Best college town in every state

Best college towns in America: Austin, Texas (Home of University of Texas)

Austin, Texas. Where do we start? This is famously one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It’s very different than other parts of Texas, as it boasts a progressive nature and is home to the South-by-Southwest festival. Despite being relatively new on the “must-visit” list of young people, it’s been home to the University of Texas for 140 years. It started with one building and 221 students. Today, the student population is north of 50,000.

Despite being a growing metropolis, the city of Austin is still bleeding burnt orange every Saturday. Horns Up and Hook Em Horns is just something that’s said constantly across the city. The tailgates are big business, and they are usually sponsored. That means there is free food and drinks for students and visitors alike. Free beer usually leads to a raucous crowd.

Rainey Street is where the party happens in Austin. It has themed bars along what looks like a neighborhood. There are some bars that look like they are walking into a home and then there’s another bar that is literally made up of storage containers. Every bar has dancing and drinks, so wherever you end up the times will be good.

The Barton Springs Pool is one of the most interesting things about Austin, Texas. Most of the time, we want to steer clear of the public pool, but this is honestly the best spot for people-watching in Texas. It’s a three-acre-sized pool that runs on natural spring water and doesn’t get closer than 68 degrees all year. That will do just fine in the Texas heat.