A recent ranking tabbed Athens as the second best place to spend a college town weekend.
Ohio University might have fallen out of Princeton Review's list of top 10 party schools this year, but USA Today readers still say Athens is a fun place to spend a weekend.
Athens was named the second best place to spend a "College Town Weekend" by the newspaper's readers. Only Lafayette, Louisiana — home to University of Louisiana at Lafayette — finished higher.
Though the ranking called the area around Court Street "downtown" instead of Uptown, the site specified it as a main factor for Athens' allure.
"The lush land surrounding the Hocking River gives quirky Athens, Ohio a beautiful setting," the ranking says. "Ohio University has a classic campus with a gorgeous quad, and is adjacent to a fun little walkable downtown."
But Jackie King, an intern for the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, explained that there were many factors that contributed to Athens receiving second place.
A strong base of loyal OU alums put the town over the top, King said.
“Alumni liking it and sharing it through social media really helped,” King said.
King said “it's really awesome because we were competing against a lot of major cities and bigger states than us,”
“Obviously we all love Athens, but I think a lot of people don't pay attention to us,” she said that due to this award.
jf311013@ohio.edu
