3 Colo. cities rank among top college destinations

DENVER - Three cities in Colorado ranked high in a new listing of the nation's best cities in which to attend college.

Denver ranks fifth among the country's mid-sized cities.

Analysts at the American Institute of Economic Research compared the nation's 360 metro areas on factors including academic environment, quality of life and professional opportunities.

Boulder ranked No. 1 among small metro areas and Fort Collins ranked ninth in that same group.