Most Educated US Cities
Jun. 6th, 2006 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebToday I found a report on the most educated cities in the US. Specifically, percentages of residents over the age of twenty-five with at least a bachelor's degree were calculated. I believe that only large cities were observed, but I can't find that information now.
I figured my city would be on this list. We have a huge "flagship" university, plus a big community college plus three other colleges, and we have a big high-tech component to our economy. I've enjoyed living in a place where, as a secretary (1989-1999), I was still surrounded by educated people, because this town is full of underemployed people.
Not every smart or thinking person has a degree of course, and degrees don't mean you have smarts or enjoy thinking. But I figure that cities with high percentages would be welcoming to a thinking populace, so I decided to see what other cities are on the list, too.
I was right about my city, which measures in at 45.1%. I had thought the number would have been over 50%, but no.
I expected Boston to top the list with the way they have a million colleges and people come there for an education and then stay. It was on the list, but not at the top with a figure of 40.1% (hi Patrick and Laurie!).
The top city is Seattle with 51.3%. I looked up other cities I have friends living in. Denver is on the list with 35.9% (hi Tam and Mosch!). San Jose/San Francisco (okay, I don't know exactly where they live) are there at 37.3% and 51.0%, respectively (hi Bill and Cindi and Todd and Mary!). No other Texas city made the list.
I looked for other places I've lived (Atlanta surprised me, 42.9%). And places I've visited (Colorado Springs, 34.1%). Hey, where's Boulder? Where's Burlington? Must be too small.
I looked for other places that don't freeze over every winter. I found Raleigh, NC (49.7%), Washington DC (47.7%), Lexington-Fayette, KY (I'm guessing doesn't freeze over) (39.2%), Portland, OR (37.8%), Oakland, CA (37.7%), Charlotte, NC (37.2), Virginia Beach, VA (again, I'm guessing it doesn't freeze over) (33.5%) in addition to Seattle. Well, if Austin drives me too nutso, here are some more places to add to my list of places to research.
(The article also goes on about how average salaries in cities are linked to education levels, but let's just say they don't make a good case for that. Just check it out for the chart.)
**
I got to catch up with a couple friends today. That was nice. And read more Snow Crash (almost done, so sad). And play sudoku. And go to body flow class. And not pass out--I've definitely fully recovered from that odd blood donating weirdness.
Broken thing of the day: in a test audit, courses started making doubles of themselves and throwing out the doubles in the duplicate-zapping rule. I reported it. I didn't find out about this until near the end of the day; maybe that's why I didn't get an instant headache this time. Yea!
I figured my city would be on this list. We have a huge "flagship" university, plus a big community college plus three other colleges, and we have a big high-tech component to our economy. I've enjoyed living in a place where, as a secretary (1989-1999), I was still surrounded by educated people, because this town is full of underemployed people.
Not every smart or thinking person has a degree of course, and degrees don't mean you have smarts or enjoy thinking. But I figure that cities with high percentages would be welcoming to a thinking populace, so I decided to see what other cities are on the list, too.
I was right about my city, which measures in at 45.1%. I had thought the number would have been over 50%, but no.
I expected Boston to top the list with the way they have a million colleges and people come there for an education and then stay. It was on the list, but not at the top with a figure of 40.1% (hi Patrick and Laurie!).
The top city is Seattle with 51.3%. I looked up other cities I have friends living in. Denver is on the list with 35.9% (hi Tam and Mosch!). San Jose/San Francisco (okay, I don't know exactly where they live) are there at 37.3% and 51.0%, respectively (hi Bill and Cindi and Todd and Mary!). No other Texas city made the list.
I looked for other places I've lived (Atlanta surprised me, 42.9%). And places I've visited (Colorado Springs, 34.1%). Hey, where's Boulder? Where's Burlington? Must be too small.
I looked for other places that don't freeze over every winter. I found Raleigh, NC (49.7%), Washington DC (47.7%), Lexington-Fayette, KY (I'm guessing doesn't freeze over) (39.2%), Portland, OR (37.8%), Oakland, CA (37.7%), Charlotte, NC (37.2), Virginia Beach, VA (again, I'm guessing it doesn't freeze over) (33.5%) in addition to Seattle. Well, if Austin drives me too nutso, here are some more places to add to my list of places to research.
(The article also goes on about how average salaries in cities are linked to education levels, but let's just say they don't make a good case for that. Just check it out for the chart.)
**
I got to catch up with a couple friends today. That was nice. And read more Snow Crash (almost done, so sad). And play sudoku. And go to body flow class. And not pass out--I've definitely fully recovered from that odd blood donating weirdness.
Broken thing of the day: in a test audit, courses started making doubles of themselves and throwing out the doubles in the duplicate-zapping rule. I reported it. I didn't find out about this until near the end of the day; maybe that's why I didn't get an instant headache this time. Yea!