Does your college town suck? Penn State University

New to the line up this season: we will be examining the various college towns of Wisconsin’s opponents. We’ll be answering all of the important questions – Is it a state capital? What is the population? Does it have a Culvers?

Facts:

City: University Park, Pennsylvania

Size: 7,958 acres (University Park, Pa.), 4.556 square miles (State College, Pa.) and 18.55 square miles (College Township, Pa.)

Location: 40°48′24″N 77°52′49″W

Population: 42,275 (State College, Pa. in 2019) and 10,062 (College Township, Pa. in 2018).

State Capital? No

Time zone: Eastern

Landmarks: Nittany Mountains

About:

While most universities are located in a single city, Penn State is located within two different cities and its campus has been given the name of University Park.

University Park was the name given to the Penn State Campus located in both State College, Pa. and College Township, Pa. The campus post office was designated University Park, Pa. in 1953 by Milton Eisenhower, the school’s President.

How does a university’s president have the power to decide something like that? Shouldn’t it be up to the postmaster general? Does Tommy Thompson have the power to just designate UW’s campus as its own town?

State College, Pa. was founded in 1896 and College Township, Pa. was founded in 1857. The university was founded in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania and Penn State became the state’s only land-grant university in 1863.

A land-grant college is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Act of 1862, which was created so that public lands could be donated to states to provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The lands donated, were acquired from local indigenous tribes through treaty, cessation, or seizure…oof.

University Park is tabbed as the “quintessential college town,” by Penn State’s web site. Gives new meaning to the phrase, a face only a mother could love.

It’s quintessential-ness is highlighted on the site by that fact that it has small eateries and quirky shops that line the street marking the border between downtown and campus. Just what all college students desire…quirky shops.

All that and campus is nestled near the base of Mount Nittany, with the surrounding area known as “Happy Valley.” The mountain is where the school got the name of its dumpster fire of a mascot, the Nittany Lion.

The name Happy Valley was given to the area since during the Great Depression the area wasn’t impacted due to PSU’s presence.

Must have been nice! The school is located on land that was taken from its native inhabitants and while the rest of the country is going through the Grapes of Wrath, Happy Valley is just living it up…

Bars:

State College and College Township both have their fair share of local watering holes.

But not one single Culvers...

College Magazine recently created a top 10 list of the best to visit for a night out.

Rounding out the top of the list was Primanti Bros., which is known more as a sandwich shop based out of Pittsburgh, but the downtown State College location considers itself a “Greek life-centered bar.” If you like hanging out with a bunch of bros and broettes, Primanti Bros. is the place for you.

Oh, and their Happy Hour sounds like it is second to none, as the entire menu is half off.

They also offer “Mind Eraser” drinks, which probably isn’t a bad thing, if you’re partying in Pennsylvania…

Stadium:

Beaver Stadium is the home stadium of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The stadium is named in honor of The Angry Beavers, a show that you used to be Nickelodeon. Co-eds at PSU absolutely LOVE that show, it’s insane.

One other theory is that the stadium was named after James A. Beaver, who was a member of the Union Army, Superior Court Judge, Governor of Pennsylvania and president of the University’s Board of Trustees.

I guess it makes sense… but I’m sticking with my Angry Beavers theory. Do I care that the stadium was named long before the show came out? No. No I do not.

Beaver Stadium’s capacity is 106, 572 and is the second-largest stadium in the nation, second only to Michigan Stadium.

Does your college town suck?

University Park sucks. The college town isn’t really a town at all.

If you ask me, I think that campus should be considered as part of State College, Pa. and should have a postal address there. You’re Penn State, the state college of Pennsylvania. It just makes sense to have it that way.