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In Colorado, apparently.
Portfolio.com took education data from America’s 200 largest cities before ranking them by intelligence. The main criteria? The “collective brainpower” of the citizenry — from those who dropped out before high-school graduation to those who attained a graduate or professional degree.
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Colorado was the only state to take two spots in the top 10. The smartest city, Boulder, is home to the University of Colorado, which probably explains the high proportion of degree holders. Five out of every six people in Boulder have attended college. Many other top-ranked schools are college towns; Ann Arbor, Mich. is home to the University of Michigan, Durham, N.C. is home to Duke, and Washington has a handful of universities within city limits.
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The dumbest city on the list? Merced, Calif. Thirty-four percent of its residents left school before receiving a high-school diploma, and only 11% of residents have a bachelor’s degree.
The top 5 smartest cities are:
- Boulder, Colo.
- Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Washington, D.C.
- Durham, N.C.
- Fort Collins, Colo.
(via Portfolio)