On smarts, Atlanta scores a C+

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

So here's a slogan for a city that's had its share:

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Joey Ivansco, AJC

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"Atlanta. Slightly smarter than Chicago." Admittedly underwhelming, but what do you expect from a native of the 23rd smartest city in the nation?

That according to The Daily Beast, which ranked 55 metropolitan areas on variables including the percentage of residents with college degrees, nonfiction book sales and voter turnout.

Here's the rundown from the Beast: "Atlanta scored in the bottom quarter in universities per capita, yet it seems to attract a relatively high number of educated people. The area scored in the top quarter for bachelor’s degrees per capita and was slightly ahead of the pack for graduate degrees per capita."

Atlanta's cumulative IQ: 109, which, among the famous, ranks slightly higher than Ronald Reagan and a smidge below Ulysses S. Grant.

Among Southern cities, Nashville, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. scored higher. Raleigh-Durham ranked highest, just ahead of San Francisco, which is 183 miles northwest of America's densest burg: Fresno.

** QUIZ: Are you smart enough to be an Atlantan?

** See the complete rankings