Is Boston the most intellectual city in the U.S.? (Cambridge: schools, universities)

[Wordsmith12]

I've visited Washington D.C., Boston, and New York over the last three years.

I think Boston takes the cake for most intellectual city, followed by D.C. and New York. I know Philadelphia deserves to be mentioned, but I haven't been there yet; I'm focusing only on the cities I've visited.

Some people have told me they find New York to be as intellectually stimulating as Boston, if not more. I disagree.

Boston doesn't really have a Statue of Liberty, Times Square, or other hotspot that people are willing to go there in droves to see.

If you're going to Boston, chances are you're traveling there to learn something -- and I did plenty of that on the Freedom Trail and in neighboring Cambridge and Charlestown.

I can see how Boston holds little appeal for many people who aren't history lovers like I am. Hardly any of my co-workers/relatives have been there, but most have visited NYC.

I loved D.C. almost as much as I did Boston. I would visit both again in the future, but I can't say the same for the Big Apple.

I'm not saying New York has nothing to offer in the way of history. I lost count of the many historic places we visited there, including Fraunces Tavern, a slew of museums, and The Grange.

Still, for whatever reason, I left Boston feeling as though I learned more there.

Do you feel that Boston values and promotes education more than any other city in the U.S. does? If not, who beats it?

[bjimmy24]

no

[turf3]

What you are talking about is more "history" than "intellectual". True, Boston has lots of history.

I think there are a lot of well-educated people here. Who never, ever, ever, stop telling you how well-educated they are. If I never again hear "when I studied at MIT" or "one of my colleagues at Harvard", it will be OK with me.

Other than Harvard, MIT, and Brandeis, many of the "colleges" and "universities" are not really top grade institutions.

[such sweet thunder]

I'd agree that Boston is the most intellectual city in the US. The universities and the pharma, financial and tech industries that they support, define the city, at least as I relate to it. D.C. is dominated by politics. New York feels grounded in the arts, money and power. The historical aspects of Boston are icing on the cake.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by turf3

What you are talking about is more "history" than "intellectual". True, Boston has lots of history.

I think there are a lot of well-educated people here. Who never, ever, ever, stop telling you how well-educated they are. If I never again hear "when I studied at MIT" or "one of my colleagues at Harvard", it will be OK with me.

Other than Harvard, MIT, and Brandeis, many of the "colleges" and "universities" are not really top grade institutions.

This was a refreshing post. Thank you!

[such sweet thunder]

Originally Posted by turf3

What you are talking about is more "history" than "intellectual". True, Boston has lots of history.

I think there are a lot of well-educated people here. Who never, ever, ever, stop telling you how well-educated they are. If I never again hear "when I studied at MIT" or "one of my colleagues at Harvard", it will be OK with me.

Other than Harvard, MIT, and Brandeis, many of the "colleges" and "universities" are not really top grade institutions.

This feels like a reach.

The Boston area has 7 universities ranked in the top forty nation-wide by US News and the World Report, who controversy aside, seem to be the standard bearer for this type of thing.

Harvard, 2
MIT, 7
Tufts, 27
BC, 31
Brandeis, 34
BU, 39
Northeastern, 39

That's an absurd collection of schools, the best in the world, and anomaly for a city Boston's size.

[bostonguy1960]

I mentioned once to a young white female in my cab a couple of years ago that some/many Bostonians think they're the best and the brightest...and many here seem to think it's the greatest city in the world.

Her response? "Well, okay, the smart people are in Boston, but the RICH are in Manhattan!"

Ouch!

[G1..]

Originally Posted by Wordsmith12

I've visited Washington D.C., Boston, and New York over the last three years.

I think Boston takes the cake for most intellectual city, followed by D.C. and New York. I know Philadelphia deserves to be mentioned, but I haven't been there yet; I'm focusing only on the cities I've visited.

Well you can't make an informed decision unless you visit "all the cities"can you?I guess you are assuming ,Portland,Seattle,San Francisco,LA,St.Louis,Chicago,Dallas are not "intellectual" cities,yet you haven't been to them either.

[stanley-88888888]

i think there is a zip code in cambridge between harvard and m.i.t. that has the highest concentration of doctors/professors/researchers in the country (world ?).

anecdotally, i was watching a podcast where one of the hosts was pulled over in massachusetts and the cop mentioned they were also attending harvard extension school at nite -- higher education is more contagious there than anywhere else in my opinion.

[MassVt]

I would probably agree, although it's not always a benefit. Harvard and MIT, without question, The others ( BC, BU, Northeastern, Tufts, etc) are good, but hardly top-drawer---they're just very expensive.