The Agora thrift shop is a popular shopping spot in Athens.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Athens has been named "hipster central of the deep south" by the Huffington Post.
The online magazine named the University of Georgia the third-most hipster college in the country in its second annual ranking.
"Things that come to mind when we think of University of Georgia?" HuffPost asked. "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!"
Urban Dictionary defines hipsters as "a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter."
The slang website adds, "Although 'hipsterism' is really a state of mind, it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers and are often seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs."
As evidence of Athens' hipster credibility, HuffPost notes the college town is "the 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."
The only two schools with more hipsters than UGA were Grinnell College in Iowa and University of California-Santa Cruz.
The Most Hipster Colleges
- Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
- University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
- University of Georgia, Athens, GA
- Parsons The New School for Design, New York City
- Portland State University, Portland, OR
- Brown University, Providence, RI
- Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
- Prescott College, Prescott, AZ
- University of Chicago, Chicago
- Earlham College, Richmond, IN