Here Are 2024’s Best ‘College Towns’ in Maine

We take great pride in our schools and institutions here in the Pine Tree State, but which ‘college towns’ are considered the best?

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While there's no concrete definition of what makes a ‘college town,’ the concept is pretty straightforward. Typically, a town is considered a college town when a college or university plays a central role in the community. Additionally, the student population often makes up a significant portion of the town's residents, shaping its culture and local economy.

So, who exactly is determining Maine’s best ‘college towns,’ and why are they doing it?

Maine's best ‘college towns’ are being determined by CollegeSnacks, a brand under HomeSnacks. Their goal is to help people understand what it's like to live in different communities across the country, aiming to assist individuals in finding a place that suits their personal needs. In this case, those personal needs are college-related.

That brings us to the question: how does CollegeSnacks, the college brand of HomeSnacks, decide what makes a good college town and what sets one apart from another?

CollegeSnacks used a systematic approach to identify the best college towns in Maine for 2024. They focused exclusively on cities with a four-year college, discovering that only nine meet this criterion. Utilizing data from sources like OpenStreetMaps and the College Scorecard, they evaluated various factors such as student population percentage, graduation rates, tuition costs, and safety. Each town was scored and ranked in multiple categories, and the average rank determined the overall winner, with the town having the lowest score being named the ‘Best College Town in Maine for 2024.’

Before we dive into the list and rankings, we want to make one thing clear—though it probably goes without saying—we love all of our ‘college towns’ here in Maine!

As we’ve previously established, there are only nine cities and towns that qualified for this list, so in a way, every ‘college town’ in Maine is a ‘top 10’ college town! This means that no matter where you go, you’ll find a great college community.

Are we good? Understood! Now, which towns are Maine’s best ‘college towns?’

Keep scrolling to see how CollegeSnacks ranked the college towns in ‘Vacationland!’ After you check out the results, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.