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California

Palo Alto

• University South, Palo Alto
  Historic neighborhood is close to all the amenities
  Palo Alto Online
  Transformation has always been a part of the University South neighborhood's DNA.

  In 1890, the first new house in not-yet-incorporated Palo Alto was built on Homer Avenue. (Incorporation happened four years later.) In 1938, David Packard and William Hewlett began their groundbreaking technology work, which changed the entire valley, out of a garage on Addison Avenue.

  Meanwhile, the precursor to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation made its home in University South in 1932, only to move to a brand new facility on El Camino Real some six decades later, in 1999.

  So perhaps it's no wonder that the neighborhood, bounded by University Avenue, Middlefield Road, Embarcadero Road and Alma Street, is now the epicenter for the biggest transformation of any city neighborhood in recent years...

Colorado

Boulder

• University Hill Neighborhood Association is a group of Boulder neighbors working together for a safe, clean, peaceful, and diverse neighborhood.

Fort Collins

• Rolland Moore West Neighborhood Network

Connecticut

Hartford

• West End

District of Columbia

Washington

• Brookland
  A College Town and Cultural Magnet in Northeast DC

  Brookland is a DC neighborhood with many personalities. It's a college town for students at Catholic University, Trinity College, and Howard Divinity School. Some call it "Little Rome" because it is said to have the densest concentration of Catholic institutions anywhere in the world outside of Rome.

  Brookland is a cultural magnet, with the innovative Dance Place, art galleries, Catholic University's Hartke Theater, and historical sites. It's home to people who work on Capitol Hill and enjoy a two-stop Metro commute, as well as professors at nearby colleges and professionals at area hospitals who can walk to work. And for urban gentrifiers looking for a spacious old house to fix up, it's one of the best deals in town.

• Burleith Citizens Association

Florida

Winter Park

• College Quarters

Georgia

Athens

• Friends of Five Points (archived site)
• Historic Boulevard Neighborhood Association

Macon

• Beall's Hill Renaissance

Illinois

Carbondale

• The Arbor District

Macomb

• Project HANDS...the "Homeowner and Neighborhood Defense Strategy" for all persons in Macomb Illinois to band together improve the quality of life people our city.

Urbana

• West Urbana Neighborhood Association (WUNA)

Indiana

Bloomington

• Bryan Park Neighborhood Association

Indianapolis

• University Heights Neighborhood

West Lafayette

• New Chauncey Neighborhood Association

Iowa

Ames, IA

• South Campus Area Neighborhood
• Housing for Sustainable Neighborhoods

Cedar Falls

• College Hill Neighborhood Association

DesMoines

• Drake Neighborhood Association
• Windsor Heights

Kansas

Kansas City

• CARE - Citizens Against Residential Encroachment

Lawrence

• East Lawrence: "East Side Pride" article
• Oread Neighborhood Association

Maryland

Baltimore

• North Baltimore Neighborhood Coalition

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

• Beacon Hill Civic Association

Newton

• Lasell Neighborhood Association

Michigan

Ann Arbor

• The New West Side Association

Kalamazoo

• Oakwood Neighborhood Association
• Vine Neighborhood Association

Minnesota

Minneapolis

• The Southeast Como Improvement Association

Winona

Rebuilding the future of downtown
Winona Daily News - 11 Dec 2004
When Barbara Vaughan took a job at Saint Mary's University last spring, she began looking for an apartment in Winona. Advertisement

Because she was relocating from St. Paul, the 43-year-old director of SMU's new women's leadership institute didn't want to buy a house right away, so she looked at apartments downtown.

Vaughan had noticed the Washington Crossing building under construction when she interviewed for the job in January, so in March she came to look at the former Winona Middle School. Even in rough condition, she fell in love with the building's high ceilings and giant windows.

She took a spacious two-bedroom apartment in what was once the 1915 building's library — a serendipitous home for someone with a master's in English who worked part time in a bookstore just to get an employee discount.

"I love this, being able to walk everywhere," Vaughan said while decking her new digs with Christmas greenery. The public library is around the corner, a grocery store three blocks away...

St Cloud

• The St. Cloud Historical & Neighborhood Preservation Association
• The East Side Boosters

Missouri

Springfield

• Phelps Grove Neighborhood

Montana

Missoula

• Coming Home
  The Montanan - Fall 2007

• University District Houses
  YouTube Video

• Missoula, Montana - University District
  pictures on MontanaPictures.net

• Prominent University of Montana Alum, Don Oliver Produces Video Segment on Missoula's University District
  September 18, 2007

  During a walk through Missoula’s University District on any given fall day, one will find perfectly manicured lawns, gold and orange leaves strewn about and of course, students walking to class.

  But a closer look at the University District reveals a history deeply rooted in that of The University of Montana and the Missoula community alike. That’s exactly what alumnus Don Oliver ’58 set out to share when he created and produced a five-minute video segment on the district as a companion to a sidebar he wrote for the fall 2007 issue of the Montanan, UM’s alumni magazine.

  Full Story

Nevada

Reno

• West University Neighborhood

New York

Albany

• Delaware Area Neighborhood

Binghamton

• West Side Neighborhood Association of Binghamton, NY, Inc.

Saratoga Springs

HAVENS: LIVING HERE; Houses in College Towns: Surrounded by a 'Youthful Bohemianism'
NY Times - 15 Nov2002
WHO -- Reginald Lilly, professor of philosophy at Skidmore College, and Betsy Braun, a painter and photographer.
WHAT -- 4-bedroom house within walking distance of Skidmore College and downtown Saratoga Springs.
WHERE -- Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Reginald: We moved here in 1993 by way of Chicago, New Hampshire, Belgium and Schenectady, where I had various temporary teaching positions and grants. We ended up here when I received a tenure-track position at Skidmore College. We purchased our house immediately. I was taking a faculty seminar and another woman in the seminar was selling this house. So we didn't go through a Realtor. It was a direct sale.

Betsy: It is an adorable little house and it had a lot of charming features we liked, like the glassed-in front porch. There is nothing across the street except a block-size park with ball fields on the far side. In the summer, when they have night games, the lights are on and there are noises in the distance. It is kind of like ''Field of Dreams.'' Our two boys, Jordan, who is 11, and Owen, 8, love being across from a park...

Syracuse

• Southeast Neighborhood Association (SEUNA)
• University Neighborhood Preservation Association (UNPA)

Troy

• City of Troy: Neighborhoods

North Carolina

Asheville

• Manors and Cottages (Albemarle Park)

Chapel Hill

• Neighborhood groups exercise their political muscle
  Chapel Hill News - 25 Oct 2003
  ...The Coalition of Neighbors Near Campus formed earlier this fall to unite residents of the various neighborhoods concerned about the impacts to them of UNC expansion...

Durham

Trininty Heights Neighborhood Association

Thriving Durham Neighborhoods Enrich Online Presence
from www.durham-nc.com

DCVB's Newcomer Info Portal: Window to a Web of Neighborhood Info

Newcomers often "shop" a community and its neighborhoods as visitors first. Now, several of Durham's thriving historic neighborhoods - Old West Durham, Watts Hospital-Hillandale, and Trinity Park - are leading a trend to enrich their informative websites with history and background so important to residents, visitors, and newcomers alike.

Newcomers and visitors can easily find Durham's neighborhood organization websites through DCVB's relocation and neighborhoods portal on www.durham-nc.com. Through this portal, newcomers are connected to the variety of community and neighborhood information they need, including local government information, public and private school contacts , and other relocation services - even help for relocating a business to Durham.

To date, several Durham neighborhoods are linked through DCVB's portal, including the following three:

The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association (OWDNA) website, coordinated by association president John Schelp and 'webspinner' Pam Spaulding, is a particularly deep example - featuring neighborhood history, a virtual tour, and historic photographs. Just last month, OWDNA debuted a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood, promoting this historical walk on its site.

The Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association (WHHNA) website, constructed by Betty Meeler, has been providing neighborhood info and connecting neighbors on the Web since 1996. WHHNA offered one of Durham's first neighborhood walking tours online, and its timeline of neighborhood history and profiles of neighborhood residents are particularly worthy of note.

The Trinity Park Neighborhood Association (TPNA) website, maintained bywebmaster John Durrance, is another great example of how neighborhoods are adding dimension and texture to their presence on the Web. TPNA's site incorporates a calendar of events, history and archives section, and online store. Especially unique is its virtual map tour, which gives the history of specific homes.

Not only are Durham's historic neighborhoods bringing a wealth of information to the Web, but also new or newly redeveloped neighborhoods are looking to their historic counterparts as role-models. Trinity Heights, a National Register historic neighborhood that has recently undergone a Duke-led redevelopment, has a growing presence on the Web.

Newcomers also regularly stop by the official Durham Visitor Information Center Downtown to pick up an Official Durham Visitors Guide or Street Map. Here, they will find Durham neighborhoods clearly marked for further exploration and listings of other organizations providing newcomer information.

Raleigh

• AventWest Neighborhood Association
• University Park Homeowners Association

Ohio

Dayton

• South Park

Toledo

Ottawa Community Development Corporation - one of the city's nonprofit neighborhood organizations.

Oregon

Eugene

• South University Neighborhood Association (SUNA)

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

• Powelton Village
• Spruce Hill
• Yorktown

  Experiment now cherished home
  Inquirer - 21 Oct 2005
  ...It began as an "experiment" in urban housing: a suburban-style development built in the heart of the city to be marketed to middle-class African Americans.

  With its cul-de-sacs, off-street parking, garages and close-knit neighbors, Yorktown has endured in north-central Philadelphia for 45 years. And its residents - including Mayor Street and folks who have lived there since the community of 635 three- and four-bedroom brick houses opened - say Yorktown is one of the best places to live in the city...

  The area was designated an urban-renewal zone after World War II. Government agencies razed blocks of buildings, and the land was later sold to developer Norman Denny, who was known as an innovator in urban housing.

  Denny, who was also a banker, planned a neighborhood for middle-class blacks, adjacent to Temple University. He had built and sold hundreds of houses in Northeast Philadelphia...

Rhode Island

Providence

• College Hill Neighborhood Association
• Fox Point (Fox Point Citizen's Association)

South Carolina

Columbia

• Eau Claire
• University Neighborhood Association
• Old Shandon Neighborhood Association - photo tour

Tennessee

Belmont

• Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors

Jackson

• Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association

Texas

Austin

• North University Neighborhood Association

Fort Worth

• University West Neighborhood Association

Washington

Corvallis

• College Hill, College Hill West, North College Hill and Cedarhurst

Caretakers of the past
Gazette-Times - 27 Feb 2007
Andy Cripe/Gazette-Times Dan Brown, president of the College Hill Neighborhood Association and Ward 4 city councilor, points out some interesting houses along Arnold Way recently. Brown will guide a walking tour of College Hill West in May.

Keeping historic atmosphere livable is goal for many north-of-campus homeowners

Like a living time capsule, the neighborhoods north of Oregon State University have managed to retain old-fashioned traditions such as family dinners, close-knit communities and popping next door to borrow a cup of sugar.

Walking through College Hill, College Hill West, North College Hill and Cedarhurst, the emphasis on friendliness is evident.

People driving down quiet side streets near campus stop to talk to pedestrians, neighbors call each other by name and mothers meet for coffee every morning after dropping their kids off at the bus stop.

The warm, inviting atmosphere is something the neighborhood actively works to maintain, bringing welcome baskets to new residents, organizing annual block parties and holiday gatherings, and watching out for each other in times of crisis.

“The type of neighborhood we want to have is one where people know their neighbors, are friends with their neighbors and help each other out,” said Dan Brown, president of the College Hill Neighborhood Association and Ward 4 city councilor...

Preserving roots
Gazette-Times - 26 Feb 2007
... CORVALLIS, OR - With deep ties to the past, residents connect to area’s rich history

This is the second installment in the Gazette-Times’ yearlong series, “Where We Live,” focusing on Corvallis neighborhoods

Having a father who’s a journalist and avid photographer has distinct advantages, as evidenced by the albums upon albums of snapshots, cards and poems Barbara Weber has chronicling her childhood.

Weber, whose maiden name is Burtner, was born at Corvallis General Hospital in 1931. She grew up north of campus, in the area now considered College Hill.

“There were lots of children in the neighborhood. We all got along really well. We used to play games in the evenings, especially in the summertime. We played kick the can and jump rope,” said Weber, 75.

With its maple-lined streets, compact lots, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and eclectic architecture ranging from Tudor to Colonial to bungalow to whatever was popular at the time, the area abutting campus to the north was as popular a place to raise a family decades ago as it is today.

Weber spent her first years living on Northwest 23rd Street and Jackson Avenue, which today falls within the North College Hill neighborhood boundary ...

Wisconsin

Appleton

• City Park Historic District offers tranquility and convenience
  Post-Crescent
  ... APPLETON, WI — Wandering choruses singing Christmas carols stroll past rows of stately Queen Anne homes.

  Footprints of children making their way to and from school are frequently seen in newly fallen snow covering eight acres of parkland.

  Front porch swings are common and used during the warm months.

  The scene could be describing a quaint New England town, but the setting is Appleton’s City Park, one of the city’s earliest neighborhoods that is still a magnet for residents.

  The neighborhood, known as the City Park Historic District and consisting of more than 125 homes, stretches from E. Washington Street north to E. Pacific Street and from N. Durkee Street east to Lawe Street.

  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places...

Eau Claire

• Historic Randall Park Neighborhood

Madison

• City of Madison Neighborhoods - a truly extensive site, showing how a major university city can be supportive of the neighborhoods that make it up.

Canada

Hamilton, Ontario

• Old School Suburbia - Hamilton, ON - slide show
  "A profile of one of Canada's first and finest suburbs," Westdale, adjacent to McMaster University.
• Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association of Resident Homeowners Inc. (AWWCA)

Toronto, Ontario

• Sussex-Ulster Residents’ Association

Vancouver, British Columbia

• University Neighbourhoods Association

United Kingdom

Leeds, UK

• Headingley Community web site
• Cardigan Triangle Community Association (CTCA)

For information on how to have your neighborhood listed on this page go to Listing options.

Great examples of specially created neighborhoods

Bloomington, IN- New Urbanist development

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College towns make great hometowns. Students, singles, families, working people, and retirees all can find connections and a niche for themselves in the wide variety of college towns across the United States. Town and gown together create a better quality of life.

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In Neighborhoods