Central State University draws a of students from cities in the Midwest such as Indianapolis, Detroit, and Chicago. Students from these cities sometimes struggle to adapt to small town life in Wilberforce, Ohio.
“Central State is close to a lot of different farms and small roads,” Chicago native and CSU junior Morgan Mayfield said. “It is extremely hard to see at night solely depending on my headlights, since there are no street lights.”
Central State is located in Wilberforce, Ohio, a locality in Xenia Township. Wilberforce is home to a Speedway Service Station, the Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, and three small colleges. The city of Xenia, with a population of roughly 26,000 people, is located four miles away on State Route 42. There aren’t many entertainment options in Xenia, though the city is home to a growing number of restaurants. Columbus and Cincinnati are each about an hours drive from campus. Dayton is about a half hour away be car.
Senior Business Major Jade Irving came to Central from Detroit. “Ohio has a completely different atmosphere, and everything about it seems more safe and slow,” she said. “However, Detroit has better food than what I've tasted here.”
Columbus native Jala Durant said that she had never been around horses and farms until attending Central State. Columbus, informally known as “cowtown,” is actually the largest city in Ohio.