Ames makes another online publication's list of best college towns. Livibility.com ranks Ames second on its list of 10 best college towns. The website says the city’s population is more than half Iowa State students, yet provides residents with excellent quality-of-life amenities, including affordable housing and an assortment of restaurants, cultural attractions, parks and walking trails. Livibility says it analyzed U.S. cities with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 and at least one college campus. The website also looked for cities with a high populations of 25- to 29-year-olds as an indicator of their ability to retain residents after graduation. Ithaca, NY was tops on the Livability list. State College, PA, Lafayette, IN and Champaign, IL round out the top five.