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America's Smartest Cities

Sin City might want to rename itself Not-So-Bright City

By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 30, 2010 3:01 PM CDT

(Newser) – Sure, we usually take into account jobs, culture, climate, affordability, and a host of other data when moving to another place, but do you really want to be surrounded by a city full of blithering idiots? The Daily Beast crunches the numbers and comes up with the smartest cities in America:

  1. Boston: Being a Red Sox fan might not have seemed like the brightest move for decades, but ... Bean Town's residents moved up from last year's No. 3 spot. Daily Beast IQ: 176.68.
  2. Hartford-New Haven, Conn.: Hartford's 2 million souls have so far this year bought 2.2 million adult non-fiction books. DBIQ: 159.98
  3. San Francisco Bay Area: Some 26% of adults have bachelor's degrees, and 17% have graduate degrees. DBIQ: 156.69
  4. Raleigh-Durham, NC: Last year's No. 1 slipped down the chart a bit. DBIQ: 148.36
  5. Denver, Colo.: Holding steady at No. 5, the Mile High City's 2.5 million people chewed through 4 million works of adult non-fiction. DBIQ: 146.7.

    Click here
    for the whole list, including the dumbest city.

The Boston skyline is seen behind a fog bank and piles at a construction site across Boston Harbor, late Friday afternoon, Sept. 21, 2007, in Boston.
The Boston skyline is seen behind a fog bank and piles at a construction site across Boston Harbor, late Friday afternoon, Sept. 21, 2007, in Boston.   (AP Photo/Jaye Woodstock)
A couple walks through Boston Common past the Boston skyline at dusk, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007.
A couple walks through Boston Common past the Boston skyline at dusk, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007.   (AP Photo/Lisa Poole)
The Boston skyline is seen from the Charles River Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008.
The Boston skyline is seen from the Charles River Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 13 comments
YetAnotherCollegeKid
Dec 11, 2011 4:26 PM CST
Denver represent!
Deleted
Oct 31, 2010 9:19 AM CDT
I find it interesting that Las Vegas was rated the dumbest city. Millions of Americans fly in and leave their money there. How dumb can Vegas be? :<)
Fondue
Oct 30, 2010 10:08 PM CDT
Ha! Nashville, TN made 22nd out of 55!
 

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