Although Athens ranked in the bottom 15 percent of a national “quality of life” analysis last month, local residents and officials disagree with the study’s methods, saying they distort the values of the college town.
The Business Journals, a national publication focusing on business across the county, ranked hundreds of Midwestern towns and cities in a December “On Numbers” report — with Athens coming in at 805 of 955 communities.
Athens also did not fare well against other college towns across the region, from Ohio’s Oxford and Bowling Green, Indiana’s Bloomington and West Virginia’s Morgantown.
“I don’t (agree with the ranking). I’d be questioning any methodology that tries to gauge quality of life,” said Paul Logue, Athens’ city planner. “When you look at college towns like Athens, I don’t think it’s a fair comparison when you look at a Chicago suburb.”
Logue said the ranking placed too much emphasis on a community’s wealth, rather than the happiness of its residents.
“You can’t judge someone’s happiness by the size of their wallet,” Logue said.
The study used a 20-part formula including data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey, with traffic levels, cost of living, housing stocks and educational systems to analyze how “well-rounded” each community is.
The Business Journals could not be reached for comment.
Elliot Abrams, an OU professor in the department of sociology and anthropology, also disagrees with the ranking, particularly with the fact that college towns seem to come in lower in the rankings.
“The university greatly enhances the quality of life in Athens. It is the intellectual hub of the region. It provides so many opportunities for people,” Abrams said. “College students bring a lot of energy to the community. I don’t see that at all as a negative.”
Of the six Southeastern Ohio communities that were ranked — including Athens, Lancaster, Marietta, Ironton, Cambridge and Zanesville — none came in higher than Marietta’s 714.
Overall, Powell, a suburb of Columbus, received the best ranking in the state, coming in fifth. East Cleveland, meanwhile, ranked worst in the state at 953.
“One of the things Athenians love about this community is fresh food, organics ... things that are not valued in this study,” said Becky Watts, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis. “When I first moved to Athens, one of the first things people were excited to tell me about was the farmer’s market.”
Watts added that beyond its domestic food market, Athens is one of the most vibrant towns in which she has lived.
“There is a lot more to a community than a certain set of criteria,” she said. “There is a richness of life in Athens that does not relate to this survey.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
