The Hlog's Top 10 College Towns of 2013

Something called Livability.com has come up with its top 10 college towns for 2013. The list is this:

1. Boulder, Colo.

2. Ann Arbor,Mich.

3. Gainesville, Fla.

4. Columbia, Mo.

5. Lexington,Ky.

6. Iowa City, Iowa

7. Missoula, Mont.

8. Madison,Wis,

9. Fayetteville, Ark.

10. College Station, Texas.

Livability has its criteria. I have mine. Mine can't be articulated. It's all based on how I feel when I'm there. Or how I thought I felt when I was there, because I haven't been to many in quite a while.

I have disqualified Iowa college towns from my list because they are places I have been repeatedly and don't see them the way drop-ins would.

I've never been to Lexington, Missoula or Fayetteville, so they don't make it here. I've also never been to Athens, Ga., which I hear is great. And I've barely seen Austin, Texas, which I'm constantly told is fantastic. I've never been to Albuquerque, N.M., either. Maybe someone out there thinks it's great.

I've never hung out at Harvard, either. Imagine that.

ere are my 10. What are your faves?

1. Boulder, Colo.  A beautiful, mile-high setting in the foothills of the Rockies, and the Pearl Street Mall is great. Boulder is a happy city. If you don't believe me, click here.

2. Ann Arbor, Mich.  This just feels like what a college town should feel like to me.

3. Eugene, Ore.  I've only been there once, but there were hippies. That was in the mid-1990s. I'm not crazy about the Nike overlords at the University of Oregon, but hippies balance things out.

4. State College, Pa. Underrated. A great campus to walk across, a nice campus downtown, and nearby mountains. Plus, it's neatly tucked away.

5. Tempe, Ariz. I'm not a Phoenix fan, but Tempe isn't Phoenix. Mill Avenue is great, and the weather during much of the school year works for me.

6. Madison, Wis. I listed it only because I'd get ripped if I don't. It probably loses points with me only because I've been there so many times.

7. Chapel Hill, N.C.  I found a great place for pancakes there and I like trees. Chapel Hill has trees. And pancakes.

8. Berkeley, Calif. There are two kinds of people in this world. Those that like Berkeley and those that don't. The last time I was there, I saw kids getting the campus tour on summer orientation. I was jealous.

9. Minneapolis, Minn. No, it isn't a "college town." But Dinkytown has a lot to offer, and I always like walking around the area near TCF Bank Stadium before a game there. Not so much before an Iowa-Minnesota basketball game at Williams Arena. It gets cold there in the winter, as you may know.

10. Norman, Okla. I've only been there once, but I remember being surprised. Very nice.

And now I just remembered Santa Cruz, Calif., home of the UC-Santa Cruz and the Banana Slugs. So move Santa Cruz up to No. 2 and knock everyone else down a spot.

I'm sure I'm forgetting others. I didn't count Los Angeles or Seattle or San Diego. I've never been to Pullman or Pocatello or Provo, but I'm confident they wouldn't have cracked my top 10. What college towns have I overlooked?