Grinnell Named One of North America's Best College Towns!

MSN.com recently published their list of the 10 Best College Towns In North America and, you guessed it, Grinnell, Iowa made the list:

Here’s a list of college towns so quintessential that some of the students walking across the quad for the first time will one day call them home.

Grinnell, Iowa

Though we often tout a large university’s impact on its home city, a small college’s influence on its rural community can prove even greater. An agricultural town with just over 9,000 people, Grinnell offers its residents a historical museum, art gallery and community theater in tandem with opportunities to attend symposiums, tour rotating cultural exhibits and take in live theater and musical performances at Bucksbaum Center for the Arts at Grinnell College, long considered one of the finest small colleges in the country. The college is situated on the prairie, equidistant from Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, but conversations here often reference faraway places, a benefit of this progressive college’s study-abroad program and top national rank among small colleges for future Peace Corps volunteers.

Check Out the City of Grinnell!

Food in Grinnell

From the College website comes this story about the high-quality of restaurants and eateries located here in Grinnell:

http://www.grinnell.edu/index8.shtm

Athletics at Grinnell

Students race towards the finish line in an early Grinnell track meet, 1911.

Photo courtesy of Grinnell College Archives

In celebrating the 150th year of the College's existence here in Grinnell, the College is highlighting the athletic experience over the years on the school's homepage. Below is a snippet of the article. To read the whole story, go here.

"Today, nearly one-third of all Grinnell students participate in intercollegiate sports, and many more enjoy club and intramural sports. Grinnell continues its membership in the Midwest Conference to this day, and has led the league in the total number of Academic All-Conference honorees for the past five years. Through it all, Grinnell’s athletic programs continue to promote the “interdependence of mental and physical culture” that started so long ago."

Cool, Small Towns!

Grinnell, Iowa; A Cool Small Town

Budget Travel Magazine recently held a poll to determine America's "Coolest Small Town". And as we all expected, Grinnell finished near the top of the list. Finishing third in the country is no minor feat for this small town that fits well into the qualifications of a "Cool Small Town",

"It's got to be on the upswing, a place that's beginning to draw attention—and new residents—because of the quality of life, arts and restaurant scene, or proximity to nature. And cool doesn't mean quaint. We want towns with an edge, so think avant-garde galleries, not country stores."

Check out the poll here!