town and gown

1. In a college town, the relations between “town and gown” are those between the residents of the town and the students and faculty associated with the school, who in the past wore academic gowns. Such relations are often not friendly or pleasant.

Idioms and Phrases

The inhabitants of a college or university town and the students and personnel of the college, as in There used to be friction between town and gown but the new parking lots have eased it. The gown in this expression alludes to the academic robes traditional in British universities. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Both these spaces try to blur the boundary between inside and outside, town and gown.

From New York Times

It’s a mix of urban and rural, town and gown, and agriculture and industry.

From Washington Times

“Town and gown really came together to really lock down and enforce no more than 15 people gathering,” said Erin White, marketing director at Visit Bloomington, which tries to attract visitors to the city of 85,000.

From Washington Post

Reliant on institutions that once seemed impervious to recession, “town and gown” communities that have evolved around rural campuses — Cornell, Amherst College, Penn State — are confronting not only Covid-19 but also major losses in population, revenue and jobs.

From New York Times

At a reception this month, donors and university leaders comprising USC’s many boards of counselors gathered at the Town and Gown ballroom on campus for an opportunity to meet and mingle with new university President Carol L. Folt.

From Los Angeles Times