American Institute of Economic Research - College Destinations Index 2009-2010
The American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) recently released their “College Destinations Index 2009-2010.” To create the index, AIER ranks small and mid-sized college cities in the following categories: academic environment, quality of life and professional opportunities. This year, Fort Collins came in as the #5 small college city!
Fort Collins is proud to be home to Colorado State University (CSU). Originally called the Agricultural College of Colorado, the school first opened its doors in 1879 with two faculty members. The school now boasts over 22,000 students and is a Carnegie Class I research school.
While students at CSU receive a first-class education, they are also welcomed members of the Fort Collins community. Vibrant downtown Fort Collins offers a myriad of social outlets - with over forty restaurants to choose from, pool halls, dance clubs, martini bars, a movie theater, and concert venues to name a few. Student also enjoy easy access to the Rocky Mountains. Tubing on the Poudre River, swimming in Horsetooth Reservoir and hiking in Lory State Park are just a few of the things students can do to take a break and get some fresh air.
Fort Collins was not the only Colorado city to take a top 10 spot on AIER’s index. Boulder came in as the #1 small college city and Denver came in as the #5 mid-sized metro area college city.
Source: “Study: Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins rank among best places to attend college,” Denver Business Journal, 9/8/2009; http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/09/07/daily13.html