Two metro Atlanta cities named 'most genius' by Time.com

Gwinnett just keeps making Georgia proud.

In addition to touting the top students in the state, according to state academic ratings released this week, the folks at Time.com believe the county encompasses some of the most perspicacious ($200 word used for emphasis) adults, too.

Not one but two Gwinnett cities made the news site's "The 100 Most Genius Places in America" list, with Norcross placing No. 14 and Suwanee coming in at No. 99.  The cities also have the bragging rights of being the only Georgia locations on the list.

Time determined its most genius places by reviewing 2.2 million patents issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office, which gives makers (and the companies which employ them) exclusive rights over their inventions. Analysts then matched that data up against 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data to determine patents created per capita. Using those metrics, Princeton, New Jersey, was named the most genius place in the country.

Norcross ranked in the top 20 based on the patents of innovative technology giants like the Norcross-based company American Megatrends, which manufactured the motherboards that would serve as the microprocessors within early Dell computers.

Suwanee's top patents were inventions from the Arris Group, a company that has patented IP, video and broadband technology.

Genius city stats:

Norcross

  • Patents per capita: 8.6
  • Total patents (between 1976-2015): 2,746

Suwanee

  • Patents per capita: 1.9
  • Total patents (between 1976-2015): 553

For the complete list of The 100 Most Genius Places in America, visit Time.com.

For the seventh year in a row, Atlanta was named the top moving destination by Penske Truck Rental in its 2016 ranking.

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