What is the right neighborhood for you?

Athens is diverse in almost every aspect from the variety of local music to the array of beers served at the numerous bars in town (Razz Wheat, anyone?).

This diversity is what makes the city unique; there are countless places to hike, bike or enjoy a cup of coffee. But when it's time to take a rest at home from everything Athens has to offer, choosing where to live isn't as simple as it might seem.Though many people might expect neighborhoods where Ohio University students live to be full of loud music and over-crowded parties, Athens actually has a number of niche neighborhoods. Here's a quick rundown of a few of the city's more prominent student areas:

Party Central
Since Athens is very much a college town, house parties are typical. But streets such as Palmer and Mill take this idea to the extreme. To begin with, both are notorious for their spring fests thousands of people crammed into houses barely able to hold them, along with live bands and multiple kegs.

Two-story beer bongs are a common sight from the second floor of houses. Instead of gardens and red roses, red Solo cups line the streets after an average weekend. Because the houses sit on flat land, most beer-pong tables are set up in the front yards. When they're not chugging brews, residents of Palmer and Mill sit on their porches.

"I love Palmer Street. I love hearing music outside houses on nice days and enjoying the atmosphere," said Meghan Calligan, an OU senior who lives on Palmer.

If constant partying and loud music are your idea of big fun, this neighborhood is perfect for you.

Hipster Hideaway
Hipster neighborhoods have a very different vibe than Party Central neighborhoods. Instead of porch parties, hipster neighborhoods enjoy live house bands and refrain from taking their parties onto the actual roadway.

Instead of cars pulling into driveways with the bass booming, bicycles are much more common. Most houses have gardens or plants (that are still alive) in lieu of piles of beer cans.

There are a few hipster neighborhoods around Athens; some of the more prominent streets that probably fall into this category are Smith, Walker, Franklin and Grovesnor. Franklin, which is off Carpenter Avenue, is a quiet one-way street home to many hipsters. Brian Pennington, an OU fifth year who lives on Franklin, agrees.

"Franklin is definitely hipstery," Pennington said. "Everyone is pretty nice. We get the 'hipster townies' like older hippy professors and students who just never left."

Vinyl records are also a frequent sight, Pennington said.

For those who appreciate quieter neighborhoods and riding bicycles, the Hipster Hideaway neighborhood is ideal.

Money Mayhem
Court Street has just about everything clothing stores, book stores, many places to eat and drink, tanning and hair salons, gift shops and even though it isn't very obvious at first apartments. Living uptown could be positive (everything is so close) but also negative (everything is so close). Would you really go anywhere else when everything you need is in one location?

Also, people who live in apartments on Court Street probably end up spending more money (and not only because apartments are pricey) than those who live down at Party Central, because they're more likely to grab a burrito when they live directly above it. If you enjoy the smell of subs 24/7, the apartments above Subway will have you dreaming of a chicken bacon ranch every night. Most of Athens' bars are located on the same street making it even more OK to have a beer while in your sweats.

"Living uptown is awesome because I can be at the bars within two seconds, so that's always a plus," said Logan Parcells, an OU senior who lives above the Casa Nueva restaurant. "It's also nice that my walk home after the bars is not a long walk."

Parcells admitted, though, that she misses having a porch and a yard to enjoy during the warm weather. Also, she's not as close to her neighbors because most of them keep their doors closed, she said.

Court Street is the best neighborhood for you if you value easy access to almost everything you'll need and don't mind hearing the bar's "open mic night" while you try to enjoy American Idol.

Greek Street
When you drive down College Street you'll notice a consistent theme huge Greek letters adorn each brick house. The houses are located in the center of campus, making the walk to class less dreadful.

For those who aren't a part of the Greek life, knowing what goes on inside of the fraternity and sorority houses may be a mystery.

Katy McKinnon, an OU junior and a second-year resident of the Alpha Gamma Delta house, said she loves living in the sorority's house. With 43 girls living in one house, the girls have a chef, cleaning crew and a house mother, Inez, who keeps them in line.

The rooms are split into two doubles, two triples and six suites. Each suite requires one girl to share a bathroom, TV room, two bathrooms and a closet with five other girls. To those not familiar with Greek life, this may sound horrid, but McKinnon recommends life in a sorority house to all girls.

"It's been one of the best experiences I've had at college," McKinnon said. "I live with 43 other girls which makes it easy to find someone to hang out with and means my wardrobe expands by a factor of 43 every time I come back to school."

If you're a part of Greek life, living in a neighborhood full of sororities and fraternities may be right for you if you don't mind a host of housemates.