Growing up in the suburbs, where there were rolling hills and the nearest business was a 10-minute drive away, was great for childhood. But at 18, I was ready for something else. So, for one glorious summer after high school graduation, I lived in Ocean City, and it convinced me that urban living was the only way to go.

Three cities later, I commute to the campus, but have taken a great liking to Prince George’s County, especially to College Park. And although the nightly swarm of university cops keeps me away from the party scene unless I have a place to crash, I’ve done my best to make the rounds to discover the best of what the area has to offer.

In my experience, putting forth a little extra effort to find the places where locals like to hang out can yield some great rewards. It’s sometimes difficult to do, but simply avoiding the chain restaurants and seeking privately owned businesses can get you a better deal, more interesting product and, many times, a better overall experience.

Take Franklin’s, located in Hyattsville and reviewed in yesterday’s Diamondback. You could go to Cornerstone Grill and Loft and get your drink on with the usual suspects and the usual brews – I’ve done it enough to meet some great people I’d never meet outside the newsroom – but at Franklin’s you’ll find a mix of town regulars, students searching for a quieter atmosphere, and best of all, beers hand-crafted with a little love.

Or, if you’re not of drinking age yet, try College Perk rather than Starbucks, China Cafe next to 7-Eleven rather than the food court’s Panda Express, or Vertigo Books rather than the campus bookstore, which is owned by Barnes and Noble. Supporting locally owned businesses is great for attracting smarter, higher-quality retail to the area – something students have been clamoring for years.

The best part about city life, even in smaller cities like these, is the wide variety of people you’d never meet in the sea of minivans and strip malls the suburbs have devolved into. We develop blinders as we walk around the campus and see so many people the same age as us, so it can be useful – and highly interesting – to take a second to really notice your surroundings when you’re in the checkout line at Wawa or walking or driving in an unfamiliar nearby area.

I’ve always enjoyed asking myself a lot of questions as I look around: What did that building used to be? What did this street look like 20 years ago? What job does that guy in front of me at the CVS have that he needs a pair of boots like that?

The downsides to urban areas, however, are present here as well. The city has a small homeless population, some panhandlers and a crime problem serious enough to keep me looking over my shoulder late at night.

If there’s anything I learned about the police beat, it was that this area draws a criminal element precisely because of the age group: When we’re young, we’re vulnerable. Drunk, more vulnerable. Out late at night, even more so. Combine all three – and you see a lot of it around here – we’re prime targets. But employing the same strategy I use when I’m looking for interesting stuff around town will also help keep you from being a crime victim.

Keep your head up, look around, hang with your homies and don’t forget there are great things to be found outside the little college world we spend so much time in.

Kevin Litten is The Diamondback’s chief news editor. He can be reached at kevindbk@gmail.com.