The purpose of this research is to analyze the attributes of top-tier public institutions and their host municipalities to determine if there are common factors in how the organizations are structured, how they interact, and whether a symbiotic relationship exists that can benefit both entities. This research attempted to determine if cities under a certain population size will be more correlated to a top-tier university, and thus more dependent on that university as an economic driver, than a city with a much larger population or one with a more diverse economic portfolio (for example, Burlington, Vermont, as opposed to Seattle, Washington). The research also investigated whether smaller cities that demonstrate economic dependency on their higher education institutions are also more likely to have joint city-university programs than larger cities whose economies are more independent from their higher education institutions. The research then attempted to confirm whether a relationship with the host municipality enables a university to move up in the "U.S. News and World Report" (USNWR) rankings or if there are other benefits that can be obtained if both municipal and university administrators seek certain common goals. With the data obtained in this study, it is hoped that areas of cooperation will be discovered that can assist administrators in municipalities and higher education institutions in setting goals that are obtainable and realistic and that will propel a higher education institution upward in the rankings. The results of this research were then applied to seven "emerging" Texas public research universities as defined by the Texas state legislature to determine if the characteristics of host municipalities are predictive of the success of emerging public universities in Texas in attaining top-tier status. If a correlation can be found, then perhaps this research might be able to provide suggestions on how best to concentrate efforts toward attaining improved conditions and greater synergy between the emerging research institution and its host municipality. (Contains 6 tables.)