Gainesville one of top three college cities

Gainesville is the third-best college town in the country, according to a new ranking published by CollegeRank.net.

Taking into consideration hundreds of campuses and their surrounding cities, the website deemed Gainesville’s nature, nightlife and arts scene deserving of a top-tier status, said Sara Moore, the marketing director of College Rank.

The only cities ranked ahead are Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Luis Obispo, California, home to Harvard University and California Polytechnic State University, respectively.

Moore said the list should serve as a “bragging resource” for students, parents and alumni who are proud of where they went to college.

“Like, ‘Hey look at our awesome community, look at what we have going on here at our amazing campus,’” she said.

For UF student Brian Habing, football gamedays make the city special.

“I like the sense of community,” the 20-year-old mechanical engineering junior said. “Everyone in the whole town is having a party, and we’re all getting together to support the same thing.”

Moore said Gainesville’s small-town environment may encourage more students to live here once they finish school at UF or Santa Fe College.

“I think with a smaller town you have an opportunity for students to stay after graduation,” Moore said.