I've been lurking at this forum throughout my application process without saying anything, but I feel like I have to defend my hometown a bit here. I grew up in West Lafayette (15 years), and I have never heard of a paper factory or any soot from such factory. There is a corn syrup factory across the river in Lafayette which does occasionally emit a strange smell, but it's very infrequent. As for getting to major groceries stores and malls, I think a car is almost essential. My friends who went to Purdue for their undergraduate degrees either had cars or access to their parents' cars. There is no real grocery store or mall within walking distance.
But with that said, the campus is not at all covered in concrete, steel, and glass as one of the above posters indicated. The vast majority of the buildings are brick with lots of green space (open lawns, fountains, gardens, etc.). There are also many bars, coffee shops, and restaurants within walking distance. Bookstores, record stores, clothing, a movie theater, small ethnic grocery stores...all walking distance.
I currently live in Chicago, so I know West Lafayette is no big city, but living in a college town has its own perks.
Alright, end of sales pitch.
