Although the small, seemingly insignificant dash separating Champaign from Urbana in our university’s title may not seem like much, this could not be further from the truth.

Champaign-Urbana. Urbana-Champaign. Either way you slice it, our beloved university will always be split between two cities. What does that mean for students? Well, a lot, actually. Because the differences between Urbana and Champaign are so absolute, living on one side of the tracks could potentially transform your entire college experience.

For instance, Champaign has long been regarded as “the” place to live. Obviously, this depends where in Champaign you live, but generally speaking, Champaign has a lot to offer. The ARC, the new Ikenberry dining hall, the majority of campus bars, and most fraternities and sororities all lie on the west side of Wright Street. Living in Champaign also means closer access to all the restaurants and food places. There’s a reason the Hot Dog Guy didn’t open up a stand in Urbana. That being said, it might seem like the students who live in Urbana must be missing out on something, right?

I would argue that this is not true. Urbana, with its quiet neighborhoods and beautiful engineering quad, has a home-y touch that Champaign just cannot match. On a crisp fall Saturday morning, it is much more likely to hear the soft crunch of leaves, as opposed to Keystone Light cans, under your feet. Urbana boasts the Arboretum, the Japan House, those sacred Morrow Plots, and the University’s only public Jacuzzis. Sure, the ARC may be one of the largest student workout facilities in the country, but you can play water volleyball at CRCE and soak in a hot tub afterward!

For music lovers, Urbana has the Canopy Club, which hosts different live shows. For those unlucky freshmen who are not yet 19, it is also one of the only bars on campus that you only have to be 18 to enter.

Living in Urbana means it’s very likely you will be riding your bike to class, even if the entirety of the Quad actually is in the “Urbana” part of campus. Campus housing, such as Busey-Evans, PAR and FAR, Allen and LAR, and ISR, are all located in Urbana. Accurately pegged, FAR may be disadvantaged because of the hike residents have to take to get to their first classes, but it’s kiddy-corner from the Illini Grove, where the October Lovers club has campfires, cookouts and roast marshmallows all month long. Sounds like a perk to me.

For sports enthusiasts, Champaign has the ultimate advantage, with both Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall situated in the southwest corner of the campus. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of walking two miles home from the Assembly Hall in January knows how privileged those students are who live in the Six-Pack. Sure, you might have air conditioning in Busey Hall, but those “Six-Packers” are only a hop, skip and a jump away from game time.

Obviously, you are free to choose where you live on campus. While location is definitely an important factor in choosing where you live, it is certainly not the only factor. Budgets, roommates and housing all play a role, too.

My advice is to live in both cities if possible. It’s the best way to see everything that the campus has to offer throughout your four years here, and a change in zip code is needed sometimes. That way, when you graduate you can truthfully say you went to school in Champaign-Urbana.