1. Grinnell College
Iowa isn’t necessarily a destination for the cool and connected, but isn’t that the kind of thing hipsters love? It’s pre-cool (or maybe post-cool) irony, like mom jeans, giant teddy bear sweaters and aviator glasses. In any case, Grinnell, a rural school of 1,600, is an oasis of liberal thought amid the plaintive Iowa cornfields. Under the tutelage of its savvy new president, Raynard Kington (campus nickname: Ray Kay), the school launched this year a cash prize for work in social justice. Plus, rent in the town of Grinnell is cheap, the city is eminently walkable and there’s not a trace of Greek life.
2. University of California-Santa Cruz
Hipsters, scenesters, whatever you call them — they’re abundant in Santa Cruz. They’re riding their fixed gears on campus. They’re studying at Caffe Pergolesi. They’re even surfing! College Prowler sums the school up: “Many say UCSC takes some getting used to, but once you find your niche, it is a cool place to be socially and politically active and also to receive a good education.”
3. University of Georgia
Things that come to mind when we think of University of Georgia? Well, for one, beer — UGA was ranked 2010′s top party school. For another, sports. Football is bigger than huge there (go Dawgs?). And what about hipsters? Yes, hipsters! Beyond the green hills of UGA’s main campus lies the hamlet of Athens, hipster central of the deep south, birthplace of a flock of important American bands: R.E.M., Of Montreal, Danger Mouse and Azure Ray, to name a few. And since we’ve only heard of two of those bands, Athens — and, by association, UGA — passes the hipster test. Congratulations.
4. Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons is part of the perfect equation of hipsterdom: New York City + art school + loads of creative twentysomethings = Hipster infestation! It even has its own entry on Urban Dictionary. To boot, Parsons students are not only hipsters, they’re also experts at spotting them in the wild.
5. Portland State University
Ah, Portland, you hipster enclave, you. Hipsters are so prominent at Portland State that they have their own bars and their own guide to burritos. Most amazingly, Portland State is the epicenter of a rare species (becoming more common) called the Hipster Librarian. Have hipsters infiltrated every facet of Portland? The question is begged: Are hipsters attracted to the melancholy Oregon city, or does it produce them?
6. Brown University
We were criticized last year for not including Brown on this list and, dear readers, you were right. Brown is paradise for hipsters. Not only is Rhode Island the seventh-most hipster state in America — due in large part to Brown’s student body — but the school boasts some of the most famous hipster alumni in the world. Where to begin? The original ’90s hipster, Lisa Loeb, avant-garde filmmaker Todd Haynes, author Jeffrey Eugenides and of course the world’s most famous student, Emma Watson (though she’s currently taking a break at Oxford).
7. Colorado College
According to Unigo, hipsters at Colorado College are considered “happy.” We don’t even know what that means. Perhaps it’s due to the clear mountain air that surrounds the Colorado Springs campus. In any case, the school’s 1,900 students, hip or otherwise, are renowned for their intellectual bents and adventurous streaks. Let it be noted that Colorado Springs is also popular with Christian hipsters.
8. Prescott College
This small, environmentally-minded Arizona liberal arts school is a haven for those who choose not to take the beaten path through life. It’s the perfect place for the outdoorsy hipster — the tattooed vegan adventure-seeker with a passion for solar energy. Attitudes at Prescott fall in line with this archetype, and are notably anti-establishment. “We don’t do athletics,” wrote one student on College Prowler. “Except rock climbing and hiking and backpacking and rafting and outdoorsy things. In my opinion, this is great- we don’t waste money on athletic stadiums or coaches.” Amen.
9. University Of Chicago
The cerebral hipsters of the world gather at the University of Chicago, its campus tucked below the City of the Big Shoulders. They pore over works by Zizek and Derrida, they ride Working Bikes rather than off-the-rack fixies, they brace themselves for the chilling Chicago winters. When the winter comes, they stay inside, mulling their dissertations, attempting to learn Persian and plucking various musical instruments. They’re a different breed of hipster — more severe, perhaps — but one all the same. Required reading for UChi hipsters past, present and future: “The Word ‘Hipster’ Shall Always Be With Us,” via Chicago Magazine.
1o. Earlham College
According to one astute review on College Prowler, there are “a crap load of dirty hipsters” at Earlham College in Indiana. “If you don’t like PBR [Pabst Blue Ribbon], find somewhere else,” the reviewer wrote. O-kay. On a more positive note, the Hipster Handbook reports that “Hipsters tend to receive a strong education at Earlham because there is nothing else to do but study in Richmond, Indiana.”