxville in the top 1/3 for sure. Hell, the amount of breweries have to move you up the list. Fayetteville is a damn fine town and I was shocked when I visited, the Waltons did well. Columbia’s are pedestrian and not very memorable. Never been to College Station so no way to opine that one. Lexington traffic alone is ridiculous for the size but bourbon country is close so bonus points there. This list is so hard to address as even Auburn has improved so dramatically in the last ten years. One thing is for certain that money flows into these towns from SEC football, with the exception of Nashville that is.
 
#16
#16
Does this list just look like they threw darts at the wall and then wrote the summaries to try and justify the ranking? There's not a single shred of consistency from one to the next.

For my taste Knoxville is the top spot. Nowhere else in the SEC can you combine the serenity of fly fishing for brook trout or hiking in the smoky mountains, and then drive down the road and have great food options, beautiful scenery, friendly people, and a unique cultural vibe. Ah oh yeah, Fall Saturdays tend to have a fair bit going on as well. I've been to a handful of others. Nashville is great. Athens seemed cool. Lexington is nice, but way colder in the winter. I'm not sure why anyone would want to visit Starkville, Gainesville, or CoMo for anything other than a football game. CoSC is at least within a hop, skip, and a jump to Charleston.

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#19
#19
Nashville is a great American city where Vandy just so happens to be located. Take Vandy out of Nashville, and Nashville is no less awesome.

Oxford is old school SEC southern charm where winning football games is optional, winning the tailgate is mandatory.

Athens is a cool college town, in spite of the college located there. :cool:

Exactly. It’s not a “college town” at all.

I’d much rather spend some time in Lexington than some of these other places.
 
#22
#22
I've been to all the following. Here is how I'd rank them

1. Oxford
2. Athens
3. Auburn
4. Fayetteville
5. Tuscaloosa
6. College Station
7. Gainesville
8. Columbia MO
9. Starkville

Knoxville, Baton Rouge, Lexington, Columbia SC, and Nashville arent college towns since they would still be small to medium sized cities without the university.
 
#25
#25
Nashville is a great American city where Vandy just so happens to be located. Take Vandy out of Nashville, and Nashville is no less awesome.

Oxford is old school SEC southern charm where winning football games is optional, winning the tailgate is mandatory.

Athens is a cool college town, in spite of the college located there. :cool:
I hate agreeing with a Gator, but you’re spot on with this statement. And I grew up in Nashville. 😂
 
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