This North Alabama city is in the running for best small college town by USA TODAY
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When I think of the quintessential small, charming Alabama college town, Florence is definitely top of mind.
Read on to learn how it landed in the running for USA TODAY’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards and how you can help Alabama’s Renaissance City win.
USA TODAY 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards: Best small college town
So how did USA TODAY decide who should be in the running for best college town?
All 20 nominees are cities with populations of 50,000 or less that offer a vibrant atmosphere, unique dining and shopping and a robust culture and arts scene.
Plus, most of them feature jaw-dropping college campuses.
Vote for Florence, home of The University of North Alabama
Florence made its way on the list due to its impact on the local and global music scene. Here’s what USA TODAY noted about Florence:
- Music has been central to Florence’s vibrant culture since the 1960s.
- Around that time, premier studios like FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound began recording some of the biggest songs ever released.
- Today, you can find incredible live music shows all around Florence and the Muscle Shoals area.
- Plus, UNA’s “entertainment program has been a forerunner in educating generations of musicians and industry professionals.”
P.S.: Florence isn’t the only Alabama town that landed on the list. Jacksonville, home of Jacksonville State, is also in the running!
Who else is in the running?
Here’s who Florence is up against:
- Annapolis, Maryland
- Ashland, Oregon
- Athens, Ohio
- Boone, North Carolina
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Clemson, South Carolina
- Frostburg, Maryland
- Granville, Ohio
- Hanover, New Hampshire
- Jacksonville, Alabama
- Morgantown, West Virginia
- Murray, Kentucky
- Oxford, Mississippi
- Oxford, Ohio
- Ruston, Louisiana
- Saratoga Springs, New York
- Westerville, Ohio
- Williamsburg, Virginia
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