College Towns

Ryan Heller was expecting culture shock when he left Portland, Ore., for Chapman University. But once he settled into a dorm and got acquainted with the area, he felt right at home in the city of Orange.

“They do a good job of making it feel like a college town,” the 20-year-old junior said of the city known for its efforts to preserve small-town friendliness. “So many places welcome our business. They cater to a younger clientele.”

Heller especially appreciates that many of the local pizza places, cafes, barbershops and restaurants offer student discounts.

For Melanie Hart, Orange is home. She grew up there and decided to attend the neighborhood university, which has 3,800 students. The 27-year-old senior said the city is becoming even more of a college town.

“There are more bars, cafes, thrift stores. There are less expensive places than there used to be, so it’s changing,” she said.

But commuter student Sara Ward isn’t sold on the school’s surroundings. The 20-year-old from Santa Ana said she is disappointed that the city won’t allow housing for sororities and fraternities.

“The college is built in the middle of a neighborhood,” the junior complained. “I would be here more if there were [sorority] houses.”

Her comments echo some historical tensions between Old Towne Orange residents and the liberal arts institution, which moved from Los Angeles in 1954.

Student parking in surrounding neighborhoods has been a controversy, as have traffic and noise during and after school hours. Civic leaders also have tangled with the university over expansion plans and building designs that weren’t considered a good fit for Old Towne.

But over the last decade, university and city officials have worked at building a better relationship. Today, collaborative efforts are commonplace, and representatives of the various groups meet regularly, campus officials say.

“It’s really an ongoing effort,” said Cathi Douglas, Chapman’s director of public relations. “We have really concentrated on being attentive to the community and reaching out to them and also acting. In the past, we did not always have that reputation or philosophy.”

Neighborhood newsletters, a 24-hour hotline and community meetings once each semester are offered by the college to maintain communication with residents.

From the merchants’ point of view, things are going great guns for the downtown mix of eateries, antique shops and other businesses.

“I think the impact Chapman has on the city is wonderful,” said Barbara deBoom, president and chief executive of the Orange Chamber of Commerce. “As they grow, we find out what their needs are and satisfy those needs.”