At around 47,000 permanent residents, Middletown is not vey big as far as cities go, but not very small as far as small towns go. As such, it has a dual character to it. West of the campus, you’ll find winding country roads, apple orchards and some gorgeous sunsets. In the opposite direction is the Connecticut River and an attractive downtown. What’s missing, IMO, is any sense of a thriving residential neighborhood within walking distance of campus. Thanks to decades of urban renewal, entire blocks of working class houses and businesses have been bulldozed only to be replaced by office space, parking lots and some public housing. None of which are bad in and of themselves (the one pubic housing project near campus is actually nicer looking than the dormitory next to it), but, taken together, they lack foot traffic, particularly at night. Consequently, there’s not much incentive to patronize the many inexpensive restaurants and bars that line Main Street for nearly a mile. There’s a definite Wesleyan bubble, but, because it’s Wesleyan, not many students look upon that as a problem.