This small college town in South Carolina ranks No. 1 in the nation. Why it’s special
As school gets back in session, one South Carolina destination has been named an ideal place to visit.
Clemson — home to Clemson University — ranks No. 1 on a new list of the nation’s best small college towns.
“Tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the shore of Lake Hartwell, Clemson is located in South Carolina’s rural Upstate region,” Travel + Leisure magazine wrote in its Sept. 5 report. “The quaint downtown is lined with shops selling purple-and-orange merch, student-filled sports bars, and a crop of new local businesses.”
To create the list, Travel + Leisure editors studied places across the United States with fewer than 25,000 residents. The magazine also turned to vacation experts and influencers to determine destinations that would most appeal to readers.
To be recognized, a town had to “excel in its category and offer a variety of activities, accommodations, and a timely reason to visit — be it a notable new festival, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or tourism initiative,” Travel + Leisure wrote.
What makes Clemson a special college town?
On the resulting list of “America’s Best Small Towns,” Clemson ranked supreme in the college town category. The town, a roughly 30-mile drive southwest from Greenville, is home to about 17,000 people.
In the magazine’s write-up, a Clemson University alum praised the town’s setting while referencing a longtime rivalry.
“I graduated from Clemson University in 2018, fully indoctrinated into Tigers fandom,” Elizabeth Rhodes wrote. “I grew up on the other side of the state’s biggest rivalry, raised in a University of South Carolina family, but I was drawn to the university’s small-town setting; it felt like a Clemson bubble, where everything was all Clemson, all the time.”
Despite Clemson landing at the top of its category, South Carolina destinations didn’t fare as well on Travel + Leisure’s other small-town lists. Those rankings considered the best places for mountains, beaches, food and other attractions.
The magazine only chose one winner in each category, a spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 10:00 AM with the headline "This small college town in South Carolina ranks No. 1 in the nation. Why it’s special."
