Atlanta has been named the number one worst college town, according to a recent report by Smart Asset.
The report ranked 75 cities based on their discretionary income and unemployment rate. The number of arts and entertainment / recreation establishments per 100,000 people were also considered, according to the report.
Discretionary income is the average yearly income for a city minus the average yearly rent for a two-bedroom establishment, the report stated.
Smart Asset’s report also measured the number of violent crimes and property crimes per 100,000 people, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The rankings were then added together to create a quality of life score.
Atlanta’s 7.6 percent unemployment rate, $28,296 discretionary income and 1,379 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens contributed to a low quality life score of 302, the report stated.
Kieran Beckford, sophmore journalism major, said she believes the report’s results are disappointing.
“If these accusations are true, then I’m really disappointed in how Atlanta is being run,” she said. “I know Atlanta has a fairly large economy, so I believe we have enough resources to make Atlanta a much safer place.”
Beckford also said she believes the problem is that Atlanta is not putting in more effort.
“If city officials don’t fix these issues, less and less people are going to visit Atlanta,” she said.
The number one college town was Boulder, Colorado with a quality life score of 58.The city has a 5.10 percent unemployment rate, $37,168 discretionary income and 248.4 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens, according to the report.
