Auburn, Alabama Comes In At #500

Auburn, Alabama is not only famous for being a college town, it is now famous for being the 500th city/country to read my blog. It was only 9 days ago when Otrokovice in the Czech Republic was heralded for being #400 and so quickly we're on to #500. It took 27 days to get from #300 to #400 and yet only 9 days to get from #400 to #500. It's either because my blog is becoming just so popular all of a sudden or else everyone was so interested in my World Series of Poker coverage. I think my girlfriend JoAnn will say that it was clearly her birthday blog entry that pushed it over the edge so quickly.

I don't know much about Auburn, Alabama other than that it is the home of Auburn University. I remember Michael going to a Penn State Bowl Game in Florida a few years ago and they were playing Auburn. His comment, other than the obvious sports' related ones, was that the girls from Auburn were all dressed up in skirts and dresses. Not surprising I thought for those Southern belles. Shortly thereafter, I sold a house to a couple where the wife went to Auburn and the husband went to Penn State and they had met at this same game. I guess she was wearing a nice dress when he met her.

Auburn, Alabama not only has its own flag but it's own city seal. It also has a great nickname, "The Lovliest Village on the Plains". It's also the largest city in eastern Alabama with a population of 54,348.

The history of Auburn University is quite interesting. In 1856, the state legislature chartered a Methodist college, the East Alabama Male College in Auburn. This college, now Auburn University, opened its doors in 1859, offering a classical and liberal education. With the advent of the Civil War in 1861, Auburn quickly emptied. All of the schools closed, and most businesses shuttered. East Alabama Male College was turned over to the state in 1872 and was renamed Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College with a new mission as a land grant college. In 1892, the college became the first four-year college in Alabama to admit women. SIAA Conference championships won by the Auburn college's football team brought attention and support to Auburn, and helped fill the city's coffers. Fortunes were quickly reversed with the collapse of cotton prices in the early 1920s and the subsequent Great Depression a decade later. Due to these events, the state government became unable to fund the college. Money began to flow into Auburn again with America's entry into World War II. Auburn's campus was turned into a training ground for technical specialists in the armed forces. After the war, Auburn was flooded by soldiers returning to school on the G.I. Bill. Primarily due to this influx of students, Auburn began a period of growth that lasted through the 1950s and 1960s.

While Auburn doesn't have any professional sports teams, when the university has home football games in the fall, the city often sees over 100,000 visitors. There's nothing like a college town and I've heard this from many people I know who do live in college towns. Since Michael went to Penn State, I've experienced the life of a "college town" each time I visited him at State College. It's certainly a lot of fun especially during the football season.

So thanks Auburn for stopping in. Hope you enjoyed what you read and I wish you a great football season in 2008 and perhaps another bowl game in 2009.