Don't you just love a good survey? I mean a survey that makes you look G_O_O_D! Who knew anyone was interested in which city in America was the SMARTEST?! Seriously?!?
Actually, as I read the criteria I KNEW we were in the running...
Two main criteria:
- EDUCATION
- INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT
I'm listening....
EDUCATION = how many degrees...oh, I know we are contenders
INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT = Oh just wait....
- # of non-fiction books purchased - "intellectual vigor" don't you know...
- ratio of institutions of higher learning - pffftttt...no contest...
- eligible voters who voted in the last election
= political engagement
I'm sorry, I know it sounds like I am laughing or disbelieving or something. The truth is that while I am happy to find things that elevate my city (well, that, in itself, is disingenuous since we are three or more cities here) to greater stature, still, I do find humor in this sort of thing.
Don't get me wrong...I love living in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, smallish cities near a bigger city, Durham, near the state capitol , Raleigh; where I can take a college level class at UNC or have a picnic in the Duke Gardens. I can catch the Stanley cup winning Hurricanes hockey team or the world class rock band U2 at the RBC Center. I can see Taylor Hicks in Grease or Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson at the DPAC. Did I mention that 5 star restaurants abound here?
I like having an airport nearby where I can get on something other than a prop plane or even get a non-stop flight to London. I like being 2 hours to the beach or two hours to the mountains...I can spend the weekend at my family beach house or my friends mountain place and still be home for work on Monday.
Life here is pretty sweet...but "better because we are smarter"? Not so much...
It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!
SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate professional in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina with over 60,000 hours of experience. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers, home buyers and investors in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County and is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas #1 independent realty company.
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The smartest? Hmmmmm I'm not sure I've heard of a smart city. But if everyone can work on the beach....like you....that's pretty smart.
SarahGray,
I am just another lucky mope who feels blessed to be here.
I will leave "smart" for the geniuses!
@ Karen...now I KNOW you are jealous! Wanna come hang out at the beach next year? ;-)
@ Mike - Doncha just love it?
Hi Sarah Gray~ Maybe they have checked the IQ of everyone that lives there and they just forgot to tell that... Just teasing. I understand your point!
I hear Cary ranks fairy high too! LOL
@ Vickie - I suppose that could happen! LOL
@Linda - without a doubt!
Do they allow fluoridated water there? I would bet that they don't.... There are plenty of reports (just google fluoride and intelligence) that show how fluoridated water can have measurable adverse affects on intelligence...
Here's one: http://www.fluoride-journal.com/00-33-2/332-74.pdf
@Bill - wow...don't know. But I'm brushing my teeth as we speak and I'm pretty sure there is fluoride in my toothpaste...good thing there are other smart people here cuz I'm clearly toast ;[)
Fluoride in your toothpaste isn't necessarily that bad, as long as you don't swallow it. Look at the label, Most of the labels say that if you ingest more than a pea sized amount, to contact Poison Control Immediately.... Fluoride was first used as rat poison, and has become one of the biggest frauds ever perpetuated on the public in many countries. Fluoride is actually the byproduct of Aluminum and some metal productions, and is a poisonous toxic waste.... How the medical community was duped into allowing it into our water supplies is baffling.... It may be why our animal populations are seeing such problems nowadays... I'm not a rabid environmentalist by any means, but people need to wake up to the reality that we are allowing our local governments to get paid to dump toxic waste into our water supplies.... Someone is making money off of this, and it really needs to stop....
Google the subject, and you'll soon find out the truth about this.... Here's another video that helps shed more light on the topic:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5329003820626343107#
Well, congratulations, SarahGray. How does it feel to be surrounded by so many smart people? You should be able to go to the local pub and solve the world's problems.
LOL @ Jane! I think a pub is where they brewed up the idea fo the survey...or maybe it was a wine bar....
SarahGray Living close to the beach and mountains is probably why so many intelligent people live there :) Karen
Isn't it curious the surveys these sites come up with? I'm glad to see Seattle/Tacoma is in the top 10. Fun to review and read.
@Karen - Point taken....I'd have to agree!
@Colleen - Yes and if I take my tongue out of my cheek I have to note that the cities listed are pretty cool cities!
SarahGray - Way to represent for the South. I check the list and not one Texas city even made the top 10. Oh oh.
So was there a "dumbest" city?
Oh Judy, I am SO sure we don't want to go there! There are 55 cities on the list...I'm thinkin'we have more than that in the USA so probably not worth any of them racing to the bottom for that honor! ;-D
SarahGray - I wasn't TOO surprised, but I thought there might have been a couple of other cities with more PhD's than us!
Hi Sarah Gray. It's difficult for me to believe that Seattle tied with Washington DC for #7 LOL ~ Lana