Kewl. Forbes.com rated Boulder the smartest city in the U.S. I’d take all the credit since I moved here in June, but it turns out it placed in the top spot last year too.
Actually, I’m not all that surprised. The sheer number of research centers around here is staggering. There are at least four astronomy/space science centers here – the University, of course, SWRI, SSI (where Carolyn Porco works), and Ball Aerospace (not to mention UCAR and NREL). In fact, one reason I live here now is because I came to Ball back in 1996 to help test STIS, a camera on board Hubble (that died a few years back, but will be fixed in the upcoming servicing mission). I really loved Boulder, and when my wife and I were looking for places to live, it was a natural.
Ironic, though: I was sitting in a rec center yesterday, thumbing through the Boulder Weekly newspaper, and it was loaded with incredibly ridiculous stuff. New Age healing, antiscience mumbo jumbo, and the like. Page after page of garbage. This place may be smart, but it could be a whole lot smarter, too. I guess that’s true of everywhere, and all of us.
Tip o’ the mortar board to Fark.
