But it really doesn't compare well with most any other college town.
First, a lot of college towns are right on the doorstep of the University - South Bend a couple miles away
Second, while better than my day (hardly anyone ventured into town - now there are a few places where kids go - and there was no Eddy Street Commons) I'd still say most of the everyday social events occur on campus.
Third, if you are picking your University based solely on party life and social events and the surrounding town, you're probably not going to fit at ND anyway.

I'm sure the piece was slanted, but we all know South Bend is not Austin (or name your college town).

These two cities are outliers because both are the State capitals. Both cities have the benefit of being the State's seat of power which attracts a large amount of money which leads to high paying white collar jobs, economic development and gentrification.

Many, if not the majority, University towns exist because of the large State University. That is not the case with South Bend, Austin or Madison.

I'll add to your other valid points the notion that Notre Dame does not enjoy the near-universal support of South Bend citizenry in ways that I've witnessed with respect to Mizzou here in Columbia.

And that makes perfect sense.

While many South Bend-area residents are ardent supporters of Notre Dame (including but not limited to its athletic programs), many are not.

Here, almost everybody views Mizzou as their school. Many are alumni, or parents of students or alumni. Even for those who aren't, Mizzou is "the" state school.

I've only been to Durham once, so I don't have much basis upon which to opine, but I wouldn't be surprised if the "town-gown" relationship there more closely resembles South Bend than, for instance, Columbia, due to Duke being a private institution.

But Notre Dame's relationship with the community is further exacerbated by its religious foundations, unlike present-day Duke.

I wouldn't put this at the top of the list of factors which might make a college student less enamored of South Bend than, say, Austin or Madison. For most young people, it would take a while to figure out the dynamics.

But I do think it's in the mix somewhere. I think it's objectively true that South Bend isn't as "welcoming" to students as lots of other places -- and I offer that not as a criticism, but simply as a natural consequence of the factors I cite.