SFGATE: San Francisco Bay Area - News, Bay Area news, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds - SFGate

The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org/web/20190825171112/https://www.sfgate.com/

SUBSCRIBE
Sign In

The colorful Venetian Hotel decorates downtown Capitola, Calif. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. Capitola's downtown features restaurants, wine tasting and shopping.

Not just the beach: NorCal's quirkiest oceanside towns

Michel Reeverts (cq), 35, of Denver, CO reacts at the icy blast of water delivered by "Just Tom," 49, of Lakeport, CA, who uses melted ice water from a five-gallon jug to cool down burners at Center Camp at Burning Man 2005, Thursday, September 1, 2005 in the Black Rock desert. "I get 150 hits from five gallons of water and expects to cool off 7000 people this year," he said. burnman2005 Chris Stewart / The Chronicle

The weird Burning Man rules visitors have to follow

Extraordinary gardens surround a Tiburon estate at 5 Mar Centro with four-bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.

'Like walking into a painting': Tiburon house has $1M garden

The Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park is the home of 999 happy haunts, but there is always room for one more as guests take a spirited tour aboard their doom-buggy. During the tour, guests glide past a rattling casket in the conservatory, head off to Madame Leota's spooky séance room, float by the Grand Ballroom and its waltzing apparitions, then take a spin through a cemetery. The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif., opened on Aug. 9, 1969.

These secrets are hidden inside Disneyland's spookiest ride

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 09: A sign is posted at the entrance to Presidio Terrace on August 9, 2017 in San Francisco, California. California couple Tina Lam and Michael Cheng purchased the streets and sidewalks of Presidio Terrace, a private cul-de-sac that features several multi million dollar mansions, for $90,000 at public auction. The couple was able to purchase the street and common areas when the home owner's association defaulted on the property tax for the street. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

These SF streets are tiny but they have the most expensive homes

100 best community colleges in America Choosing to attend a community college is a popular alternative to attending a four-year university, with an estimated 8.7 million undergraduates enrolled in public, two-year colleges during the 2016-17 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A 2019 study from TD Ameritrade found 36% of Gen Z students considered attending a community college before a four-year college, while 21% considered attending a community college instead of a four-year college. While there are many reasons to choose a community college over a traditional four-year program, one key factor is cost. Student Loan Hero reports that the average cost-per-credit for a two-year public school is $135 compared to $324.70 for a four-year public school. With cheaper classes comes slightly less pressure for students to settle on a career path immediately. Moreover, community colleges allow for flexibility: Students who work full-time can attend school part-time, while those who didn't excel in high school (and may have had a lower GPA) can have a second chance. Whether it's to save money or experiment with career choices, community colleges serve as an alternative and gateway to four-year universities. The cost of 4-year college is likely to be a substantial issue in the 2020 Presidential race. Several of the Democrats running for President, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, have endorsed plans that would make public colleges free in America. Others are more skeptical, proposing more modest loan-forgiveness schemes or free community colleges. Those changes would have substantial effects across the education sector. To determine where the best community colleges are located, Stacker looked at data from Niche's 2020 Best Community Colleges in America to compile this list of the top 100 community colleges in America. The data is based on rigorous analysis of academic, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with reviews from students and alumni. The community college list includes public junior colleges, public technical schools, and all other public, two-year colleges. Read on to see how community colleges across the nation stack up. You may also like: Best value small colleges in America This slideshow was first published on theStacker.com

Best community colleges in US list includes Bay Area