The list of titles attributed to the city of Austin just got a little longer: On Friday, Forbes.com named Austin as the best city for singles in America.
Known as a mecca for live music and the home to the largest single-campus university in the country, Austin already topped the list of the magazine's best U.S. cities for business and careers.
"It is a great place to be single, there are so many activities, it's a city that goes," said Donna Crocker, operations manager for Christian Single Adults dating service.
Forbes' ranking system is based on seven criteria: singles, night life, culture, coolness, job growth, cost of living and the buzz factor. Austin ranks first in coolness and singles. Because the singles category is defined as people 15 years or older who have never been married, the range of singles varies widely.
The magazine also cited Austin's endless number of opportunities for singles to meet. There are dozens of live music venues and clubs, outdoor activities, sporting events and restaurants. Also, with a large university population and the high-tech industry, the city looks to continue as a place where young singles meet.
"I don't know about older people, but it's definitely a great place at the University," said Chris Simon, a social work junior.
While clubbing is a big draw for many singles, some UT students believe it's preferable to meet others through friends or social activities.
"I'm a big Christian type, if God wants to give it [a relationship] to me then that's all right," said Shannon Stowell, a nursing sophomore.
But not everyone agrees that Austin is such a great place to be single.
"Coming from a race issue, I have a preference of dating African-American men, and the community is not real big at all," said Toniette Haynes, a communications senior.
But what if your soul mate isn't to be found in a bar? Those looking for love might turn to a dating service for help. After placing personals in the Austin Chronicle and sampling the world of Internet and telephone dating services, they might go to a personal dating service in Austin like Christian Single Adults.
"Once you graduate from college you hit the real world. It's really hard to meet people at work, all of a sudden it becomes a little more difficult," Crocker said.
Some dating services like Christian Single Adults organize mixers, cruises and resort travel to help singles looking for someone with similar interests in an environment conducive to dating. But for UT students an expensive dating service isn't a likely option. Instead, students bring the Austin singles scene one more thing the city is known for: an anything-goes attitude where worries about finding a partner are not yet a major concern.
"If I find someone I like it's cool, but other than that I don't care," said Claudia Pease, an incoming athletic training freshman.
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