Oklahoma State University Athletics
Stillwater ranked fourth as most affordable college football Towns
November 13, 2007 | General
While Muncie, Indiana, ranks as the most affordable big football town for housing in the United States, according to an annual survey released Tuesday by Coldwell Banker. Stillwater/Oklahoma State comes in at fourth place.
Home prices in Muncie, home to the Ball State University Cardinals, average $150,000 for a 2,200-square-foot single-family house with four bedrooms, two and-a-half baths, family room and two-car garage. On the high end -- Palo Alto, Calif., home to the Stanford Cardinals, was the most expensive college town for the third straight year. A comparable home in Palo Alto averaged $1.67 million. Coincidentally, Muncie and Palo Alto have both recently upgraded their football stadiums. Ball State renovated its Scheumann Stadium while the one-year-old Stanford Stadium seats 50,000.
"College towns remain a popular living destination - whether they are first time homeowners or alumni looking for great retirement spots," Jim Gillespie, Coldwell Banker's chief executive, said in a release. "School spirit draws many alumni back to their alma mater and for others, continuing their education, pursuing jobs, enjoying cultural activities and following college sports make these communities ideal homes," he said.
The above quote partially explains why Stillwater was ranked the 6th Best Small City in America by US World and Trade Report. Factors include low crime, NCAA intercollegiate Athletics, fine arts, the State's best K-12 education, restaurants galore and very friendly people. More and more alumni/retired faculty are returning to Stillwater/Oklahoma State where they can attend games, enjoy the beautiful campus and visit with old friends, roommates, colleagues, brothers and sisters.
Most affordable college football towns - Nov. 6, 2007 ...the best bargains for big-time college sports and affordable housing.
| School Town | Avg. price |
| Ball State Muncie, IN | $150,000 |
| TCU Fort Worth, TX | $151,250 |
| Tulsa Tulsa, OK | $153,750 |
| Oklahoma State Stillwater, OK | $162,000 |
| Texas Tech Lubbock, TX | $163,250 |
| Toledo Toledo, OH | $163,278 |
| Louisiana-Monroe Monroe, LA | $164,499 |
| Houston Houston, TX | $169,736 |
| Rice Houston, TX | $169,736 |
| Utah State Logan, UT | $172,978 |
| Source: Coldwell Banker | |
Most expensive college football towns Here's where you'll pay the most to live in a big-time college sports town.
| School Town | Avg. price |
| Stanford Palo Alto, CA | $1,677,000 |
| Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | $1,381,250 |
| USC Los Angeles, CA | $1,306,333 |
| UCLA Los Angeles, CA | $1,306,333 |
| UC, Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $1,287,500 |
| San Jose State San Jose, CA | $1,145,000 |
| Hawaii Honolulu, HI | $843,750 |
| Northwestern Evanston, IL | $708,000 |
| Florida International Miami, FL | $638,333 |
| Miami Miami, FL | $638,333 |
Study note: The College Town - Home Price Comparison Index looks at hometowns of 119 Division 1-A college football programs to see how much the same type of house costs in each market of a middle-management type neighborhood.
I thought our fans, alumni and supporters would find this fact interesting. We in OSU Athletics External Affairs are working hard to make the game day experience unique, convenient, fun, value-added and enjoyable. If a home purchase in Stillwater is your first or thirty first, we welcome you to drive a short distance to watch Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in 18 sports for our 49th NCAA national title.
Go STATE!
Craig Clemons
