The 10 most BaylorProud cities in America
Raise your hand if this has happened to you: You’re walking through the grocery store (or the airport, or Disney World, or the Great Wall of China…), and you spot that unmistakable Baylor green and gold on a shirt or cap. Then comes the universal nod of acknowledgement, if not the all-out “SIC ‘EM!” and “You went to Baylor too?!”
Those don’t have to be the only times you meet fellow Bears. Baylor Alumni hosts hundreds of events across the country each year, where alumni (and others) meet old and new friends, network, discuss Baylor news, and of course, cheer on the Bears. Naturally, the more Baylor people live in an area, the more events like these that city is likely to host — and not surprisingly, the top five metropolitan areas for Baylor alumni are all in Texas:
1. Dallas-Fort Worth (~35,000 Bears). Just 90 miles up I-35 from Waco, DFW takes the crown for the most Baylor alumni in a single metro area. And since it’s such a big area, the Metroplex has sub-groups to gather Bears in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Collin County.
2. Houston (~18,000 Bears). The biggest city in the state is home to the second-largest number of Bears. A group of local professionals meets monthly for networking, while the Women’s Council of Houston brings together Baylor women who love BU.
3. Waco/Central Texas (~15,600 Bears). Another no-brainer, as increasing numbers of Bears are deciding to stay right here after graduation and continue enjoying what campus and the city have to offer.
4. Austin (~9,600 Bears). Just 90 miles south of Baylor, many Bears choose to settle in our state’s capital (even if means living in UT territory).
5. San Antonio (~5,900 Bears). If every single San Antonio Bear stood fingertip to fingertip in one big line, they’d stretch the entire length of the Riverwalk. (If anyone can get that to happen, let us know. For real. We want pictures.)
Of course, there are plenty of Baylor alumni who live outside the Lone Star state, too. These are the five cities outside of Texas with the most Bears:
1. Denver (~2,100 Bears). These “Mile High Baylor Bears” love getting together for everything from Baylor watch parties to service projects.
2. Washington, D.C. (~1,900 Bears). If you’ve ever been to our nation’s capitol, you know what it takes to brave the traffic and D.C. Metro to meet up with friends. But these Bears do it regularly to support their alma mater and keep in touch with their Baylor family.
3. Los Angeles (~1,600 Bears). California’s Baylor population has exploded in recent years; besides L.A., there are also big contingents of Bears in San Francisco (900) and San Diego (600).
4. Atlanta (~1,200 Bears). Peaches, southern drawls, verandas, Spanish moss, historic sites… Hopefully we’ll soon be adding “Baylor Bears” to the list of things Georgia is famous for!
5. Nashville (~1,100 Bears). The connections between Texas and Tennessee run all the way back to Sam Houston and Davy Crockett, and today you’ll find a big Baylor family in the Country Music Capital of the World.
Cities like these benefit from having 1,000+ Bears nearby, but it doesn’t take huge numbers to have regular family gatherings, even hundreds or thousands of miles from Waco. For instance, there are smaller (but fiercely BaylorProud) Alumni groups in many other cities — Seattle, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Phoenix, New York City and more — that meet regularly for Baylor events such as watch parties, Summer Send-Offs, networking, and just to chat about the latest Baylor news. (To be clear, anyone who loves Baylor is welcome at Alumni events — graduates, parents, students, and other friends of BU!)
If you haven’t found the Baylor family in your area yet, there’s no better time than now. Whether or not your city is listed above, you can find the Bears near you (and/or Bears with shared interests) at baylor.edu/alumni, and on social media (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn).
Sic ’em, Baylor alumni!