Community Corner
Iowa City Ranked as Top 10 College Town by Livability.com
Shucks, you know. We're so livable, we can't help it.
Iowa City again receives high marks for its livability from a website devoted to that concept.
Our fair university village was graced with a number six ranking in Livability.com's 2013 ranking of the most livable communities in America in the top ten college towns category. Livability ranked these numbers starting with "a high quality of life based on a range of factors from cost of living and walkability to cultural amenities and pollution levels."
Beyond providing residents with continuing education opportunities, museums, performing arts programs and Big Ten sports teams to cheer for, UI encourages students to enrich the lives of Iowa City residents. Dance Marathon, the university's largest student organization, has raised more than $12.6 million for families fighting pediatric cancer. Iowa students founded the 10,000 Hours Show, which rewards local volunteers with a free concert featuring big-name acts, and the UI Tippie College of Business's Tippie Build program has constructed six Habitat for Humanity homes.
The city's storied literary scene, lush woodlands and vibrant downtown district attract students to UI's campus, retirees to new housing developments and young families to renovated neighborhoods. Book fans frolic down Literary Walk, a path that pays tribute to some of the renowned authors who have connections to UI's writing program, such as Robert Frost,
Flannery O'Connor and Kurt Vonnegut. More than 41 parks, including a fossil-filled gorge, give residents many places to hike, bike and play sports. From bars like Joe's Place, where there's never a cover charge, to the Englert Theatre, Iowa City's oldest performance venue, the city is full of places to let loose. The best restaurants in Iowa City such as local favorites Atlas, Reds Alehouse and Thai Spice offer sophisticated takes on classic comfort foods and sizzling ethnic dishes.
1. Boulder, CO
2. Ann Arbor, MI
Find out what's happening in Iowa Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
3. Gainesville, FL
4. Columbia, MO
Find out what's happening in Iowa Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
5. Iowa City, IA
6. Lexington, KY
7. Missoula, MT
8, Madison, WI
9. Fayetteville, AR
10. College Station, TX
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.