I enjoyed a visit to Charlottesville a few years ago. I found the
pedestrian mall to be really charming and vibrant, and the whole town, campus, and surrounding landscape was very pretty.
I also think Ann Arbor is a great college town. It has multiple pockets of activity, and felt like a small city to me, rather than a real college town. But clearly everything there revolves around U of M. Like many college towns, I found AA offered food and cultural offerings beyond what you'd expect from another similarly sized town. Lots of Asian restaurants and boba places, bagel shops, etc. You can tell Michigan draws lots of international students and kids from NYC.
Oxford, Ohio, where Miami University is located, is small, but a great little town. Campus itself is gorgeous, and High Street gives the classic college town vibe. Athens (Ohio U.) is also very pretty, though also a bit run down and shabby looking. Definitely feels Appalachian in Athens-- pretty dramatic topography around there.
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