This Connecticut Town Is One of the Best College Towns in America

According to Business Insider, one Connecticut community where college life isn't just part of the scenery—it basically IS the scenery—has landed on a list of the best college towns in America.

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And we're talking about Storrs, home of the University of Connecticut.

Business Insider ranked Storrs at No. 14 on its list of the 20 best college towns where life revolves around the university. The ranking looked at smaller communities where colleges play a major role in the local economy, culture and day-to-day life, rather than major cities where a university is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

If you've ever spent time in Storrs, this probably isn't a huge surprise. UConn is pretty much the heartbeat of the community.

Storrs has a population of about 16,000, according to the 2020 Census, and it's surrounded by the forests and farmland of northeastern Connecticut. It might have that rural Connecticut feel, but UConn brings a whole lot of activity to the area.

Right next to campus, Downtown Storrs has more than 70 businesses, giving students and locals plenty of places to eat, shop and hang out. There are also hiking trails and nature preserves nearby, so you can go from grabbing a bite with friends to wandering around the woods pretty quickly.

And then, of course, there are the UConn Huskies.

Basketball games can completely change the energy around Storrs, while concerts, arts events and other university activities keep things moving throughout the year.

Business Insider's top spot went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan. The rest of the top 10 included Tempe, Charlottesville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Madison, Berkeley, West Lafayette, Laramie and Urbana-Champaign.

So, Storrs may not be the biggest or flashiest college town in America, but according to Business Insider, Connecticut has one that absolutely belongs in the conversation.