Sunset.com Names ABQ Among Best College Towns in West

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sunset.com’s Stephanie Grenada has ranked the best college towns in the West, and Albuquerque, N.M. scored a spot in the top 10 rankings, joining several other Mountain West cities in the process.

Said Sunset.com’s Grenada of the basis for the rankings, “These college towns get straight A’s for top-notch education and lifestyle beyond campus–places with a covetable food scene, plenty of outdoor offerings, solid real estate value, and above all, great-neighbor potential.”  Certainly Albuquerque, with its diverse culture and incredible food scene gets it on the list, but it’s a list for the best college towns, and that means UNM is front and center.

From the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl championship football team, to the men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams playing in the world famous Pit, Dreamstyle Arena, to championship-level facilities for track and field, golf and tennis, it’s not a surprise that Albuquerque tops the list.  The University is renowned for it’s hospital, law school, and the Anderson School of Management.

UNM is on the list that featured two other Mountain West cities in Ft. Collins (Colorado State) and Logan, Utah (Utah State).

Here’s what the site said about Albuquerque.  “The University of New Mexico’s Pueblo Revival-style campus may be enough to motivate any design lovers to flock here, but the school’s allure goes beyond aesthetics. The roster of Fulbright Scholars, MacArthur Fellows, and Nobel Laureates distinguish the staff. The diverse programs, like the Chicana and Chicano Studies, reflect an inclusive mindset. As for the town, we give it top marks for its culinary gifts (mainly the green chile-everything), access to the outdoors, and an art-centric, burgeoning downtown that fosters creative thinking.

To see the complete list, visit Sunset.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  It has been pointed out after the fact that Sunset.com’s list is in alphabetical order.  While the list doesn’t state it’s an alphabetical list, this story is changed to reflect that.