To some, it’s about the number of bars and independent coffee shops and record stores. To others, it’s about a student-centered sense of community.
Either way, “college town” is a term applied to communities from Boston to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to Westwood.
The area surrounding a university campus can be as effective in attracting prospective students and fostering a sense of academic camaraderie as the school itself.
It can also be a highly successful business area because of the influx of temporary residents moving in from September to June each year.
But a college town can be a nebulous concept. It is applied to different communities, and often describes a general attitude rather than concrete attributes.
“A college town is a town or city that actually caters to college students because there are so many of them,” said Malery Lassen, third-year psychology student at Northeastern University in Boston.
Joe Schwartz, a fifth-year journalism student at the University of North Carolina, defined a college town as a community with no clear-cut boundary between the school and the surrounding town, where students and residents have common interests and experiences.
Comparing college communities
Though individual definitions differ, many students agreed that in college towns the university presence is an influential component of the community.
“Every single person who lives here, whether (they) realize it or not, is impacted by UNC,” said Schwartz.
Scharwtz, who has lived in Chapel Hill most of his life, added that the surrounding area depends on the school and vice versa.
“The community supports the school. … It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” he said. “People know Chapel Hill because they know UNC. It’s like synonymous.”
Even students living in larger towns like Ann Arbor, Mich., which has a population of 114,024, said the university is responsible for their town’s prominence.
“You wouldn’t know Ann Arbor if University of Michigan wasn’t here,” said David Mekelburg, a fourth-year history student at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
He said the university culture extends beyond the campus perimeters.
“The diverse environment really exists beyond my classes and the neighborhood I live in, it’s all over the city,” Mekelburg said.
But in a major metropolitan city like Boston, university influence takes a very different form.
Dozens of schools call the Boston area home, and students say university presence is strong in the city.
But Lassen said the city, rather than specific schools, is the center of attention.
“You do miss out on a lot of things. You certainly don’t have the school spirit. It’s about the city,” she said.
But she added that many Boston businesses do try to cater to students with special deals at restaurants and coupons for local stores.
In other areas of the country, though, students said businesses and other aspects of the city tend to be more independent.
“The town is pretty anti-development. … Chapel Hill’s always been this little village,” Schwartz said, adding that residents have consistently resisted the introduction of corporate chains.
Mekelburg described Ann Arbor similarly, noting that the city is largely made up of independent record shops, movie theaters, coffee shops and bars that are geared toward students.
“(It) has a very distinct look,” he said. “(There are) a lot of local businesses, not a lot of chains. … Everything surrounding it caters to university students and a lot of things are open late, like 4 a.m.,” he said.
Mekelburg said he visited Westwood last year when he attended a University of Michigan football game at the Rose Bowl.
“I was surprised; there’s a lot of students in the area. … It is more urban than it is (in Ann Arbor),” he said.
He added that Westwood’s Los Angeles location may overshadow the college town atmosphere.
“The university isn’t the most prominent thing you have there. … It feels like you are part of something bigger,” he said.
The Westwood perspective
While Westwood may be similar to some other university communities in that it houses a major university, its identity as a college town is somewhat more disputed.
“It’s not specifically a college town,” said Joseph Lei, a fourth-year business-economics student, adding that he does not spend much time in Westwood other than to go to restaurants.
Bars and independent coffee shops and record stores are not prevalent in Westwood as they are in other areas ““ the neighborhood’s last record store closed its doors last year, and only two bars call Westwood home.
Lila Rioth, a Westwood resident who has lived in the area for 15 years, also said she does not believe UCLA students are Westwood Village’s primary clientele, as she would expect in a more traditional college town.
“I should be able to walk down the street and see students. I should feel the presence of students and I don’t,” she said. “I don’t know why students don’t use the Village.”
Rioth suggested students may be able to do necessary shopping on campus, and that students with cars may venture into other areas of Los Angeles in search of entertainment.
Nearby neighborhood councils and homeowners’ associations have also attempted to curb certain types of nightlife and large student events in the past.
And with multiple entertainment attractions, stores and restaurants in neighboring areas such as Century City, Santa Monica and Beverley Hills, Westwood faces serious competition for students’ time, attention and money.
Economic pressures may also explain the difference between Westwood and other college towns, Rioth said.
“I’ve heard that rents are so high that it’s hard for tenants to move in,” Rioth said. “It has to be really high-end retail, high-end retail means high prices (which students may not be able to afford).”
But Lei said he believes Westwood is fairly strongly influenced by its student population ““ many local businesses give student discounts, and business cycles generally correspond with UCLA’s academic schedule.
“You come here over the summer and Westwood is pretty dead,” he said.
But during the year, Westwood plays host to major movie premieres, culinary hotspots and trendy boutiques. And while chain stores are prevalent, independent staples such as Diddy Riese, Elysee Bakery and Thank You Mart are popular among the student crowd. Joe Hale, a first-year undeclared student, said he believes the variety of activities and options available in Westwood adds to the university experience.
“I thought it was a really cool college town,” he said. “There’s a good balance of fun things to do and it seems pretty safe.”
He added that surrounding area contributed to his decision to attend UCLA.
“UCLA as a school in general is where I wanted to be,” he said.