"Smartest Cities" In America List: Is Your City On It? (VIDEO)

CNN took a list that is circulating from the Daily Beast in which they rank the 55 "smartest cities" in America. The list focuses on metropolitan areas with more than a million people. Coming in first was Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Bringing up the rear was Fresno, California.

Among the criteria the Daily Best used for their rankings were: residents with bachelor's and graduate degrees; nonfiction book sales; higher education institutions; and participation in elections.

Watch the CNN report below, and tell us in the comments if you think a city is ranked too high, too low, and what other criteria you would use for ranking the smartest city in America.

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Comments

[Bounceem]

Haven't checked out the list yet, but I'm betting Wasilla is nowhere on it.

[Attikai]

I wish posts like this would just give us a text list. So here is this is for the rest of you. Here's the top ten (sweet my city made it):

#1, RALEIGH-DURHAM

#2, SAN FRANCISCO-­OAKLAND-SA­N JOSE

#3, BOSTON

#4, MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

#5, DENVER

#6, HARTFORD-NEW HAVEN

#7 (tie), SEATTLE-TACOMA

#7 (tie), WASHINGTON, DC

#9, PORTLAND, OR

#10, BALTIMORE

[Forester]

Fresno: "The race to the bottom wasn't even close." ouch
SF Bay Area #2 - yay, now if my Bears can only beat UCLA tomorrow.

[Bobzmcishl]

Not too smart. Bears are playing UCLA next weekend. Bye week this week.

[Forester]

thanks

[Estin Vogel]

Yay Boston!!!!

[deckard70]

Even if a population is smart, the local officials are still illiterates. Boston for example came in 3rd because of its universities, but the cops will still go after Moonites with clubs.

[LMPE]

My Portland only came in 9th, but that's OK. I suspect that the stupidest cities are often the ones where a sizable part of the population believes the earth to be 6,000 years old.

[Bobzmcishl]

Look how far down the list Houston and Dallas are - the dumber the city the more conservatives live there.

[HSC55]

I think it is great that they included how many people vote in elections! That is a great indicator of intelligence. If you pay attention to news, local events and local issues, you should want to vote. If you don't care because you are sitting on your fat a** all day watching soaps or sports, then I don't think you'd care enough to vote.

[Stephane Gaudette]

George Carlin didnt vote and he was far from being an idiot

[Hirnlego]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk

[Jibba-Jabba]

Should be Durham-Raleigh.

[Haditup2here]

In all fairness, it should be RTP.

[Jibba-Jabba]

wrong. RTP is a small enclave of industry, not a metro area.

[Jibba-Jabba]

in fairness, it should be "Chapel-Hill/Durham and Raleigh"

[kerrya]

Are you from NC?

[blukazoo]

How does "participation in elections" indicate "smartness"? Not sure I see a connection--anyone can vote.

[Jibba-Jabba]

ummm... 'cause if you don't vote, then you're an !diot.

[Chem is she]

But not "anyone" does.

[BlackJAC]

How exactly does the home of Harvard and MIT rank below Raleigh-Durham!?

[Haditup2here]

Perhaps it was the number of degrees among residents.

[BlackJAC]

How many of those Raleigh-Durham degrees came from diploma mills or unaccredited Bible schools?

[CrazedSurfer]

Change.

[Jibba-Jabba]

'cause all the Harvard & MIT grads move down here.

[DannyRose]

Boston metro area is much larger.

[anachoret]

Representing number 4.
Home of Paul Wellstone, Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, to name just few.

Go Twin Cities!

[Angry1541]

Bachmann must've cost at least one point in the rankings...:)

[anachoret]

I hope they don't count her district as part of the twin cities. It's an embarrassment we'd rather the country didn't associate with us.

[TFDNYC]

Indianapolis is smarter than Chicago? Philly's smarter than New York? Give me a break. What nonsense.

[streem84]

New York isn't just Manhattan. Chicago isn't just universities and skyscrapers.

[Chilblain]

Cities blow. People climbing all over each other like rats in a cage.
Give me the country. Space, quiet, natural beauty, privacy. Nuff said.

[blukazoo]

Ah yes, the country: where the men are men and so are the women...and the sheep are nervous.

[CrazedSurfer]

Now that is funny. But I prefer a rural coastal area, and I ain't messing with no crab.

[MontanaSouth]

You mean Wyomig? (Sorry, just a reflex)

[bernbart]

I live in a well educated burb in Silicon Valley. Most people in my neighborhood have advanced degrees.
Did they determine good fiction writing vs. popular fiction? Did they determine where these people got their college education?

[HSC55]

don't know how to read? The article says METRO areas with 1 million or more people. Therefore, your suburb wasn't even considered~!

[bernbart]

LOL. Fresno, CA. Oh Come on. This must be a joke. Fresno is not exactly the cultural wonder of CA.

[Julia Bailey]

That's why they are 'bringing up the rear'. That means they aren't high on the list.