Study in Auburn, The United States

Auburn is a city located in Lee County, Alabama in the United States of Amerce, the largest city in the eastern part of the state with an estimated population of nearly 54,000. It is the principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area, with a population of roughly 136,000, and together with Columbus, Alabama, it forms the greater Columbus-Auburn-Opelika metropolitan district, an area home to more than 500,000 residents. Known mostly as a college town and home to the ultra-popular Auburn, University, the city has seen rapid growth in recent years, and is now considered the fastest growing metropolitan area in Alabama and the nineteenth-fastest growing city in the United States since 1990. According to the publication U.S. News and World Report, Auburn is one of the ten-best places to live in the United States, and its unofficial nickname, “The Loveliest Village on the Plains,” which was taken from a line in the poem The Deserted Village” by Oliver Goldsmith, is well-suited for this beautiful and vibrant city.

Like in many southern cities, Auburn residents enjoy a climate marked by mild winters, hot and humid summers and very moderate temperatures in the spring and fall months. Being that the city is very near the Gulf of Mexico, rainfall is significant in the area, averaging 52.6 inches a year, though the summers and early fall are usually quite dry. From late winter to early summer, however, it is not uncommon for Auburn to experience some severe thunder storm activity, and in the summer and fall months, again owing to its proximity to the Gulf, it may be subject to fringe effects of tropical storms and hurricanes.
In addition to all the exciting sporting contests in Auburn, particularly Auburn University football which is a very popular draw in the fall and winter, there are a number of interesting things to do and see in the city. Auburn is home to the Julie Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, which features a precious collection of 19^th and 20^th century American and European art, as well as the Telfair Peet Theatre, which performs a series of plays and musical throughout the year. The Auburn Knights Orchestra, a big band jazz group, and the Auburn High School Honors Band perform dozens of concerts each year, and with 16 parks situated throughout the city Auburn is an ideal locale for hikers, cyclists and other recreational enthusiasts.

Higher Education in Auburn, Alabama

Higher education in Auburn is the responsibility of the state of Alabama and the federal government, which both provide funding and direction for the lone tertiary institution of higher learning in the city: Auburn University. Auburn University is a well-respected university, both academically and athletically, with an annual enrollment that averages roughly 25,000 students. The university is known as a land-grant university and a sea-and-space grant university, with strong programs in fields such as business, engineering, agriculture and veterinary medicine. Although the university offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, undergraduates—students pursuing Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees—account for more than 80 percent of the school’s total enrollment. The university is also well known as a research institution, particularly in the fields of wireless engineering, molecular biosciences, transportation, aquaculture, and forest sustainability.

In addition to Auburn University, the city and surrounding area also has a handful of post-secondary technical and vocational institutions, where students can study and train in professional and occupational career fields important to Alabama’s economy. Several research institutions can also be found here, including the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an American libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy.