Lyceum-The Circle Historic District · Photo: The original uploader was Enjoybeta at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in University
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 24 acres are parks and preserves, 4.5 per 1,000 residents. 3% of University’s land is conserved, about 14 acres.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns · #33 of 101 in Mississippi. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is University?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does University have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, University is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns, #33 of 101 in Mississippi. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Mississippi towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so University’s 3% is ahead of 57% of Mississippi towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
14 conserved acres
3% of University’s land. Who manages University’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Grove Local Park | Other state land | 10 | Open |
| Silver Pond Park Local Park | Other state land | 4 | Open |
1 places to go in University
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
May is the best month for walking in University
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 56 | 65 | 74 | 81 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 85 | 75 | 63 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.9 |
August is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.0 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in University →
Questions about parks and trails in University
How much of University is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Mississippi town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on University’s trails?
The Grove and The Circle don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in University?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near University?
1,640 acres of parks and open public land lie inside University or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 24 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does University have?
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #33 of 101 in Mississippi. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from University neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →