A true college town is a special place. It’s more than just a home to a particular college or university. There’s a bond between the two–without the support of the town, there’d be no university, and without the impact of the university, there wouldn’t be much in the way of a town. Townspeople, students, and faculty alike share in the one-of-a-kind social melting pot that makes their home unique.

Livability recently ranked the top-10 college towns, consulting the Princeton Review and factoring in criteria like population, ratio of students to non-students, and the university’s economic impact on the town.

Livability.com’s Top 10 College Towns – 2012 Edition

Bloomington, IN. Photo: Visit Bloomington (via Livability.com)

10. Blacksburg, Virginia

• College: Virginia Tech

9. Ann Arbor, Michigan

• College(s): University of Michigan, Concordia University, Washtenaw Community College

8. Athens, Georgia

• College(s): University of Georgia, Piedmont College, Athens Technical College

7. Bloomington, Indiana

• College: Indiana University

6. Corvallis, Oregon

• College(s): Oregon State University, Linn-Benton Community College

5. Lawrence, Kansas

• College(s): University of Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations University

4. Champaign, Illinois

• College(s): University of Illinois, Parkland College

3. Logan, Utah

• College: Utah State University

2. Oxford, Mississippi

• College: University of Mississippi

1. College Station, Texas

• College: Texas A&M