Although the Northern Tier is some distance from campus, the perks of living in either Capstone Commons or Chandler Crossings — The Club, The Landings and The Village — outweigh the downfalls for many.
Leigh Ann Droscha, human biology junior and resident of Capstone Commons said the amenities of her complex are worth the distance from campus.
"It's nice to have a washer and a dryer right in your apartment," Droscha said. "They're pretty new, too."
Math education junior Natasha Oginsky, who lives at The Club at Chandler Crossings, said she agreed.
"There's always stuff happening in the club house," Oginsky said. "The gym's very nice, kind of small but it's not bad, there are always machines open. The tanning here is pretty cool and there's an indoor pool and jacuzzi."
This is Oginsky's second year in the Northern Tier.
Tenants for both Capstone Commons and the Chandler Crossings complexes receive a free bus pass and a Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, bus runs through the area on a regular basis.
"The bus comes right here," Droscha said. "The bus stop is right in front of the building."
Parking at Chandler Crossings and Capstone Commons is included in the rent. Students at Chandler Crossings must swipe ID cards to get through parking gates and they must have parking stickers on their windows, Oginsky said.
Oginsky said she decided to move to The Club after she got good feedback from her parents.
"These were new last year," she said. "Everything was nice, my parents liked them too. The bus system was easy and the apartments were clean."
The Northern Tier is known for being highly populated with students.
"It's not really that loud," Oginsky said. "It's really busy on Friday and Saturday nights. There'll be some parties here and there."
Droscha said the student volume doesn't affect her much, either.
"It's kind of loud on the weekends, but it's not bad at all on the weekdays," Droscha said.
Accessibility is a not a problem for Oginsky in Chandler Crossings, she said.
"Everything's available here and there's a lot to do," Oginsky said.
Both students say there are just a few drawbacks to living in the Northern Tier.
"It's far away from campus," Oginsky said. "And the speed bumps. I hate all the speed bumps that they've got."
She said she's also had some problems with the apartment management.
"The only problems I've had have been with management sometimes taking a slow time to get back with you about things," Oginsky said, adding that her apartment needed work before she could live there. "When we moved in this year our apartment wasn't cleaned at all."
Droscha said she hasn't had any major disappointments with living in Capstone Commons.
"Everything here is how I expected it," she said. "The only real drawback is how far away it is from campus.
"They're just real nice apartments."
