Recently, Oregon State University was ranked near the top of Business Insider’s “[The] 20 Best College Towns in America”. The data was compiled by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), and used factors such as number of college students per 1,000 residents, earning potential, and city accessibility.
Now, every person who visits Corvallis can attest to all of these great, data-backed claims. However, reasons for prospective students to show interest in the university cannot be found in the article or quantified in any way; they are what is felt by the students, fans, and faculty alike; the spirit, pride, and familiar family-like community of Corvallis keeps students coming back year after year (and willingly filling their closets with that distinguished orange!).
An OSU student sits in front of Weatherford Hall
About an hour and a half driving south from Portland will land you right in the heart of the Willamette Valley. It becomes apparent very quickly just what “Beaver Nation” looks like. The store front windows painted with black and orange, Beaver flags hanging as prominent lawn décor, and everywhere you turn someone is walking (or biking) by with their most prized Beaver gear on. The atmosphere of proud students and patrons comes from a longstanding tradition of a small town with big opportunities. A town where you are more likely to run into a classmate or professor than you are to run into a visitor or passerby, a town that is painted in the university’s school colors year round, and a town that when alumni or past residents return for a visit, can’t help but smile at the many memories and opportunities this small college town brought to them. We are delighted to receive the #6 spot on a list of best college towns, but for those of us who live in the area, we know our town can never be topped.
Corvallis is a special town and clearly it must be showing.
Go Beavs
SJB