In spring or fall, during homecoming or freshman week, there is a certain buzz and hope-filled air to college towns that attracts visitors of all ages. With the vast majority of Big Ten schools located in the Midwest, it should come as no surprise that college life is thriving across the region. On top of that, host towns usually tend to benefit greatly from the energy higher education institutions bring to the community. While many college cities predate their campuses, and were busy hubs of industry before the students moved in (take Ann Arbor in Michigan and Bloomington, Indiana), a few towns sprouted up alongside their academic chairs — and owe their existence to the disciplines that have been taught there for decades, or even centuries.
To come up with a list of the five most charming and walkable towns, we relied on editorial articles and independent user rankings, as well as painstakingly consulting walkability index websites, such as WalkScore, and manually inspecting actual walking times on Google Maps. All the locations listed below are college towns frequently mentioned for their welcoming campuses and positive atmosphere, and have a WalkScore of 85/100 and above.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
There is a reason — well, many, actually — why Ann Arbor was named “America’s best college town” by admission consultancy Crimson Education. With its riverfront trails, kid-friendly museums, and green spaces galore, the city makes for an ideal weekend getaway to enjoy solo, with your significant other, or with family. With its 67 city blocks spread on both sides of the Huron River, Ann Arbor is as quaint as it is walkable — with WalkScore awarding it a stellar 98/100. Its walkability is something resident Redditors highlight as a big positive, supported by an efficient public bus system. The municipality even has its own neat downloadable walking downtown map to help visitors navigate the must-see landmarks and main shopping streets on foot.
Many of Ann Arbor’s attractions and places of interest are linked to the University of Michigan, from the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) with its diverse and immersive contemporary exhibitions, to Michigan Stadium, affectionately nicknamed “The Big House.” Not only is the stadium the largest in the States, but it’s also the third largest in the world. Less than half an hour’s walk through leafy boulevards and campus buildings (such as the Law Library and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology) separates the main campus from the stadium…