Ranking College Towns in the SEC: Which is at the Top of Your List?

The Southeastern Conference is known for a multitude of reasons, the largest of which is athletic prowess.
The SEC is one of the most dominating forces in collegiate athletics, both in terms of revenue generated and success on the field, but that isn't all the conference is known for. It also has some interesting college towns within its ranks.
There are 14 schools in the SEC, and each school is located in a different city. With the SEC set to expand to 16 teams in the near future, that number of towns will also grow.
With so many different aspects offered in each town, the question surrounding which town is the best and worst is a common topic among SEC fans.
Here is an alphabetical list of each school and its corresponding community. The 2020 census population of the city has also been included.
University of Alabama -- Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Pop. 99,600)
University of Arkansas -- Fayetteville, Ark. (Pop. 93,949)
Auburn University -- Auburn, Ala. (Pop. 76,143)
University of Florida -- Gainesville, Fla. (Pop. 141,085)
University of Georgia -- Athens, Ga. (Pop. 127,315)
University of Kentucky -- Lexington, Ky. (Pop. 322,570)
Louisiana State University -- Baton Rouge, La. (Pop. 227,470)
University of Mississippi -- Oxford, Miss. (Pop. 25,416)
Mississippi State University -- Starkville, Miss. (Pop. 24,360)
University of Missouri -- Columbia, Mo. (Pop. 126,254)
University of South Carolina -- Columbia, S.C. (Pop. 136,632)
University of Tennessee -- Knoxville, Tenn. (Pop. 190,740)
Texas A&M University -- College Station, Tex. (Pop. 120,511)
Vanderbilt University -- Nashville, Tenn. (Pop. 715,884)
Future Members:
University of Oklahoma -- Norman, Okla. (Pop. 110,925)
University of Texas at Austin -- Austin, Tex. (Pop. 961,855)
According to the 2020 census, the two Mississippi schools in the SEC are in cities with the lowest population in the conference.
While determining what is a "good" college town will vary from person-to-person (largely depending on city size and individual taste), the debate forms an interesting conversation.
What is your favorite SEC town? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
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John Macon Gillespie has a journalism background spanning 10 years and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 2020 and 2022, respectively. His experience in the field includes work on the Ole Miss beat for nine years and high school sports coverage in the state of Mississippi for the Calhoun County Journal. He is currently a columnist for Ole Miss On SI and a high school journalism teacher in North Mississippi.
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