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Not Too Big, Not Too Small...
Population is probably the most variable factor in choosing a law school. New York is twice as big as Philadelphia, which is twice as big as Seattle, which is...
When trying to decide what size of city or town is in your comfort zone, don't think about vacationing for a week. Think about running out of milk at 3:00 a.m., seeing a play or concert, going bowling or fishing. Think about restaurants or hip hop clubs, stained glass stores or comic book shops, churches or Mensa groups. Think about traffic jams and crowded subways, dirt and crime. Figure out what's essential for you and what's negotiable.
As you imagine what conditions you can or can't live with, check out our list of law schools arranged by population; seeing the names of cities you've visited might help you visualize similar cities.
Law School Locations, from Metropolis to Village
| New York | Columbia. NYU | Population 8 to 10 Million
|
| Fordham. NYLS | ||
| St. John's, CUNY | ||
| Brooklyn, Cardozo | ||
| Newark | Rutgers, Seton Hall | |
| Los Angeles | UCLA, Pepperdine | |
| USC, Southwestern | ||
| Loyola Marymount | ||
| Long Island,NY | Hofstra, Touro | |
| Chicago | U. Chicago | |
| Northwestern | ||
| Loyola, DePaul | ||
| Chicago - Kent | ||
| John Marshall | ||
| Dallas-Ft.Worth | SMU | Population 5 to 7 Million
|
| Texas Wesleyan | ||
| Philadelphia | Penn, Temple | |
| Widener, Drexel | ||
| Villanova | ||
| Rutgers Camden | ||
| Houston | Houston, S. Texas | |
| Texas Southern | ||
| Miami | Miami, Fl International | |
| Nova, St. Thomas | ||
| Washington DC | Georgetown, GW | |
| American, Catholic | ||
| Howard, DCLS | ||
| George Mason | ||
| Atlanta | Emory, GA State | |
| John Marshall | ||
| Boston | Northeastern | Population 4 Million
|
| Harvard, BC | ||
| BU, Suffolk | ||
| New England | ||
| Detroit | Detroit Mercy | |
| Wayne State | ||
| San Francisco | Berkeley, Hastings | |
| USF, Golden Gate | ||
| Phoenix | Phoenix, ASU | |
| Orange Cty,CA | Chapman, Whittier | |
| Western State | ||
| Ontario | U. of La Verne | |
| Seattle | UW, Seattle U. | Population 2 to 3 Million
|
| Minneapolis | U. of Minnesota | |
| William Mitchell | ||
| Hamline, St. Thomas | ||
| San Diego | USD, Cal. Western | |
| Thomas Jefferson | ||
| St. Louis | Wash. U; St. Louis | |
| Tampa/St. Pete | Stetson | |
| Baltimore | U. Md.; Baltimore | |
| Denver | U. of Denver | |
| Pittsburgh | Pitt, Duquesne | |
| Portland OR | Lewis & Clark | |
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati, N. KY | |
| Cleveland | Case Western | |
| Cleveland State | ||
| Sacramento | Pacific McGeorge | Population 1.5 to 2 Million
|
| Orlando | Barry, FAMU | |
| San Antonio | St. Mary's | |
| Kansas City | U Mo. KC | |
| Las Vegas | UNLV | |
| Santa Clara | Stanford, Santa Clara | |
| Columbus, OH | Capital, OSU | |
| Indianapolis | U of Indiana | |
| Virginia Beach | Wm & Mary; Regent | |
| Austin | U of Texas | |
| Milwaukee | Marquette | |
| Durham, NC | Duke, NC Central | |
| UNC Chapel Hill | ||
| Nashville | Vanderbilt | |
| Jacksonville | Florida Coastal | Population 1 to 1.5 Million
|
| Memphis | Memphis State | |
| Louisville | Louisville | |
| Richmond | Richmond | |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City | |
| Hartford, CT | UConn | |
| Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo | |
| Birmingham | Samford | |
| Salt Lake City | U. Of Utah | |
| New Orleans | Tulane, Loyola | |
| White Plains,NY | Pace | |
| Tucson | U of Arizona | Population 750,000 to 1 Million
|
| Tulsa | U of Tulsa | |
| Honolulu | U of Hawaii | |
| Albany | Albany | |
| New Haven | Yale | |
| Dayton | Dayton | |
| Albuquerque | New Mexico | |
| Omaha | Creighton | |
| Baton Rouge | Louisiana State | |
| Columbia SC | U of South Carolina | Population 500,000 to 750,000
|
| Akron, OH | U of Akron | |
| Springfield MA | Western New England | |
| Knoxville | U of Tennessee | |
| Little Rock, AR | U of Arkansas | |
| Toledo, OH | Toledo | |
| Syracuse, NY | Syracuse | |
| Charleston, SC | Charleston LS | |
| Madison, WI | U of Wisconsin | |
| Des Moines IA | Drake | |
| Jackson, MS | Mississippi College | |
| Harrisburg, PA | Penn State, Widener | |
| Portland, ME | U of Maine | |
| Provo, UT | Brigham Young |
Population 250,000 to 500,000
|
| Winston-Salem,NC | Wake Forest | |
| Lansing, MI | Michigan State | |
| Spokane, WA | Gonzaga | |
| Lexington, KY | U of Kentucky | |
| Salem, OR | Willamette | |
| Tallahassee, FL | Florida State | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | U of Michigan | |
| Eugene, OR | U of Oregon | |
| South Bend, IN | Notre Dame | |
| Lubbock, TX | Texas Tech | |
| Lincoln, NE | U of Nebraska | |
| Boulder, CO | U of Colorado | |
| Gainesville, FL | U of Florida | |
| Waco, TX | Baylor |
Population 125,000 to 250,000
|
| Macon, GA | Mercer | |
| Topeka, KS | Washburn | |
| Champaign-Urbana | U of Illinois | |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | U of Alabama | |
| Lynchburg, VA | Liberty | |
| Charlottesville, VA | U of Virginia | |
| Athens, GA | U of Georgia | |
| Bloomington, IN | U of Indiana | |
| Columbia, MO | U of Missouri | |
| Lexington, VA | Washington & Lee | |
| Iowa City, IA | U of Iowa | |
| State College, PA | Penn State | |
| Morgantown, WV | West Virginia U | Population 75,000 to 125,000
|
| Goldsboro, NC | Campbell | |
| Lawrence, KS | U of Kansas | |
| Vermillion, SD | U of South Dakota | |
| Missoula, MT | U of Montana | |
| Ithaca, NY | Cornell | |
| Grand Forks, ND | U of North Dakota | |
| De Kalb, IL | Northern Illinois | |
| Cheyenne, WY | U of Wyoming | |
| Lewiston, ID | U of Idaho | Population 25,000 to 75,000
|
| Bristol, RI | Quinnipiac | |
| Concord, NH | Franklin Pierce | |
| Oxford, MS | U of Mississippi | |
| Carbondale, IL | Southern Illinois | |
| Lexington, VA | Washington & Lee | Population less than 10,000
|
| Ada, OH | Ohio Northern | |
| South Royalton, VT | Vermont | |
| Grundy, VA | Appalachian |
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