Denver is smarter than every other city -- except four

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...

By Michael Roberts

October 6, 2009

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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.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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