Is your city good at book-learnin'?

[XNASA]

http://www.uww.edu/npa/cities/allrank.html

Ugh. Mine's not. Biggest public library in the country and apparently nobody bothers to use it.

Congrats to Minneapolis. Youse guys is da smarterest.

[terrya]

1. Chicago is number 58????!!!???

God, we're a bunch of dunderheads. I discount myself, since I frequent our excellent library all of the time (the Harold Washington branch of the Chicago Public Library is an excellent asset to Chicago, btw)

[XNASA]

7. Maybe more people would go, if those giant gargoyle-owls weren't there.

Perhaps they're scaring people off. ;-)

[terrya]

10. Architectually, it's hideous.

Some time ago, the Chicago Reader did a story asking local architects which buildings in Chicago they would like to see blown up. The Harold Washington Library Branch was the first choice. :-)

[Aristus]

2. O yah. I toald them they shidd reed more, but I doan't think

they wirr lisnin tah me, you betcha. Go Twins!

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Maybe, Just Maybe. . .

. . .Chicago area folks don't need to use the library because we already know everything!
The Professor

[Blue-Jay]

8. Actually, I'd guess that the large immigrant

population of Chicago skewed the results. They probably polled for English-only literacy. Then again, Boston and Frisco did well, so I'm just talkin' out of my ass...

(yes, I said FRISCO!)

[XNASA]

11. I still think it's the giant gargoyle-owls.

Damn things perched atop the corners of the building....they look like there gonna swoop down and rip your head off with those immense talons.

Not conducive to book-learnin' and cipherin', I say. :crazy:

[ProfessorGAC]

15. I'm Stayin' With We Know Everything Already

It's my story and i'm stickin' to it.
The Professor

[Blue-Jay]

18. Well, *YOU* already know everything.

Now if you can just find a cab that doesn't have a dented bumper....

[XNASA]

19. We know everything except......

....how to construct a friendly looking library.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

4. Pittsburgh #3 - WOOHOO!!!

Dallas is #54 (soon to be my newly adopted city) and Wichita is #55 (my home). Very interesting.

[Beware the Beast Man]

13. I'm amazed

By moving from Pgh to Cleveland, I managed to smart them up to #14.

[Blue-Jay]

5. Cincinnati is #5?!

Whoda thunk it?

[TNDemo]

6. I guess Nashville is not the Athens of the South after all.

We're 29.

[kitkatrose]

24. Well, you're higher than me.

Memphis is #67. After budget cuts we're going to be a negative number. :grr:

[sonias]

9. Austin, TX is #22

Not bad for a city in Texas huh? It helps to have lots of bookstores, a university and wonderful local authors.

I love to read!

Sonia

[redqueen]

27. Not surprising - Austin is the best city in this state.

:toast:

[GOPisEvil]

29. Yay for Austin!

:bounce:

[Sabriel]

12. Interesting how Literacy seems to correlate with Democratic leanings.

Gee, I wonder why. Think, think, think.

[XNASA]

17. What are you saying?

That people who read more, are inclined to me more educated and therefore vote more progressively??

Why.........that's just crazy enough to be true!!!! ;-)

[Susang]

20. That doesn't explain Chicago's pathetically low ranking

It ranked low in every category and yet its overwhelmingly Democratic and liberal. :-(

on edit: one exception, apparently we publish a lot of magazines. :eyes:

[XNASA]

23. No large universities in the city limits really hurts us.

Also, a large immigrant population.

Let's face it, it's a wonderful liberal place, but we have a problem with the school system. It's why people like Mrs. XNASA and I felt like we had to beat it out to the 'burbs until our kids grow up.

Sad, but true.

[Susang]

32. University of Chicago sound familiar?

I think that one of the best research facilities in the country should be considered major. Of course, the fact that my sister is currently employed there and my brother was formerly employed there might make me biased. ;-) Also, there's DePaul, Loyola, UIC and Northwestern.

I agree with you in regards to the public school system, if you can't afford private school and you can't get your kid into one of the magnet schools here, you're pretty screwed. I avoided that condundrum by just not having any of the little rugrats. I have a hard enough time deciding what vet to take them to. Having to make a decision as important as school might just short circuit me. :-)

[XNASA]

33. Oh yes. There are many fine institutions of higher learning here.

You are correct.

But no big universities like there are in Minneapolis or Seattle or Madison. That's all. I doubt that there are even 30,000 at UC, Loyola and DePaul combined. While UW up in Madtown has 75,000 in a city much smaller than Chicago.

NU is in Evanston, so I'm not sure that was even a factor.

Plus...... BatBoy really, really brought our average down. It's tough to recover from something like that. :evilgrin:

[Susang]

34. I think I mistook your initial meaning

I was thinking you meant major in terms of prestige and ranking, as major doesn't usually indicate size to me. I consider Harvard a major university, but having less than 20,000 students, it is not as large as UW. The University of Chicago is roughly the same size.

BatBoy doesn't just bring the average down, he fucks it up completely! Especially since he keeps buying all those tabloids. ;-)

[Blue-Jay]

21. That doesn't explain Cincy, though.

I guess a few of them conservatives can read. Who knew? :shrug:

[Wapsie B]

22. They used to publish a Literacy rate by states.

But I haven't seen that one for years.

[serryjw]

14. I'm proud....Denver #7!

How many are dems cites?

Is it a coincidence that most are in cold weather? Growing up in LA I think the sun fries your brain. Much more fun to go to the beach.:P

[denverbill]

16. Look at all those liberal cities.

San Fran, Denver, Seattle, Madison, Portland, Boston....

And yes, Denver is liberal. No Republicans even bother running for mayor here. Now the rest of the state......

[Chovexani]

25. NY is 49th

Ouch, we're supposed to be the cultural capital of the world, sheesh.

This is my favorite library, I go at least once a week:


And here's the inside:



Isn't it magnificent?

[redqueen]

26. Dallas is 54 out of 79.

I knew not to bother browsing. Just click on the last link. on edit: OMCG! Look how many TX cities are on that last page! :cry:

*sigh*

We must must MUST stop stigmatizing smart kids. Stupid is NOT cool. Nerds RULE!

[cmf]

28. Seattle is #2

I don't live in Seattle, but it's the closest big city to where I live. We must spend a lot of time reading in coffeehouses. ;)

[Snoggera]

30. don no

Asscroft ain't gonna kitch me readin' no books.

[mrboba1]

31. Where the heck is Raleigh, NC?

I see Greensboro, NC but not Raleigh? We have more people than them - what gives?

[LWolf]

35. Los Angeles...# 68

I'm not in L.A., but that's the closest city on the list. My city is less than 200,000.
Los Angeles barely made the cut.

[LiberalTechie1337]

36. Indianapolis - 27th

Not to shabby. It's better than I exected

[trof]

37. Wow, Birmingham 18, and Montgomery 38.

Go figure.
My old home towns.
Born in Montgomery, grew up in B'ham.
Alabama

[underpants]

38. Didn't make the list

Richmond

Va. Beach and Norfilk did though.