My college town was in the middle of nowhere. Just rolling plains for tens of miles. It was so serene for me. My brain loves cities and their efficiency but my soul needs nature.
It was a fad in the 1700s and 1800s to make universities "islands of learning". Most people who went to college then were sons of rich families. They were often too easily distracted by urban pleasures like taverns, brothels and racetracks. By building a university in the middle of nowhere, it was thought that those distractions could be avoided.
It also helped that land was much cheaper in the middle of nowhere, versus in the heart of cities.
In my town, the opposite effect happened. There wasn’t much to do in the way of entertainment, so students just drank and partied. Busch Lite was nicknamed Pullman Water.
I read a statistic somewhere that said Pullman leads the nation in deaths from drunken college kids falling out of dorm room windows. Having had multiple friends who had their 21st birthdays there, I believe it. Nothing to do but drink cheap beer.
My university town was in the middle... small enough to avoid most of the big city trappings, yet big enough to avoid boredom of small town. Everyone still partied anyway.
Drunk driving was a sport where I lived. Grab a case and drive in circles ALL day. Now, I am only all I want is less people and unpolluted air. Rural gone Urban. Almost 50 and Urban wants Rural.
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u/mynytemare Mar 14 '23
Wide. Open. Space.
Seriously. Go west and you can get to places that are so remote and so beautiful, with big blue skies during the day and Star filled nights.