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Outside University: The Top 40

In the September 2003 issue, Outside magazine ran a piece rating the top 40 universities for outdoor recreation opportunities.

Here's what the magazine has to say about developing the article:

"When it came to ranking North America's best places to learn, live, work, and play, we did our homework, canvassing hundreds of colleges and enlisting an able crew of undergrad reporters. Then we narrowed the honor roll down to 40 schools that turn out smart grads with top-notch academic credentials, a healthy environmental ethos, and an A+ sense of adventure."

You can read the article on line (there are more complete descriptions of the college towns with each listing), and remember - there are a lot more college towns in near-perfect environments for an active outdoor life that may not have made the list but are great places for schooling or life.

Active Living by Design

Question:

What types of projects does Active Living by Design support and fund?

Answer:

Active Living by Design awarded grants to 25 interdisciplinary, community-oriented partnerships to develop and implement strategies in their communities that will increase opportunities for and remove barriers to routine physical activity.

The projects addressed each of four strategies:

1. Create and maintain an interdisciplinary partnership;
2. Increase access to and availability of diverse opportunities for active living;
3. Eliminate design and policy barriers that reduce choices for active living; and
4. Develop communications programs that create awareness and understanding of the benefits of active living.

Active Living by Design is not awarding any grants in the future.

Top 40 universities
for outdoor recreation opportunities.

The list

  1. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SANTA CRUZ
    Santa Cruz, CA
  2. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
    Boulder, CO
  3. MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
    Middlebury, VT
  4. WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
    Asheville, NC
  5. MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Bozeman, MT
  6. SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
    Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
  7. DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
    Hanover, NH
  8. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
    Charlottesville, VA
  9. NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
    Flagstaff, AZ
  10. UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
    Iowa City, IA
  11. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
    Burlington, VT
  12. HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY
    Arcata, CA
  13. COLORADO COLLGE
    Colorado Springs, CO
  14. CORNELL UNIVERSITY
    Ithaca, NY
  15. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
    Missoula, MT
  16. BOWDOIN COLLEGE
    Brunswick, ME
  17. STANFORD UNIVERSITY
    Palo Alto, CA
  18. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
    Madison, WI
  19. UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
    Hilo, HI
  20. SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
    Ashland, Oregon
  21. PRESCOTT COLLEGE
    Prescott, AZ
  22. WILLIAMS COLLEGE
    Williamstown, MA
  23. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
    Fayetteville, AR
  24. EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE
    Olympia, WA
  25. ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE
    Santa Fe, NM
  26. SHELDON JACKSON COLLEGE
    Sitka, AK
  27. BREVARD COLLEGE
    Brevard, NC
  28. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
    Eugene, OR
  29. UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
    Moscow, ID
  30. FORT LEWIS COLLGE
    Durango, C0
  31. ALASKA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
    Anchorage, AK
  32. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO
    La Jolla, CA
  33. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
    Tucson, AZ
  34. UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
    Laramie, WY
  35. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
    Princeton, NJ
  36. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-DULUTH
    Duluth, MN
  37. CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY
    San Luis Obispo, CA
  38. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
    Athens, GA
  39. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
    Austin, TX
  40. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
    Coral Gables, FL
hiking

Great examples of specially created neighborhoods

'Cotton District' Starkville, MS - A college town masterwork
South Side Greensboro, NC - Urban redevelopment New
Trinity Heights Durham, NC - Faculty/staff housing
Doe Mill Neighborhood Chico, CA - New Urbanist development
Village Cohousing
Madison, WI - Cohousing
South Dunn Street

Bloomington, IN- New Urbanist development

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