When you think of hip New England college towns, Boston should come to mind, but Bridgeport?
It seems the perception is changing, at least according to the American Institute for Economic Research, which surveyed 360 U.S. towns and metro areas and got some surprising results.
The towns were grouped according to size and then different factors were taken into account, including restaurants, student concentration and cost of living.
Hartford ranked third for mid-sized metro areas behind San Jose, California and Austin, Texas, the Hartford Courantreports, citing the study.
Our capital city even knocked out New Orleans, Providence and Denver.
Local
Bridgeport made the cut when it came to the smaller metro division, ranking second, right after Boulder, Colorado.
The Elm City has some bragging rights as well. New Haven landed at number 18.
Some college students might be scratching their heads right now wondering how these results came to fruition.
The study looked at whole metro areas, going well beyond the limits of the central cities, the Courant reports.
For example, the Hartford metro region factored in the Blue Devils and Huskies turf.
The University of Connecticut’s main campus, along with Central Connecticut State University in New Britain and Wesleyan University in Middletown, were all included.
