Davidson and Davidson College (September 6,2010)

Part of a perfect motorcycle ride on a wonderful late summer day, was my visit to Davidson on September 6. Davidson is some 30 miles from Charlotte and is just off NC-73/NC-115 with access also from I-85 (but I did not go via the highway). The college was founded in 1837 as Presbyterian Davidson College (the town the same year). Davidson itself is a small college town with a population of around 7,188 according to the last census and covers 5.1 square miles in area. Above is one of the campus buildings; while there watched the border collie which can be seen laying in the shade at far right catching a ball in true border collie fashion!

Building at left is Philanthropic Hall which was built in 1850. Davidson has under 2,000 students, but a long distinguished history having graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars. A private liberal arts school, it does compete in Division I athletics and has some notable successes to its credit in sports. The "Wildcats" play in the Southern Conference; the school has the second smallest enrollment of any Division I school. Among its notable students was Woodrow Wilson, a former President of the United States. As a private school, costs are high to attend, but some of the graduates and their history make the school costs worthwhile.
Davidson is a small college town. The town works hard to manage growth, and while filled with some beautiful houses both old and new also works to provide lower cost housing as well. I read that former Chesterfield resident and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is a resident of the town. It is a town where you often see joggers and bicyclists. For a town of its size, it has a number of parks and greenways. The local town square is also the site of a number of musical events during the year, and also various festivals. Many local businesses line Main Street, and there is also a Ben and Jerry's on the street. As would be expected of a college town there is also a very fine local coffee shop, and a very nice bookstore (side by side in fact). It is a beautiful and fun place to visit, and I have in the past brought visitors to the area there to walk around as I did during this visit, and to check out the local area. Davidson is near Lake Norman, another very popular spot in the area.
I had a great visit to the town and the school...but the ride went on; and I will be sharing some more posts on it in my next update to this blog.