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BestColleges.com Releases List of Best Cities for Students Without a Car

  • 07/01/14

HOUSTON, TX — BestColleges.com has recently released a list highlighting the best cities and towns for college students who do not own cars. Divided into four sections — large cities, mid-sized cities, smaller cities and college towns — each listed location was considered for its high quality of life and good learning environment. The cities are not ranked; the list is intended to show prospective students that owning a vehicle in college is not a prerequisite.

A few of the cities and towns from the list include:
Large Cities:
New York, NY
Boston, MA
Washington, DC
Mid-Sized Cities:
San Jose, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Buffalo, NY
Smaller Cities:
Boulder, CO
Madison, WI
Lincoln, NE
College Towns:
Ithaca, NY
State College, PA
Iowa City, IA

See the full list: http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/cities-for-students-without-cars/.

Inclusion Criteria
BestCollege.com’s research team reviewed the metropolitan areas, rather than individual school campuses, in order to provide a broader look at getting around the cities as a whole. Though BestColleges.com did not rank each city and town, the order within each section is based on the American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) rankings in its “Top 75 Cities and Towns in America” survey. With AIER’s results as a guide, their researchers used the following criteria to determine which cities and towns to include in the list:

  • Walkability
  • Public transit access
  • Bike friendliness

Based on the findings, the BestColleges.com team was able to include 39 cities and towns. Each location received a score of at least 50 for one of the three above criteria. The walkability score indicates the ease with which pedestrians can traverse their locale. Public transit scores were earned based on how well buses or trains covered the cities and surrounding area, as well as how reliable they were. Bike friendliness scores indicate whether the city or town has designated bike lanes or a terrain conducive to cycling.

About BestColleges.com
BestColleges.com is a resource to help prospective college students make educated choices about their future and get the most out of their education. Through the use of student surveys, faculty surveys, independent research, ranking systems and the input of highly credible and authoritative sources, the site has created a database of schools to help students and families learn more about their higher education options.

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