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Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
There's a mechanism in every journalist that's triggered whenever a list mentions the city where he or she lives. We're powerless to resist writing about it -- and the urge is particularly strong when the results are complimentary, as in the case of The Daily Beast's roster of America's smartest cities. Employing a formula that makes about as much sense as the ones used in most of these rankings (i.e., not much), Denver places fifth out of 55 communities, because residents are "educated. They're well-read. And the denizens of Denver have a bit of cowboy swagger, as well."
That last part is because our chaps tend to, well, chap.
By the way, Denver trails Raleigh-Durham, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston and Minneapolis-St. Paul -- but we absolutely crush last place finisher Fresno, California, which is said to have problems with gangs and meth. They should cowboy up.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
