Boulder, Colorado won top billing. Read on to see which other college towns made the cut.
The city of roughly 200,000 people earned the top spot thanks to its ease of accessibility - with more than 20% of commuters taking public transportation or cycling around Boulder Creek Corridor - and diverse and educated population. Boulder also has an active bar and restaurant scene, with plenty of coffee shops and microbreweries.
AIER calculated its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. It defines small towns as having less than 250,000 residents.
Aside from the overall ranking, we included cities' individual scores for noteworthy metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. Of the nine metrics cities were rated based upon, we chose the one for which they scored highest.
Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns.