Trevecca alumni have known all along that Nashville is a great city for college students. The following article supports that belief.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 2:22pm CDT

Nashville among top college towns

Nashville Business Journal

Nashville placed 14th among mid-size U.S. cities that are the best places to attend college, according to a new study compiled by an economics research team.

Analysts at the American Institute of Economic Research compared the nation's 360 metropolitan statistical areas on factors including academic environment, quality of life and professional opportunities.

The institute organized the metro areas into four population categories: Major metro areas (with populations of 2.5 million or more), mid-size metro areas (1 million to 2.5 million residents), small cities (250,000 to 1 million residents) and college towns (under 250,000).

Major metros in order of ranking were New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, Seattle, Los Angeles, Baltimore, San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta.

Mid-size metros in order of ranking were San Jose, Austin, Hartford, Raleigh, Denver, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Portland, Sacramento, New Orleans, Richmond, Buffalo, Nashville, Providence, Rochester, Jacksonville, Columbus, Oklahoma City and Las Vegas.

An independent research organization based in Great Barrington, Mass., the research institute got its start 76 years ago on the campus of MIT. For the full study, click here.