CollegeRanker.com released its list of the “50 Best College Towns to Live in Forever,” and Monroe ranked 41 out of 50.

Monroe was the only Louisiana town to make the list.

The ranking considered economy, culture, community, and schools in compiling their list of towns that are best to settle down in after graduating.

It also mentioned two of Monroe’s major employers — Century Link and JP Morgan Chase.

According to the site, ULM has an “exceptional” athletic program and noteworthy student life organizations.

The site also referred to ULM’s notable programs, which it cited as pharmacy school and business.

Heather Terrell is one student that moved to Monroe for school and she agrees that her new home is one of the best.

“I enjoy many aspects of it, especially because I come from a small town area where everything shuts down early. There are certainly more opportunities here to start my career,” said Terrell, a senior computer science major from Pollock.

But others disagreed with the list.

“It’s too small for me. There’s not really much to do around here. Then there are the people, who are just closed minded and somewhat snobby,”
Eddie Anderson said, a freshman English major from Lafayette.

But is Monroe a convenient area to live in? Sopohmore Ashley Archer thinks so.

“Everything you need is not only nearby but easy to find. I’ve never had trouble finding anything in Monroe,” Archer said.

Archer also said that Monroe provides her with what she needs for her education.

“A huge reason I chose ULM, is that clinical locations for nursing school are also fairly close to campus. Many schools in Louisiana send nursing students to different campus sites in different cities to do clinicals.” Archer said.