SEC towns ranked 1-14

#26
#26
Lexington? I remember my trips there required air freshner for all the horse hockey floating thru the air. Don't think it's been cleaned up any cause it's part of their lifestyle. And Gainesville- you need real Police Protection from those idiot fans. They fail to mention that.
 
#27
#27
BigOrangeMojo said:
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.
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I have to agree. All of these cities have an industrial base that pre-dates and stands alone from the college town/atmosphere. How does one even compare Oxford or Tuscaloosa to Nashville?
 
#29
#29
Lawrence Wright said:
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.
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Nashville is not a college town.
 
#30
#30
I guess I must be missing something in Nashville. They’re not many at the game so is it tailgating and bars or tailgating and the other things Nashville has to offer?
 
#32
#32
The Original Fade said:
Nashville has gone down the toilet imo. I was raised there and it is a shell of it’s former self. Traffic is beyond insane, everybody thinks they’re a song writer, and crime is ridiculous. It’s ranking is undeserved and I would put it at 13,just ahead of Starkville.
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Agreed. Nashville has peaked and at this point, they can keep it.
 
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#33
#33
The Original Fade said:
Nashville has gone down the toilet imo. I was raised there and it is a shell of it’s former self. Traffic is beyond insane, everybody thinks they’re a song writer, and crime is ridiculous. It’s ranking is undeserved and I would put it at 13,just ahead of Starkville.
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Nashville’s below Gainesville, Columbia, College Station and Baton Rouge? Yeah, no. Besides a majority of Nashville are UT fans, like me.
 
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#34
#34
BigOrangeMojo said:
You forgot Cafe Risque, which is close to Gainesville....
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Gainesville is the worst that I've been to, and thats not because I dont like the Gators, its just a s!!t town. But its not the worst town in general. Leadville, Co is top dawg for me followed by Jackson, MS. Terrible places.
 
#35
#35
NeverWe'llSever said:
Gainesville is trash. Better than Columbia and Starkville, but still a dump.
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Columbia, SC isn't a horrible town--it's actually a pretty nice medium size city. Fact is, all of these cities/towns listed are good towns--they love their teams, they fill their stadiums. Your favorite, most of the time, depends on where you grew up or went to school. Home is home. I went to UT. As far as I'm concerned, Knoxville is number 1. Great city, great history, fun place. I only get up there every year or two, but I love it every time I do.
 
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#36
#36
The Original Fade said:
Nashville has gone down the toilet imo. I was raised there and it is a shell of it’s former self. Traffic is beyond insane, everybody thinks they’re a song writer, and crime is ridiculous. It’s ranking is undeserved and I would put it at 13,just ahead of Starkville.
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My Grandfathers old place which is near the Hickory Hollow area is valued t over $400,000 now. It wasn't nice in the 70s/80s/90s, I cant imagine its nice now..but Nashville sure seems to be booming.
 
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#37
#37
DonDiego said:
Columbia, SC isn't a horrible town--it's actually a pretty nice medium size city. Fact is, all of these cities/towns listed are good towns--they love their teams, they fill their stadiums. Your favorite, most of the time, depends on where you grew up or went to school. Home is home. I went to UT. As far as I'm concerned, Knoxville is number 1. Great city, great history, fun place. I only get up there every year or two, but I love it every time I do.
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Columbia is a skeezhole bruh.
 
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#39
#39
In general though, this is part of what makes the SEC great - in comparison to the other conferences - we have a ton of really nice destinations. Each road trip really offers a unique experience and is worthwhile imo. I really hope if the SEC expands to 16 they keep that in mind and get a nice NC and VA campus/town. I'd be in huge favor of grabbing from the mid-majors and letting them develop into SEC programs as the money pours in (ECU, JMU).
 
#41
#41
I guess the ranking is for ‘college’ towns only. I was thinking more about the overall living experience - outside of just college students. Some towns like Athens may be charming little towns for the college life but once you graduate it’s not the kind of place you stay at. Knoxville offers the best of both worlds: a great college atmosphere but also a great place to live in general, raise kids etc. close to half the SEC towns are nothing more than the college itself and quite honestly dumps. Outside of maybe Nashville, I think K-town has the most to offer holistically.
 
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#42
#42
Lawrence Wright said:
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:
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Yes agree. If you isolate out only the ‘college’ piece maybe the rankings make sense. If you rank the cities stand alone I think the rankings will change considerably.
 
#43
#43
dduncan4163 said:
Athens is a solid 3. It's a helluva experience but Nashville and Oxford are on their own level.
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My only trip to Athens was 1995, when the Cocktail Party was moved to each campus while the old Gator Bowl was being renovated.

After we pounded UGA between the hedges, both fan bases united later that night to watch the Braves clinch the World Series. It was an amazing and surreal experience.
 
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#44
#44
FLVOL_79 said:
My Grandfathers old place which is near the Hickory Hollow area is valued t over $400,000 now. It wasn't nice in the 70s/80s/90s, I cant imagine its nice now..but Nashville sure seems to be booming.
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That’s part of the problem. It can’t handle it’s own growth. Real estate is absurdly expensive there and it’s become a huge transplant city. Glad your grandad is reaping the benefits though, and I mean that. I grew up in Donelson, and went to Hickory Hollow often as a teenager. It was a good place to get into trouble.
 
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#45
#45
BigOrangeMojo said:
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.
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Glad more people are recognizing Fayetteville as a pretty cool little college town. Underrated in my opinion
 
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#46
#46
FLVOL_79 said:
Columbia is a skeezhole bruh.
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Why...lol. It looks like Greenville, SC....Knoxville... Chattanooga,...etc., except some rolling hills and sandy soil instead of mountains. It's a medium sized capitol city, with restauarants, bars, planned events, concerts, etc, etc...just like other places. I lived there six years, both of my kids were born there. I hated it when I was there so I moved to Charleston---maybe the most beautiful city in the US. Now, I look back and sometimes I pass through there. It really isn't a bad city. It has a similar skyline to Knoxville, there are things to do...but it is hot---Jeeze, that is the hottest city I ever saw.
 
#47
#47
It's dorked up bad!

1a. Nashville
1b. Knoxville
1c. Athens
.
Huge dropoff
.
4. Auburn
5. Oxford
6. Fayetteville
7. Columbia, MO
8. Columbia, SC
9. College Station
10. Lexington
.
Huge dropoff
.
11. Gainesville
12. Baton Rouge
13. Tuskaloosa
14. Starkville

Top 3 are in the SECeast.
Bottom 3 are in the SECwest.
 
#48
#48
Lawrence Wright said:
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.
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It is a great city with a lot to do there and a thriving night life, but I don't think of it as a "college town" at all. Pro sports have gotten too big and Vandy has such a small presence there.
 
#49
#49
Knoxville is hands down #1. Only Nashville can compete, but the surrounding area can't even come close. I doubt if the authors have even been to Knoxville in the last 10 years. But then one of the best things about Knoxville is that it's still a bit of a secret. Don't tell anyone.
 
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#50
#50
Where the hell does the love of Athens come from? Bore fest of a town.
 
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