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Around the College Town: Auburn

By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com 
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Home to a vibrant college community but also a paint-by-number setting including nearby Chewacia State Park, Auburn offers a unique mix of culture and tranquility.

Affably known as "The Loveliest Village on the Plains", Auburn is a college town with a special country charm. Located in east Alabama right on the Georgia line, Auburn has experienced considerable growth over the years and now has over 50,000 residents. In 2009, U.S. News ranked Auburn as one of the top ten best places to live in the United States. Home to a vibrant college community but also a paint-by-number setting including nearby Chewacia State Park, Auburn offers a unique mix of culture and tranquility.

East Alabama has strong historical ties to the Native Americans, many sites in the area reflect that past. By World War II, Auburn served as a technical forces training ground for the military. That served as the catalyst to an economic growth spurt for the region. Toomer's Corner now serves as the town hub, a collection of stores and shops that intersects downtown with the college campus. In a tradition unlike any other in college sports, fans roll the landmark with toilet paper after a football victory.

SouthernPigskin.com Restaurant Recommendation - Niffer's Place is a student hot-spot that has a eclectic atmosphere and vibe. Options include the famous corn nuggets, spicy hot cheese cubes and tater tot nachos -- and that's just for an appetizer. Adventurous eaters should challenge the "niffasaurus": one-and-a-half pounds of ground beef triple stacked on a sour dough bun with melted cheese, mozzarella, pepper jack, swiss, bacon and a fried egg.

SouthernPigskin.com Bar Recommendation - Sky Bar is an absolutely huge place with enough space to have two different bands playing on some nights. It offers fun, diverse options for patrons.

Point of Interest - For golf fans, it doesn't get much better than the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Grand National. Several publications have ranked it as one of the best public courses in the nation. Auburn football on Saturday; golf in Opelika on Sunday.

Fun Fact - Music icon and mayor of Margaritaville Jimmy Buffett attended college for a year at Auburn and reportedly learned to play guitar from a fellow pledge in the Sigma Pi Fraternity.

Celebrity Confirmation - "What makes Auburn so unique is that it is essentially a town that is built around the university. There are a lot of individuals here who have totally bought into the concept of Auburn University, whether it be in the school itself or in the athletics. A majority of the people who live in the Auburn area went to school at Auburn, so it truly encompasses the terminology of 'all in'," -- former Auburn quarterback Ben Leard
 

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BJ Bennett - A graduate of Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, Bennett developed the Southern Pigskin concept as a teenager. He has worked for over a decade in sports journalism, writing for major newspapers and hosting a radio show for The Fan Sports Radio 790 and 1350, ESPN Radio Coastal Georgia. Bennett has been published in newspapers, magazines, journals and websites all across the southeast. Down Here, Bennett's original book on southern college football, is currently in the process of being published.

SouthernPigskin.com covers the SEC, ACC and SoCon with a purely southern perspective on the sport that defines us. Check us out! Part of USA Today Sports Media Group.