by Osman Parvez

Congratulations Boulder! Forbes Magazine calls us America’s Smartest City.

From Forbes:

Boulder, Colo. may seem like a surprising winner, but it’s no ordinary university town. The University of Colorado’s students and staff account for about 38,000 of the city population of 282,200. Boulder, though, is also sticky enough to keep many of its own graduates around–and attract others.

“Boulder is recognized as a very exciting town to go live in,” says Bert Sperling, founder of Sperling’s BestPlaces. “It’s attracting young degree holders who want to go somewhere with an outdoor lifestyle.” If they don’t come for the mountain scenery, it’s for the employment opportunities. The National Center for Atmospheric Research, located in Boulder, has more than 120 Ph.D. researchers on staff and hosts hundreds of visiting scientists.


Percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 52.9%

Percentage of population 25 and older whose highest
educational attainment is a bachelor’s degree: 31.55%

Percentage whose highest degree is a master’s degree: 14.20%

Percentage whose highest degree is a professional degree, such as a degree from law or medical school: 3.13%

Percentage whose highest degree is a Ph.D.: 4.01%

Add that to our regions’s long list of superlatives.

Ft. Collins was ranked #7 on the smartest cities list and recently ranked best place to live to CNN/Money Magazine. Not too long ago Louisville was ranked the best affordable city to raise a family.

Still not convinced? Here’s a list awards our City has won in the last few years…

2006

“10 Great Biking Cities” – Washington Post, October ‘06

“Heart-Healthiest City” – (#4), Men’s Journal, August ‘06

“Top 12 Best Veg-Friendly Places to Live” – VegNews, August ‘06

“Best City for Green Meetings” – (#9), Meetings and Conventions, August ‘06

“Dream Towns” – (#1 All Around), Outside Magazine, Aug. ‘06

“Top 20 Greenest Spots in the Country” – Vegetarian Times, July/Aug. ‘06

“Top Places to Retire” – Where to Retire Magazine, July/Aug. ‘06

“Best Cities For Singles” – (#1), Forbes Magazine, July ‘06

“Top 10 Brainiest Small Cities” – (#3), Bizjournals.com, June ‘06

“Best Places to Retire in Style” – (#1), Fortune Magazine, June ‘06

“Top 25 Arts Destinations” (#10 for small cities) – AmericanStyle Magazine, June ‘06

“Best Cities for Relocating Families” (#4 for mid-sized metro areas) – Worldwide ERC and Primary Relocation, May ‘06

“Top 10 Greenest Cities” – Homestore.com, April ‘06

“50 Best places to Live” (#3) – Men’s Journal, April ‘06

“Most Vegetarian-Friendly Cities in the U.S.” (#7)- PETA.org, April ‘06

“Best City for Cycling” – Bicycling Magazine, March ‘06

“Best City for Teleworking” (#1 small metro area list) – Sperling’s BestPlaces research firm, March ‘06

“America’s Top 100 Places to Live in ‘06” (#3) – Relocate-America.com, March ‘06

“America’s Best Vegetarian-Friendly Small Cities” (#7)- GoVeg.com, March ‘06

“Top Biking City” – Bicycling Magazine, March ‘06

“Place you dream of living” – Backpacker Magazine, February ‘06

“Top 10 Places to Retire” – Bottom Line Retirement, January ‘06

2005

“#1 Best Place to Live” – Successful Meetings, ‘05

“#6 in “The 100 Best Art Towns in America” by John Villani

“50 Best places to live – best overall city” – Men’s Journal, March ‘05

“Colorado’s Best Workplaces for Commuters” -United States EPA, April, ‘05

“Going to Boulder” – The New York Times, May ‘05

“#18 in the Top 25 Art Cities” – American Style Magazine, June ‘05

“Top 20 greenest spots in the country” – Vegetarian Times, July/August ‘05

“7th Best Running City” – Runner’s World Magazine, August ‘05

“Top 10 cities for masters athletes” (#7) – GeezerJock Magazine, September ‘05

“50 fabulous gay-friendly places to live” – book by Gregory A. Kompes, November ‘05

2004

“36 Hours in Boulder, CO” – New York Times, Jan. 30, ‘04

“Top 20 Boom Towns” (Boulder ranked #1) – Business 2.0, March ‘04

“Top 10 cities for Animal Wellness in North American” – Animal Wellness Magazine, March, ‘04

“Colorado’s Best Workplaces for Commuters” –US EPA, April, ‘04

“Five Impressive Cities; Making a Difference in the Environment” -Delicious Living magazine, April ‘04

“Bicycle friendly community” – League of American Bicyclists, April ‘04

“Nation’s reigning bike friendly community” – The League of American Bicyclists, June ‘04

“Best place in the country for singles (Denver-Boulder)” – Forbes.com, June ‘04

“The Best Small Cities” – Men’s Journal, June ‘04

“Best place to move” (Boulder/Longmont) – Worldwide ERC and Primacy Relocation, Sept. ‘04

2003

“Best Overall Place to Live” – Men’s Journal, May ‘03

“Best cities for singles” (with Denver) – Forbes, June ‘03

“Best College Sports Towns” – Sports Illustrated on Campus, Sept. ‘03

“Outside University: The top 40” – Outside Magazine, Sept. ‘03

hat tip: HP

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