Tucson was named the fourth-best college town nationally by Andy Katz of NCAA.Com on Monday. Tucson was the top college town in the West and only behind Madison, Wisconsin, Austin, Texas and Gainesville, Florida in the top 10 list posted by Katz.
Lawrence, Kansas, home of the University of Kansas, is the only other school in the Big XII on the list of the top 10 college towns nationally per Katz. Arizona and Florida were the basketball programs specifically named by Katz in his top 10 nationally.
Katz stated McKale Center as one of the best arenas nationally in his short summary about why Tucson is the fourth best college town. Katz previously named McKale Center the ninth-best college basketball arena nationally and the Zona Zoo as the seventh-ranked student section in the country.
Tucson has multiple reasons to be one of the top college towns nationally, as Katz mentioned. As Katz mentioned in his article about McKale Center ranking as a top 10 arena, a significant amount of credit goes to Late Arizona head coach Lute Olson, who made Tucson a much greater destination nationally.
Prime destinations 📍@TheAndyKatz names the top 10 college towns in the nation 🧭 pic.twitter.com/zaQHAYHNyr
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"There's so much to like: the weather, hiking in the mountains, the food, and McKale is one of the best arenas. "Andy Katz, NCAA.Com
The weather is moderate enough to hike for eight to nine months per year in Tucson. The Mountains that surround Tucson are iconic. San Antonio, Texas and Tucson are the only cities in the United States named UNESCO cities of gastronomy.
It is not known which food Katz has sampled during his many visits to Tucson to cover Arizona games. It is impossible to name any because everyone has their own favorites and it is subjective. It likely also depends on which era Arizona alumni attended and the view of current students.
Katz did not mention all of the great day trips available from Tucson. Tucson and the surrounding region in Southern Arizona have become a great destination. Tucson also stands out with the availability of luxury resorts to stay in that smaller college towns do not have available.