Most Literate City - Pittsburgh pulls in at #5

[NotSoCreativeUsername]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Ok, perhaps the Atlanta findings are not so crazy after all. I just have never thought of the place a some big intellectual hub, but what do I know?

Atlanta is a pretty educated city. The state of Georgia does not reflect the city of Atlanta, though, which I think is what most people assume. I think over 40% of the city's citizens hold AT LEAST a Bachelor's degree.

[algia]

Here is my beef with this type of articles...who are they interviewing? meaning are they basing these findings on "native born citizens of Atlanta"?? for example, or transplants? we got into a whole debate over this article because Tampa made it at #19, yet more than half its population wasn't even born there...so how can one make an accurate determination that it is in fact the true native population that is educated versus DC transplants for example!? what circumstances have been used? I don't think a newspaper closing is reason enough to stamp a city as becoming "uneducated"!? is it?

People use ipads, iphones, all sorts of other means to read, they don't need a paper...and since when someone's level of "education" was measured on how many newspapers they read? in that case let's say Tampa (filled with retirees) should have ranked #1 since they're the only ones who get the paper thrown out in the driveway! (anywhere in FL that is) my working neighbors did not have a paper subscription...all the years we lived there, does that make them uneducated? They name Seattle which has a great concentration of educated people...Microsoft is there along with other reputable companies...

OK, Bottom line...I lived in Florida 10 years and now I moved to PGH...and I read the same amount of stuff I read in Tampa/Florida, and I am still not subscribed to a newspaper... BUT in 2 months I jumped from #19 to #5?? do you see my point? (certain ppl on the Tampa board didn't get it) who was interviewed exactly? is a DC person reading the newspaper at Starbucks more educated than another Joe at a Starbucks in Iowa reading the same newspaper on the ipad?

I think they were trying to determine WHAT are people reading these days, and somehow they screwed up, because THAT would make more sense...how many ppl read Jane Eyre versus People Magazine! You really cannot name a city or label it as uneducated because their newspaper failed and went out of business. Plus it is a lot more convenient holding an iPad, than fly out pages, can you read the paper while sitting at a stop light? can the right seat passenger? or on the beach? have it fly all over the place? etc. I think newspapers need to get on with the world and upgrade, rather than making innuendos that the population is less educated where there are not enough subscribers to keep them floating.

[mike02]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I wonder if weather has something to do with it. Pittsburgh is a pretty cloudy, cool place. Wonderful locale for a book and a cup o joe.

I think temperature has a lot to do with it... same with DC. When it's frigid cold, people are packing in the coffee shops. When its warm or at least sweatshirt weather, you'll see a lot outside sitting at parks no matter if it's sunny or cloudy. On that note, the sky in Pittsburgh has been solid blue with beaming sunlight for almost a week.