Truman State University - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

If you are looking for museums or big-city sports teams, you’re not going to find them in Kirksville, so it is a testament to the University that so many students choose Truman. Nearly any kind of entertainment or nightlife you’ll find is on campus. In fact, Truman was recently rated No. 8 in the country by the Princeton Review for most stuff to do on campus. The city of Kirksville is sleepy, which makes it a great escape from the hustle of campus life. Spend a Saturday wandering through the shops on the square, particularly when the farmers’ market is held, and you’ll find delicious and cheap fresh jams and Amish cinnamon rolls. It’s very hard to get lost in Kirksville, and besides waiting at the three downtown stoplights, which begin flashing red at 8 p.m., there is never traffic.

The residents are friendly, although Truman students admittedly do not interact with them often. Kirksville sponsors the Round Barn Blues Festival and an arts and crafts fair annually, which are don’t-miss events. Spend time at Thousand Hills State Park—the scenery is breathtaking, and hosting a barbecue with friends is a perfect way to while away a Sunday afternoon. Since many students come from cities like St. Louis and Kansas City, they assume Kirksville will be something of a cross to bear. Instead, most find they never miss a thing.

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Students Speak Out

sam2555 says: Truman State University 2012 Other

Isolation Would Be an Understatement C- Kirksville is a nice small town, with relatively friendly people. It's strange though, because Kirksville isn't quite a small town, but by no means is it a large city...this bizarre limbo status coupled with Kirksville's location makes for an awkward and out of the way place. Many of the people in Kirksville have lived there their entire lives, and many of their kids have never even been to St. Louis...this town's idea of vacation or a trip to the "big city" is Columbia. 12345 Local Atmosphere: November 18, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

Overall, it’s a fairly dull... Overall, it’s a fairly dull atmosphere. There is not much of a nightlife here. There is nothing exciting to visit or any ‘must sees’ in Kirksville. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

The atmosphere is relaxed. The... The atmosphere is relaxed. The town ‘sleeps’ at around 9 or 10 p.m. If you want to have a getaway picnic/romantic date, Thousand Hills is good for that. If you’re not a partier, stay away from the fraternity houses. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Kirksville is really laid back.... Kirksville is really laid back. The people in town are nice, and the scenery is a photographer’s dream. However, the general lack of entertainment contributes a good deal to negative student behavior, such as alcoholism born out of an overactive Greek life. But, as far as I can tell, that happens on every campus. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

If I had to use three words to... If I had to use three words to describe Kirksville they would be ‘lack of goodness.’ We have the square with a lot of neat little shops and restaurants, and the typical small-town movie theater and bowling alley, but, other than that, there isn’t much of anything. Thousand Hills State Park, north of campus, is pretty nice if you like nature. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Five Fun Facts about Kirksville:
• Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine was the nation’s first osteopathic university.
• The popular song “Just as the Storm Passed O’er” was based on the Kirksville cyclone that killed 32 people in 1899. The Kimball Piano Company exploited the disaster by advertising that one of its instruments survived after being carried by the tornado.
• The average annual snowfall is 21 inches.
• The Kirksville Daily Express is printed six days a week. Kirksville is also served by the Index, a TSU student-run publication that prints every Thursday.
• Joseph Baldwin, who founded the University, was a pioneering educator and known by some as “the father of the normal school system.”

Famous People from Kirksville:
Gordon Bell, Robert J. Behnen, Debra Di Blasi, Rusty Draper, Geraldine Page, Rhoda Vincent, John Wimber

Local Slang:
K-Ville – Nickname for Kirksville
The square – Kirksville’s downtown region, located roughly between Franklin and Marion streets

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