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So! Just In Case You Wondered...Raleigh Durham IS the Smartest City in America

By SarahGray Lamm

Real Estate Agent with Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199

October 05, 2009 01:53 PM

Don't you just love a good survey? I mean a survey that makes you look G_O_O_D! Who knew anyone was interested in which city in America was the SMARTEST?! Seriously?!?

Actually, as I read the criteria I KNEW we were in the running...

Two main criteria:

EDUCATION
INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT

I'm listening....

EDUCATION = how many degrees...oh, I know we are contenders

INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT = Oh just wait....

# of non-fiction books purchased - "intellectual vigor" don't you know...
ratio of institutions of higher learning - pffftttt...no contest...
eligible voters who voted in the last election
= political engagement

I'm sorry, I know it sounds like I am laughing or disbelieving or something. The truth is that while I am happy to find things that elevate my city (well, that, in itself, is disingenuous since we are three or more cities here) to greater stature, still, I do find humor in this sort of thing.

Don't get me wrong...I love living in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, smallish cities near a bigger city, Durham, near the state capitol , Raleigh; where I can take a college level class at UNC or have a picnic in the Duke Gardens. I can catch the Stanley cup winning Hurricanes hockey team or the world class rock band U2 at the RBC Center. I can see Taylor Hicks in Grease or Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson at the DPAC. Did I mention that 5 star restaurants abound here?

I like having an airport nearby where I can get on something other than a prop plane or even get a non-stop flight to London. I like being 2 hours to the beach or two hours to the mountains...I can spend the weekend at my family beach house or my friends mountain place and still be home for work on Monday.

Life here is pretty sweet...but "better because we are smarter"? Not so much...

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Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner

Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 - Mission Viejo, CA

Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395

The smartest? Hmmmmm I'm not sure I've heard of a smart city. But if everyone can work on the beach....like you....that's pretty smart.

Oct 05, 2009 01:56 PM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

SarahGray,

I am just another lucky mope who feels blessed to be here.

I will leave "smart" for the geniuses!

Oct 05, 2009 01:56 PM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

@ Karen...now I KNOW you are jealous! Wanna come hang out at the beach next year? ;-)

@ Mike - Doncha just love it?

Oct 05, 2009 01:59 PM

Vickie McCartney

Maverick Realty - Owensboro, KY

Broker, Real Estate Agent Owensboro KY

Hi Sarah Gray~ Maybe they have checked the IQ of everyone that lives there and they just forgot to tell that... Just teasing. I understand your point!

Oct 05, 2009 02:00 PM

Linda Lohman

Fonville Morisey Realty - Cary, NC

Former Teacher/Broker

I hear Cary ranks fairy high too! LOL

Oct 05, 2009 02:00 PM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

@ Vickie - I suppose that could happen! LOL

@Linda - without a doubt!

Oct 05, 2009 02:01 PM

Bill Johnson

ThePhotoTour.com - Seattle, WA

Do they allow fluoridated water there? I would bet that they don't.... There are plenty of reports (just google fluoride and intelligence) that show how fluoridated water can have measurable adverse affects on intelligence...

Here's one: http://www.fluoride-journal.com/00-33-2/332-74.pdf

Oct 05, 2009 02:10 PM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

@Bill - wow...don't know. But I'm brushing my teeth as we speak and I'm pretty sure there is fluoride in my toothpaste...good thing there are other smart people here cuz I'm clearly toast ;[)

Oct 05, 2009 02:18 PM

Bill Johnson

ThePhotoTour.com - Seattle, WA

Fluoride in your toothpaste isn't necessarily that bad, as long as you don't swallow it. Look at the label, Most of the labels say that if you ingest more than a pea sized amount, to contact Poison Control Immediately.... Fluoride was first used as rat poison, and has become one of the biggest frauds ever perpetuated on the public in many countries. Fluoride is actually the byproduct of Aluminum and some metal productions, and is a poisonous toxic waste.... How the medical community was duped into allowing it into our water supplies is baffling.... It may be why our animal populations are seeing such problems nowadays... I'm not a rabid environmentalist by any means, but people need to wake up to the reality that we are allowing our local governments to get paid to dump toxic waste into our water supplies.... Someone is making money off of this, and it really needs to stop....

Google the subject, and you'll soon find out the truth about this.... Here's another video that helps shed more light on the topic:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5329003820626343107#

Oct 05, 2009 02:34 PM

Jane Peters

Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles real estate concierge services

Well, congratulations, SarahGray. How does it feel to be surrounded by so many smart people? You should be able to go to the local pub and solve the world's problems.

Oct 05, 2009 03:03 PM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

LOL @ Jane! I think a pub is where they brewed up the idea fo the survey...or maybe it was a wine bar....

Oct 05, 2009 11:19 PM

Karen Kruschka

RE/MAX Executives - Woodbridge, VA

- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

SarahGray Living close to the beach and mountains is probably why so many intelligent people live there :) Karen

Oct 06, 2009 01:33 AM

Colleen Fischesser Northwest Property Shop

NextHome Experience - Chelan, WA

A Tradition of Trust in the Pacific NW since 1990!

Isn't it curious the surveys these sites come up with? I'm glad to see Seattle/Tacoma is in the top 10. Fun to review and read.

Oct 06, 2009 02:23 AM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

@Karen - Point taken....I'd have to agree!

@Colleen - Yes and if I take my tongue out of my cheek I have to note that the cities listed are pretty cool cities!

Oct 06, 2009 02:37 AM

Susan Brown

Keller Williams NE, Kingwood Texas (Humble & Atascocita too) - Kingwood, TX

SarahGray - Way to represent for the South. I check the list and not one Texas city even made the top 10. Oh oh.

Oct 06, 2009 06:33 AM

1~Judi Barrett

Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK

BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

So was there a "dumbest" city?

Oct 06, 2009 12:47 PM

SarahGray Lamm

Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC 919-819-8199 - Chapel Hill, NC

Realtor - 100K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience

Oh Judy, I am SO sure we don't want to go there! There are 55 cities on the list...I'm thinkin'we have more than that in the USA so probably not worth any of them racing to the bottom for that honor! ;-D

Oct 06, 2009 10:13 PM

Stanton Homes

Stanton Homes - New Home Builder - Raleigh, NC

Design/Build Custom Home Builder in North Carolina

SarahGray - I wasn't TOO surprised, but I thought there might have been a couple of other cities with more PhD's than us!

Oct 12, 2009 11:58 PM

Lana Robbins Realtor ® Licensed Real Estate Broker

Aloha Kai Real Estate - Clearwater, FL

Licensed in Florida, Washington, and Hawai'i

Hi Sarah Gray. It's difficult for me to believe that Seattle tied with Washington DC for #7 LOL ~ Lana

Oct 13, 2009 04:02 AM