MI City Among Best College Towns In The Nation

A Michigan city is among the best college towns in the nation, a new ranking finds.

Ann Arbor, the home to the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, was the top-ranked small college town in Wallethub's Best College Towns in America ranking.

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Additionally, Ann Arbor came in at No. 2 for best overall college town across the nation, only behind Austin, Texas.

The study highlighted Ann Arbor's schools rank 12th in the nation for educational quality.

It also pointed out that the average cost of a year with in-state tuition plus room and board is $36,932, which is significantly lower than the nearly $95,000 per year you can expect to pay in the most expensive cities.

There are also a lot of students in Ann Arbor (352 out of every 1,000 residents), allowing young people to more easily build friendships and communities.

Finally, the study noted that Ann Arbor offers access to NCAA Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey and football, among other sports.

It's a great place to grab a slice of pizza and watch a game, especially since the town has the third-lowest average pizza price in the U.S.

To determine the ranking, WalletHub compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes based on 31 key indicators, including academic, social and economic opportunities for students.

The data set ranges from the cost of living and the crime rate to the quality of higher education in the city.

"Picking the right college is crucial, but it's also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you'll truly love spending your college years," WalletBub Anaylst Chip Lupo said. "Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college."