In the wake of the Mike Caldwell adminstration's apparent deep-sixing of the short-lived (and ridiculous) Boss Godfrey-inspired ("family-friendly") "Winterfest", it now appears that what's left of Boss Godfrey's Ogden City Economic Development Department is reverting to a possible Ogden City promotional idea which actually might have some long-term legs: This morning's S-E headline asks the question:
For those Ogdenites who'd mistakenly believed that Ogden is already a "college town," here are some of the important criteria for top "college towns," according to AIER (The American Institute for Economic Research, hahaha:
- Student Concentration: number of college students per 1,000 population
- Student Diversity: percentage of student body that are non-U.S. residents
- Research Capacity: academic R&D expenditures per capita
- Degree Attainment: percent of the 25-to-34-year-old population with bachelor’s degree or higher
- Cost of Living: based upon average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment
- Arts and Leisure: number of cultural and entertainment venues per 100,000 population
- City Accessibility: percentage of workers over age 16 who commute on foot or by public transportation or bicycle
- Creative Class: percentage of workforce in the arts, education, knowledge industries, science and engineering, management and other fields
- Earning Potential: income per capita
- Entrepreneurial Activity: net annual increase in total number of business establishments per 100,000 population
- Brain Gain/Drain: year-over-year ratio of population with B.A. degree (it is only population with B.A degree, not all the college level) living in the area
- Unemployment rate
Don't forget to tell Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell how to deal with these metrics and issues, People, just so's you can throw in your own 2¢.
Here's the link to the Ogden City survey on this topic, btw, via the ever-awesome Survey Monkey:
Don't forget to fully participate, Ogden Peeps!
Surprise of surprises, the Mike Caldwell administration wants to Know What You Thinks!
Here's the link to the Ogden City survey on this topic, btw, via the ever-awesome Survey Monkey:
Don't forget to fully participate, Ogden Peeps!
Surprise of surprises, the Mike Caldwell administration wants to Know What You Thinks!
13 comments:
Guys, college towns emerge organically, historically. They're not planned communities. There is no magic formula that if you get it just exactly right, that if you mix in precisely the right percentage of factor A with exactly the right percentage of factor B, and leaven it all with precisely the right sprinking of factor C, then shake-n-bake and then presto chango a college town will be born! It doesn't work that way.
Bring back activities that college kids like. Remember the sidewalk sale and street festival. Ogden isn't Provo, and most of the studenst at Weber State aren't pushing strollers aroujnd.
I am not certain how you get that 'college feel' in Ogden. But I wonder, does this mean Ogden is no longer trying to be the outdoor recreation center or a high tech center?
Those are not necessarily mutually exclusive goals.
WSU is largely a commuter school. The newly-designed student housing, built where the old housing stood, is designed to encourage a sense of community. I know there was some good loud music playing the night of homecoming. It was turned off exactly at midnight, which was nice for the neighbors, but not exactly a college student bedtime. University Village housing is too far off campus for those students to feel a sense of belonging.
My WSU students typically are rushing from class to work. As opposed to many other colleges, most are married with families.
Online classes are a big component of the curriculum, at least in my department, and online students usually work full time and have families and church duties. It's a wonder they study at all, much less have time to hang out around campus.
Grounds for Coffee on Harrison at 30th is the closest I've found to a college feeling joint in all of Ogden.
I think it no insignificant that there is no sports bar within walking distance of the campus. Not one. You have to hop a bus or drive to get to one.
A bar? Near campus? What a wonderful idea.
Pauls off campus was right nextvto baskin robbins across from campus....2 bucks sub and soup and a variety of beers...circa 1980-1989ish...great place before and after a game or final...ahhh the memories...
Oh...and there was a decent greek system too....not a requirement though...and ogden city zoning wont allow housing......
How about letting the students back in the pit at the Dee instead of a bunch of zombies....money talks I suppose....
Colorado state had them ON campus...not sure if the still do....
I've often discussed this myself. I have no answers. I do know, however, that if I want a book in my hand before Amazon can deliver it, I have to drive to Layton and roll the dice at B&N.
This is probably a clue, but I'm not entirely sure what it means.
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