Those who live in Burlington and attend UVM already know that the city and the university offer something special. Rankings reports released over the past several months have further spread the word around the country about how good we have it.

Burlington and UVM have graced "best of" lists for everything from our food scene to our campus offerings for outdoor enthusiasts. Read on for a roundup of how we rank:

UVM

  • UVM is again listed among U.S. News and World Report's annual "Best Colleges" list. Coming in this year at number 92, UVM is among the top-third of national universities.
  • Also on the 2013 U.S. News lists is the College of Medicine, which ranks 27th among best primary care medical schools and 57th for research.
  • From the data culled to create the U.S. News rankings, the publication also creates a series called "The Short List," one of which ranks the most selective medical schools in the country. UVM's College of Medicine holds spot number eight.
  • Outside magazine created a top 25 list of the best colleges for its readers, outdoor enthusiasts. Citing the university's 100-year-old Outing Club; the Wilderness TREK program for new students; campus proximity to Lake Champlain, the Green Mountains and Adirondacks; and engaging, fieldwork-based courses, Outside awarded rank number nine to UVM.
  • The university also made a first-of-its-kind listing this year when Campus Pride, the national organization that works to create safer, more inclusive colleges and universities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, published its "Top Ten List for Trans-Friendly Schools."
  • Campus Pride also included UVM among its "Top Twenty-Five LGBT-Friendly Schools," and top college review website Unigo.com ranked UVM in its top ten schools "where there's pride and no prejudice" -- a listing of the colleges providing the best support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
  • Vermont is the most inventive state, CNNMoney reports, and UVM research is cited as a top driver of patent activity.

Burlington, Vt.

  • Business Insider calls Burlington one of "The 15 Hottest American Cities Of The Future," thanks in large part to its emergence as a leader in sustainability.
  • Parenting magazine calls Burlington one of the "Best Cities for Families." "Home of the University of Vermont, Burlington attracts college students who initially come for school and return to the city when they are ready to settle down."
  • Burlington is number 11 on a list of "America's Leading High-Tech Metros" compiled by The Atlantic Cities. The ranking considers the number of high-tech companies as well as patents per capita and average annual patent growth.
  • Vermont topped this year's Locavore Index, which figures the per-capita rate of farmer's markets plus community-supported agriculture farms, no shortage of which can be found within and surrounding Burlington.
  • Another reason for students to consider taking summer classes: the 2013 Farmer's Almanac says Burlington's weather places it among the five best summer locations. "There are few days each summer when temperatures rise to 90 or above; but nighttimes cool off to the mid to upper 50s," the almanac reports.

Read more recent acclaim about the university and its hometown.

PUBLISHED

09-18-2012
Amanda Kenyon Waite