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What is it about Minneapolis that got it multiple mentions? Is it because it's next to the state capital or because there's a big university? In terms of industry I only know Target is based there.
Honestly I get the impression that the Twin Cities are an intelligent, educated metro, but I can't really say why or what would attract those people there. The state u is there, but I don't really associate it with the city and I didn't feel any kind of "college town" vibe there as soon as I got outside of Dinkytown (where U of M is). I think my brain is using a messy heuristic of "dense city + not in the Rust Belt = must be educated".
Well, it is at least true that MN has among the highest-ranked public schools nationally.
What is it about Minneapolis that got it multiple mentions? Is it because it's next to the state capital or because there's a big university? In terms of industry I only know Target is based there.
You seem to always have a problem with Minneapolis lol. The city has an intellectual vibe that most cities do not have imo. I didn’t notice it until I moved down south and travelled to other cities.
What is it about Minneapolis that got it multiple mentions? Is it because it's next to the state capital or because there's a big university? In terms of industry I only know Target is based there.
Minneapolis is basically the Seattle of the Midwest, it's filled with smug progressive type intellectuals who go to university and lecture others about environmentalism or "White privilege". It also doesn't help that the city has a Scandinavian heritage and this group always felt they were smarter or more "progressive" than others.
What is it about Minneapolis that got it multiple mentions? Is it because it's next to the state capital or because there's a big university? In terms of industry I only know Target is based there.
Yeah, I mentioned it earlier. I don't think it's full of idiots, but it's not like UM is an elite public school like Virginia, UNC, Michigan, Texas, and all of the California schools. To me it feels pretty average and honestly on my visits there, the people are sort of unsophisticated and well, blue collar. I'd guess all of the midwest braniac types live in Chicago, Madison and Ann Arbor.
What is it about Minneapolis that got it multiple mentions? Is it because it's next to the state capital or because there's a big university? In terms of industry I only know Target is based there.
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, United Health, 3M and the nations largest private company, Cargill, are but a few of the F500 companies based in the Minneapolis area.
It’s also has a massive medical device presence (read: scientists and engineers) and a research university.
In short, it’s a white collar city with lots of highly paid, highly educated, middle and upper management types.
Last edited by windchill; 08-24-2022 at 09:59 PM..
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, United Health, 3M and the nations largest private company, Cargill, are but a few of the F500 companies based in the Minneapolis area.
It’s also has a massive medical device presence (read: scientists and engineers) and a research university.
In short, it’s a white collar city with lots of highly paid, highly educated, middle and upper management types.
It's funny because my dad is from Brooklyn and he agrees that Minneapolis has an intellectual vibe to it. He considers it a "northern thing" lol
I agree that Minneapolis has an intellectual vibe. I presume those Winters really harden a person, building their character, as all the twin cities people I’ve met are totally dynamic and empathetic. This is where After the Burial is from and they wrote a song using like 70 digits of Pi as the basis for the rhythm.
When I lived on the South Side of Chicago I went to a bar in Bridgeport and was talking to the locals who work there and always lived there. The topic went to Nuclear Energy and I said something like “Say, I wonder what percentages of power usage are in Illinois. I’m pretty sure Nuclear used to be 50%. Do you know if it still is?” And they were like “ Yea, we never really get anyone educated in here” “ Ya it’s mostly just drunk rants.” I’m like Dang, but would you still say that about me if I weren’t wearing glasses? There are plenty of different fun and stylish glass wearers in Chicago that certainly look smart.
There are life-long Chicagoans that have never even heard of the University of Chicago. At best, some confuse UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) with U of C, which I suppose is understandable, but still. There is a tragic tradition of going to the Museum of Science and Industry as a kid and then never going to Hyde Park again. It can appear like it’s all meat and potatoes for brains working class and middle class families but there can be a certain quiet sophistication among these groups. Street smarts are high too. Some of these criminals may be nearly illiterate yet they know far more than I do. Also, gotta give credit to bilingual populations like our Latin and Asian immigrants speaking fluent English and Spanish or Korean, Mandarin, and what-have-you. To be learning two languages from a young age is a serious intellectual advantage.
I think about the Chicago art world, where the School(s) hold a lot of power. If you show work in Chicago, it best be good for conversation. Schools want you to back up your art with solid reasoning and meaning. I remember we were encouraged to make art that asks a question, as opposed to being an answer. You want to have lots to talk about at your opening, not to mention having fodder for the small amount of art critics to write about.
Overall, I think Chicago owes a lot to a small number of brilliant historical figures like Daniel Burnham for having the foresight to fight for preserving the Lakefront for recreation and beautiful parks and beaches, as opposed to industry. It is still a relatively young city and there is room for improvement.
New York City on the other hand? Well, they didn’t build friggin alleys so they could sell more land so I guess that’s for us to decide if it was smart or not to have it be so dirty and smelly
You seem to always have a problem with Minneapolis lol. The city has an intellectual vibe that most cities do not have imo. I didn’t notice it until I moved down south and travelled to other cities.
I found many things to like during my visit to the Twin Cities but it didn't strike me as particularly cerebral. The museums are fine but not really above average for a city of its size, the downtown and surrounding area seemed pretty commercial with boring selection of retail. Most people also seem pretty Midwestern in fashion and manners.
It's definitely possible that I went to the wrong places during my visit.
What are some of the neighborhoods one might go to get the intellectual vibe in case I got a chance to visit again?
How do you define "smartest"? Highest median? Highest average? By what measurement? Cognitive ability? Highe interest in intellectual topics? What topics are those?
I'd rank cities by lowest alcohol consumption, obesity rate, school dropout rate, things that reflect systemic stupidity in lifestyle.. It's easier than smartness to identify.
You'd prbably come up with Minneapolis, unless you included smaller cities, like Rochester MN or Madison or Tallahassee. A small town with a big schoo would be very high: Ann Arbur, Ames, State College PA.
I don't know what many people in this thread are smoking, but it's obviously something good.
The answers are NYC, DC, SF, Chicago, and Boston.
Minneapolis, Denver, and Seattle are not in the conversation if we are factoring in universities, museums, economy, and average intelligence.
This might be the vaguest thread concept I've ever seen on CD outside of "what's the best city in the U.S.?", but it seems many here are just using anecdotal experiences of meeting one person from a certain city, and then if that person was intelligent, then their home city is intelligent.
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