Orlando and Tampa Named Top 10 College Towns in America

School just started back for students in central Florida, and for those already looking ahead to college, we have exciting news! WalletHub recently released its ranking of the top college towns in the country and several Florida cities were included on the list, including two cities in which we build new homes designed for your life!

WalletHub’s list of 2018’s Best College Towns and Cities in America named Orlando the No. 2 best college town in the country, and ranked Tampa No. 9. Orlando also ranked as the best Midsize City on the list, while Tampa ranked as the second-best Large City on the list.

To create the list, WalletHub compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes, based on 28 key indicators of academic, social, and economic opportunities for students. The data points range from cost of living to quality of higher education to crime rate.

Read on to learn more about what makes Orlando and Tampa great college towns and overall fantastic cities to live in!

Orlando

Orlando is highly regarded for its social environment, ranking fifth overall in this category, which included factors such as the number of college students, shopping options, sports clubs and festivals per capita, as well as the crime rate. This affirms Orlando as an exciting place to live, which comes as no surprise to either current residents of "The City Beautiful" or those who have visited. Orlando is home to some of the world’s best theme parks, a thriving downtown area, and an abundance of recreational opportunities.

The city of Orlando also ranked highly for wallet friendliness, which takes into account housing costs, share of rental units, adjusted cost of living for young people, cost of higher education and student loan debt per person. This should also come as no surprise to those who already call Orlando home, as the city was recently ranked one of the best cities for first-time home buyers.

If you want to call this exciting city home, we are a home builder in Orlando and currently build beautiful new homes in St. Cloud at Gramercy Farms, located south of the city and convenient to top Orlando attractions. Gramercy Farms offers a laid-back locale and desirable community amenities, as well as waterfront home sites with beautiful nature views and homes priced from the $220’s.

Tampa

The city of Tampa, coming in at No. 9 on the list of best college cities, also ranked highly for its social environment. Tampa is a vibrant city offering an urban lifestyle with a rich history and access to a wealth of attractions, from museums to theme parks and everything in between.

For those considering making the move into a new home in Tampa, FL, this city also ranked in the top quarter of the list for wallet friendliness. And, Tampa was recently named one of the best cities for first-time buyers — In fact, it was ranked the No. 1 city for first-time home buyers in the entire country!

We build Tampa new homes designed for your life in communities throughout Tampa Bay, offering desirable locations with convenience to major roadways, beaches, and downtown Tampa entertainment and employment:

• Townhomes in Riverview - Landings at Alafia is a gated community featuring spacious three-bedroom townhomes with luxurious interiors priced from the $170’s.
• New homes in Gibsonton - Symmes Cove is a boutique community of single-family homes in a laid-back locale with pricing from the $200’s.
• Townhomes in Gibsoonton - New model homes are now open at Tuscany Bay, a gated community of luxurious new homes priced from the $180’s
• New homes is Zephyrhills - Stonebridge at Chapel Creek offers an array of homes with amenities priced from the $190's, less than 25 minutes north of downtown Tampa

Tampa and Orlando are fantastic cities in which to continue your education, as well as call home! If you’re searching for a new home in Orlando or Tampa, contact our New Home Specialists at 863-797-4999 or visit the Highland Homes website today!