The city of Lynchburg has been named one of the 25 best college towns in the United States by “Travel & Leisure” magazine.
Randolph College President Sue Ott Rowlands said in an email “the cultural climate of Lynchburg, including its youthful nature, makes it a wonderful environment for our students to learn and grow within.”
Ott Rowlands went on to say, “We are proud to be part of such a thriving region.”
According to the magazine, nearly one quarter of the population of Lynchburg is a student at either Liberty University or the University of Lynchburg.
Michael Jones, vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications at the University of Lynchburg, said in an email he was “absolutely thrilled” to see Lynchburg listed as a top 25 college town.
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“I have always said that any great city should have at least one great university or college. Here in Lynchburg, we are fortunate to have several and our students are fortunate to live and study in a great community,” Jones said.
Travel & Leisure is a magazine founded about 50 years ago and has a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers, according to its website.
Lynchburg joined the likes of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Gainesville, Florida in an unranked group of 25.
There are five colleges in Lynchburg — University of Lynchburg, Liberty University, Randolph College, Virginia University of Lynchburg and Central Virginia Community College. Sweet Briar College is not far away in Amherst County.
Michael Farris, dean of enrollment at Central Virginia Community College, said that’s the neat part about Lynchburg. He said there aren’t too many places in the country that has one public community college that’s surrounded by five nearby private colleges.
“I think that makes us unique,” Farris said. “If you look at other towns that may be considered college towns in Virginia, you might have one huge state university plopped in the middle.”
Farris, who is from Lynchburg, attended CVCC once he finished high school.
After CVCC, he attended Lynchburg College — now UL — where he finished his undergraduate and graduate studies. He said when he was younger, he didn’t necessarily feel like Lynchburg was a college town, but he said that looking at the town now, there are a lot of options for potential students.
“Lynchburg is the kind of place where you can start from nothing at a community college and go all the way up to a doctorate degree like I did and stay right here in town, and then find work within the community,” Farris said.
Jones said to be sandwiched between Boston, Massachusetts and Madison, Wisconsin in the magazine’s rankings is great. He said the overall community is welcoming to students who decide to spend their college years here.
“Lynchburg has so much to offer our students — great restaurants and cultural events, the James River and nearby Blue Ridge Mountains for outdoor recreation, the list goes on,” Jones said in an email.