what are the most intelligent cities in the world?
The top three:
Des Moines, IA
Stockholm, Sweden
New York City, NY
The bottom three:
Oh, some of those loser cities out there. Uh … you know, the ones with the universities. That shoot people.
Probably not Stoner, CO.
You might need to add some clarification to your question.
Boston is a major education captital and is home to some of the most prestigious universities in the world like Harvard and MIT. Even some of the “second-class” Boston schools like Boston University, Boston College, and Brandeis rank very high nationally and have some world-class programs of their own. I think that are over 100 colleges and universities in the greater Boston area.
Therefore, maybe Boston should be high on the list.
ok, clarification. Why is city X the most intelligent?
In the U.S. San Diego is supposted to have the highest percentage of college graduates and most Ph.D.'s per capita, although I have seen other cities make the claim, too.
UCSD, the Salk Institute, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and a bunch of biotech, etc.
Let’s just get this joke out of the way:
“Well, it’s not <city>! Anyone smart would have moved away years ago! HAHAHA!!”
This doesn’t seem to be much of a clarification. Define intelligent and its application and you may get more response. Intelligently designed? More college grads? More art opportunities?
I’ve seen the Ph.D. per capita claim made for Los Alamos, NM. Either the city or the county or perhaps both (it’s a tiny county, basically holding just the city of Los Alamos.)
Interestingly enough, I’m from Laredo, TX and they made a really big deal about this article while I was back home for Christmas break.
I might also add that the magazine (Men’s Health) listed Minneapolis, MN as the valedictorian of the list with Boston, MA being the salutatorian. I can’t find the original magazine article though.
One would suppose that due to many variable we commonly have with these “Most X in a city” questions, there are multiple lists. Basically, how do you define a city, or metropolitan area? Does Chapel Hill part of Raleigh/Durham? How do you define New York? The five boroughs, or the entire metro area?
I’ve always heard that Seoul has the most Ph.D.'s per capita (and I believe Crichton repeated that in Rising Sun). Depending on your definition of city, there are tons of small college towns that have a large amount of residents with Ph.D.s (the professors), and a small population (since the students are not residents).
Well, I did my share to bring down the average of both of those cities. Don’t blame me.
Here’s the Men’s Health ‘article’: Is Your City Stupid?
Ft. Wayne wins first prize, but Texas should get Honorable Mention for occupying 40% of the Bottom 5.
Heh Heh. Bottom 5 sounds like a queercore BAND NAME!
Nice try. Chicago, Illinois tops the list of the world’s smartest cities. Sure Boston has lots of nice universities but so does Chicago. Sure some European kids have a better primary educations. And other cities have higher percentages of college graduates. But we’ve got Cecil. 
You have to keep in mind that Laredo is a border town with over 98% of the population being Hispanic. IIRC Corpus Christi, while not a border town, also has ~95% Hispanic population. El Paso (while not in the top five) is also another border town with a strong Hispanic majority. I, myself, being a Hispanic understand that most of the people in my parent’s generation did not attend a higher university out of town (my mom graduated from the local community college, where my dad graduated from the local university only a few years ago). My only guess would be to say that it’s a cultural thing, and that most people who live in my home city are content to work jobs that ensure promotion and an eventual managerial position. I’m not sure how this is relevant to the thread topic though, and will gladly end my hijack.
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I’ve lived there. It’s nowhere close.
I’d offer Minneapolis as one.
Minneapolis is the smartest city I’ve run across. The only large city you can walk downtown at night. The only northern city with covered pedestrian bridges all over town to let you get around in snowy weather. And more cultural museums, theaters, parks and public project for any city its size.
The first city that came to mind was Boston and the second was San Diego. Yet I’ve never been to either.
I don’t fully agree with the criteria that was listed in the link:
The example they have given is certainly one measure of creativity, but very limited. Most of the creative people I know never apply for a patent.
Is quality a consideration?
That’s rather weighted toward the sciences, isn’t it? How about Nobel Prizes for Economics? Peace? And why born within the city limits? How about resides within? I spent perhaps one week in the city I was born in.
How about small towns? I know one place in Maine that has maybe four to six thousand residents. But when I stroll the streets, I recognize some of the names on the mailboxes. I know that the man who once owned the local newspaper was once described as “the most trusted man in America.” I know about some of the actors, writers, political leaders, and song writers who call it home. I know what the lady who dedicated the newest wing of the library was doing yesterday.
I’m off on a rant. Sorry. There is something to be said for savvy small towns.