After some careful calculations, 24/7 Wall St put together a list of the 30 Best College Towns in America and three from Illinois are on the list. A great place for students should have a large student body, have great dining options, are safe, and of course, have plenty of affordable housing! They also tend to have a wide variety of activities in arts and entertainment.

30. DeKalb, Illinois
> Largest college in the area: Northern Illinois University
> Pop. enrolled in college: 30.2% (12,969)
> Colleges and universities in the area: 2
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 38.9%
> Unemployment rate: 9.5%
> Bars and restaurants: 162.9 per 100,000 people

29. Normal, Illinois
> Largest college in the area: Illinois State University
> Pop. enrolled in college: 32.0% (17,550)
> Colleges and universities in the area: 4
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 48.5%
> Unemployment rate: 2.9%
> Bars and restaurants: 168.6 per 100,000 people

18. Urbana, Illinois
> Largest college in the area: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
> Pop. enrolled in college: 40.1% (17,140)
> Colleges and universities in the area: 2
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 60.1%
> Unemployment rate: 6.4%
> Bars and restaurants: 200.1 per 100,000 people

See the full list here!