BG Without BGSU

Bowling Green, Ohio, is a small city that would be even smaller if it weren't for Bowling Green State University.

The university enrolls over 17,000 students, according to the university's Office of Institutional Research. Those students breathe life into the Bowling Green community, each bringing a unique set of needs and interests.

The businesses of Bowling Green are there to provide for the university's students who call Bowling Green home for their college career. The students transform the atmosphere of the city, by going to restaurants, buying groceries, buying entertainment, renting apartments and more.

It's easy to see that the university is a vibrant and notable part of Bowling Green. But what happens in the summer months, when many students leave the city? Are Bowling Green businesses so student-oriented that they can't survive without them? How do these businesses make it in the summer months? How does the city's overall atmosphere change?

Our project, BG Without BGSU, looks at the ways students of the university affect local businesses, and the city of Bowling Green as a whole. We talked to business owners, workers and town residents to see how their lives are different without the influx of students.