When any university or college comes to mind, the town they are located in follows. For The University of Alabama, it’s Tuscaloosa, for Duke University, it’s Durham, and for Pace, its Pleasantville. Every college has a town but not every one of these towns is a college town. The relationship between a college and its town depends a lot on whether or not the town is a college town.

Pleasantville, with its calm and peaceful community-oriented vibes, is not a college town. Even though it is just down the block from the entrance to the campus, it is clear that Pace does not overpower Pleasantville.

Because of that, it may seem like Pleasantville and Pace are at two ends of a spectrum and have no place to meet. In actuality, the two connect more often than you think.

Pleasantville is home to many establishments and resources that are essential for college life. Eateries are at the top of that list with the vast amount of food places around. Then, there is the train station at Memorial Plaza that takes passengers straight into Manhattan. Gas stations, supermarkets, and a post office are all at disposal for Pace students and are utilized daily.

With that alone, students are forced to experience and visit the town right next door. This may seem like an unequal trade-off, but that’s not entirely true.

Pleasantville residents can obtain memberships to Goldstein Fitness Center and indulge in the same facilities students use. The swimming pool, locker rooms, open courts, and workout center are all at their disposal with this membership. Along with that, all home games that the Setters host are open to the community as well.

Bill Colona, Director of Government and Community Relations at Pace University, weighed in and further enlightened me on the subject.

“We have a list of neighbors and community stakeholders with whom we communicate about events on campus,” he said. “A year ago we had about 500 members of the community on campus for the viewing of the solar eclipse.”

Students, along with staff and faculty, are also encouraged to visit the downtown Pleasantville area, especially since Pace is a member of the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce. The Farmers Market that takes place every Saturday at Memorial Plaza is another event where Pace students, faculty, and staff are delighted to be seen at.

The list can go on and on but to sum it up, no Pleasantville is not a college town but the relationship between the two groups is an extremely strong one and will only grow stronger over time.