Apartment hunting is a joy

This past week I signed a lease for a house and ended a four-month-long period where I didn't know where I was going to call home next year.

After searching in almost every nook and cranny of Auburn, I discovered parts of Auburn I have never even seen in my four years of college.

I ventured down roads I had seen, but never driven down. I looked in apartment complexes that I had never heard of. I scoured realty websites daily for new listings.

And after four months of searching, I realized something: Auburn has a lot to offer.

From location to square footage to giant houses built in the '50s, you can find whatever you want in this small town.

I urge everyone to step out and find his or her part of Auburn to call home. If you have stayed in the same apartment unit for two years, move!

After my graduation in December, I will have stayed at four vastly different locations in my time at Auburn, and I think it has made me appreciate all that Auburn has to offer.

My freshman year I stayed in the Lower Quad. Waking up at 8:55 a.m. for a 9 a.m. class is something everyone should experience once. Sharing a bathroom with three other guys wasn't ideal, but it makes you appreciate what you have.

After a year on campus I was ready to stretch my legs. I moved to a condo behind Wal-Mart. Having a supercenter beside you is convenient in any circumstance.

The following year, I moved to the complete other side of Auburn I had forgotten existed during my time on the south side.

A two-year stint on the north side of College Street led me to the realization that there was another place to buy groceries besides Wal-Mart, and there were more restaurants in Auburn besides the cluster of fast-food venues that were minutes away from my old spot.

As my second year on this side wraps up, I'm looking forward to the fourth location, an old house located closer to campus and the cheapest option in my four years.

Four different rooms, three different transit lines and two different primary grocery stores.

In my time researching where to live, I found many people stick to the same handful of locations and think there aren't any other options. I toured a house across from Kiesel Park, a condo above Moe's Southwestern Grill and found many duplexes behind the University Mall; there are options out there.

I've seen what Auburn has to offer. I hope you will too.