Marlboro College - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

Marlboro is considered to be an isolated, cloistered, and somewhat cabin fever-inducing college. It is on the top of a mountain 20 miles from the nearest town. It gets cold and a little too familiar in the winter months. You can expect to see the same people every day, and “every day” literally means turn the corner, and there they are again. Students who live on campus tend to get a little itchy for outside interaction just about all the time. Luckily, the town of Brattleboro is just down the mountain. In this eclectic hippy village you can find all sorts of fun things. There is an enormous collection of bookstores, a handful of cafes, and lots of great restaurants. (Check out Mama and Papa Z’s and Panda North.) The most popular hangouts are Mocha Joe’s Café, the Latchis Theater, the Twighlight Tea Lounge, Turn It Up! Music, and Brattleboro Books. People often call Brattleboro the “Metropolitan Extension of Marlboro” because you can expect to see all of your classmates and teachers in town at any time.

Though convenient in many ways, Brattleboro is still 20 minutes from campus and is only big enough to sustain itself. Most everything closes before 7 p.m., and there aren’t a lot of happening clubs or hangouts for students. With that said, about 90 minutes away is the town of Northampton. There, you can find all the amenities that Brattleboro cannot offer.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Brattleboro is very open-minded.... Brattleboro is very open-minded. One time, I was walking with some friends, and we decided to have a group hug. Before we knew it, a stranger was joining our group hug, and there we were, all hugging each other in the middle of the sidewalk. People in this place are very outgoing. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Unfortunately, the towns of... Unfortunately, the towns of Marlboro and Brattleboro are very small, and there is nothing to do. However, Northampton is only an hour away, Hartford is an hour and 30 minutes, and New York and Boston are five hours. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Brattleboro is warm and friendly.... Brattleboro is warm and friendly. It is an open-minded town, with diversity and culture. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

It is a very nice town—it feels... It is a very nice town—it feels very international and is very diverse for its size. It’s palpably liberal; among the young people talking politics in the coffeeshops and the aging hippies shopping at the co-op is a special sensitivity to GLBTQ issues. There are a handful of colleges within an hour radius. There is a really neat theater, the Latchis, which gets a lot of films that aren’t being shown at mainstream theaters. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

The closest donwtown-ish area is... The closest donwtown-ish area is Brattleboro. Brattleboro is, in many ways, a typical college town. Coffeeshops and boutiques full of ‘hip,’ crunchy-granola merchandise abound. There’s also the hospice, for those who enjoy cheap and interesting clothes. We’re fairly close to New Hampshire, known for its lack of any sales tax. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Five Fun Facts about Marlboro:
• Marlboro is approximately 20 miles up the mountain from Brattleboro—the distance a horse and carriage used to travel in a day.
• Each September, the small town of Marlboro has an annual fair where students, residents, and other unique characters come together and celebrate.
• Many of Marlboro’s long-term faculty resides in and around the town of Marlboro.
• At Sweeties, Marlboro’s only gas station, with a great deli and store, the owners call most everyone by their first name.
• On average, the town of Marlboro is 10 to12 degrees colder than its valley neighbor, Brattleboro.

Famous People from Marlboro:
It is said that Whoopi Goldberg vacations here in springtime, but that’s about it.

Local Slang:
Southern Vermont may be the origin of the term “sketchy.” At Marlboro, and in much of the state, the word “sketchy” refers to an uncomfortable or shaky situation, person, or experience.

“Brat” is not your irritable roommate, it’s short for Brattleboro.

“NoHo” is the clever abbreviation for Northampton Massachusetts. Though cool and artsy, it is not Soho. But it’s definitely more than just so-so (ha!).

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