America's Smartest Cities - From First to Worst - The Daily Beast

[MattSh]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities---from-first-to-worst?cmpid=p_yahoo

1. Raleigh-Durham
2. San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose
3. Boston
4. Minneapolis - St. Paul
5. Denver

and more....

The link for the rankings is near the end of the story. (Paragraph 7) Methodology is probably a bit suspect, but a good topic for conversation!

Comments on this page too. They do bring up some good points in the comments section, although who knows how much that would change the ultimate rankings...

[ccharles000]

1. k/r for North Carolina

[armyowalgreens]

2. Phoenix got 49th.

Embarrassing but in no way surprising.

[depakid]

3. Raleigh-Durham?

Sorry...but

:rofl:

You can't even get a BUS from the airport (which is complete with a church so travelers can pray before getting on the plane). With its sprawl and lack of any discernible land use planning- it's one of the least sustainable cities around. Good luck living there during the decade of oil depletion.

(Chock full of fundies, too- but that's another matter).

[tavalon]

4. It's talking about the people, not the city planners

[depakid]

5. People make the city- but double for a lot of the people...

Every single time I've been there, I hear things that would make your jaw drop to the ground.

Let's just say- not the sharpest tools in the shed nor very well read, unless the bible "Christian" books are your cup of tea. The paper sucks as well. Makes the Oregonian look erudite (which is quite the task).

[eridani]

12. The sanity (and smarts) is all in the Research Triangle area

Leave those confines, and teh stupid ramps up quickly.

[bertman]

35. Unless you go west toward Chapel Hill, where teh libruls rule. Beyond there the ignant

goes up exponentially. Still, a lot of good people despite bein' ignant.

[DaveinJapan]

6. Don't all airports in America have a chapel?

Or do you mean a full-sized church?

Seems to me like nothing out of the ordinary either way.

Now not being able to get a bus from the airport...THAT'S Satanic. :evilfrown:

[depakid]

8. Maybe in the Southeast....

This one's pretty prominent, too. And yep- ya gotta catch a cab.

Went to a graduation once at NC State. And what do I hear to open up the ceremony? A denominational Babtist prayer. Granted this was some few years back, but from what I can tell- the local sentiments haven't changed all that much.

Not to rag too much on the research triangle- but the smartest city? Please.

[whathehell]

14. I believe so.

O'Hare ,in Chicago has one.

Maybe we could give the anti-religion stuff a little rest?:eyes:

[tavalon]

40. Wow, I don't pay attention at airports

or the chapels are tucked away really well. I haven't ever seen one and I've been in a lot of airports.

[DaveinJapan]

42. They are tucked away pretty good

but I'm certain I've seen a few here and there.

I can confirm there's one at Logan Airport in Boston anyway, I know I've seen others but that's the only one who's location I remember clearly (between B and C terminals iirc, in the walkway somewhere).

[whathehell]

43. No, I guess you don't. There's a chapel at Dulles Airport and one in Atlanta too.

[tavalon]

47. I believe you

I'm just surprised I never noticed.

[Skittles]

49. they are tucked away, for less noise and privacy

the are at most of the larger airports and welcome all faiths

[AsahinaKimi]

7. Yay San Francisco!

TAKE THAT ... BILL O'REILLY YOU JERK WAD!!

[provis99]

9. No surprises about what were the dumbest cities.

I think all of the bottom twenty were in the Southwest or South. That is, the Red states.

[Richardo]

11. Except for Sacramento, Detroit, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Harrisburg and Frenso.

[ThomWV]

19. You could sum them all up by saying Texas.

[AspenRose]

28. Austin's #12

And is the top rated city of all the Texas metro areas.

[TxRider]

46. And to be fair

Texas universities are spread out in the smaller college towns outside the metro areas at well under a million pop, which was the cutoff point.

Austin has basically grown from a smaller college town, it doesn't have a million population either unless you count the outlying towns in the metro area.

Texas is 4th in the nation in number of colleges in the state.

[redqueen]

32. ... they didn't even bother ranking any WV cities.

Any guesses as to why?

[AspenRose]

34. *giggle*

You bad. :spray:

[Richardo]

10. ...and coming in dead last at #55: The home of Free Republic - Fresno, CA

#55, FRESNO (CA.)



Metro Area Population: 1,335,429



Daily Beast IQ Score: 3



The race to the bottom wasn’t even close. The largest city in California’s San Joaquin breadbasket, Fresno, had deficiencies across the board. College education (less than 20 percent of the local population have four-year degrees), graduate studies, academic institutions (not much besides Fresno State), book purchases, voter engagement—it ranked in the worst 5 percent in almost all of our categories. Problems with gangs and crystal meth tend to deter the best and brightest.

:rofl: VOTER ENGAGEMENT!!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities---from-first-to-worst/?cid=bs:archive9#gallery=787;page=55

[AspenRose]

29. Gangs and crystal meth.

And they have the nerve to slam "urban" cities...you know, areas that aren't "real America."

They better look in their own backyard...

[bdamomma]

13. oh well Providence made number 22

big sister Boston beat us.:-(

[Engineer4Obama]

15. Woot Baltimore got #10

[bigwillq]

16. Woo Hoo! Hartford-New Haven No. 6!!!

:bounce:

[Le Taz Hot]

17. I'm in Fresno

and of course, I have issues with the study but it won't make any difference. People here will take it as more sacred than the Bible. So, I'll just say, please keep in mind that there are many smart, progressive people here that don't deserve that label. I know I'm pissing against the wind here but I thought I'd just get that in.

LTH,
Fresno

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

38. Loved the mini-series! nt

[Le Taz Hot]

39. It's SO much fun making fun

of poor, brown people, ain't it? They're a riot!

[RockaFowler]

18. We're 31, We're 31

The West Palm Beach area is the highest ranked city in Florida??? Wow, just wow

[supernova]

20. *grin*

:D

It's true, this place is nerd central.

:silly:

Nice to be recognized for it, though.

[Enrique]

21. thier website designer must be from Fresno n/t

[Soylent Brice]

22. Cincinnati: #43

Metro Area Population 2,155,137

Daily Beast IQ Score: 72

Cincinnati can still hold its own with coastal cities in terms of size and wealth. Even though it is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, which bring in a big stack of tax dollars every year, the area scored in the middle for bachelor’s and graduate degrees per capita. Book sales were lousy—bottom 10 percent, per capita.



not shocked.

[saltpoint]

25. Plus you folks have LaRosa's pizza, which is some of the yummiest

pizza there ever was.

Cincinnati is one of the country's most beautiful cities.

I hope the Corbett theater program is alive and well. 'Saw a good handful of wonderful performances there.

[Soylent Brice]

37. not a big fan of LaRosa's, or Snappy's. i am however a fan of:

and



and



cincy, she is beautiful, but she is decaying slowly.

we have this: http://www.freedomcenter.org/
which is awesome.

we get by.

not much going on at patricia corbett. just went to see what tickets were available. nada. didn't see any upcoming show listings.

:shrug:

[saltpoint]

48. Skyline! Have to admit, it's loads of fun. Tasty, quick, very Cincinnati.

[Celebration]

23. Uh, did they leave out Houston??

This is designed to optimize clicks on the website.

[AspenRose]

33. Number 46, tied with Orlando

Dallas: 48

San Antonio: 53

Austin: 12

[Blue_Tires]

24. Providence was #21?? Holy DAMN....

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

26. RI used to come up as having the most artists per capita.

I always thought that was a neat statistic.

Not for nuttin' but Rhode Island has the best food in the country!

[Blue_Tires]

30. yeah, i found it to be a VERY artsy, intellectual haven

[Fastcars]

36. Seems To Equate Education....

with intelligence. Cities that are education centers are going to do very well on a ranking that gives so much weight to having a degree. Even the criterion "non-fiction books purchased" favors education centers. Who buys more non-fiction books than educators and college students?

And Phoebe, I can't really say how good the food in RI is or isn't, never been there, but I have spent a lot of time in the surrounding states. I think the food here in Louisiana will give RI a run for their money.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

27. Excuse me - # 6 Hartford-New Haven??!!!

I don't think anyone combines Hartford with New Haven or mistakes them for one another. They are about 40 miles apart!

[scheming daemons]

31. So.... the top 11 are all in "blue" states.... 9 of worst 14 are in "red" states....

Why doesn't that surprise me?

[taterguy]

44. #1 is a purple state

Obama was the first Dem that won here since Carter in 76.

The Senate seats flip flop.

The reason RDU has a lot of "brain power" is that it was a political pay-off.

NC Guvner Terry Sanford was the first Southerner to endorse JFK.

So when the EPA needed a new headquarters they chose to locate it at the Research Triangle Park that was one of Sanford's pet projects.

[Odin2005]

41. Yay Minneapolis!

[sakabatou]

45. I live near #2