Massachusetts Towns are America’s Smartest!

The most intelligent townspeople are in Massachusetts

Looking to move to a place where you’ll live among the intelligent? Look no further than the Bay State. Top Value Reviews, a consumer advocacy site, named five Massachusetts towns among the top twenty smartest in America.

The “data-driven, customer-centric, value-conscious website featuring product reviews and rankings,” looked at factors such as bookstores, libraries, proximity to premiere research facilities and institutions of higher learning, and how prevalent advanced degrees are among a town’s residents.

Unsurprisingly, Massachusetts had more communities on the list than any other state. In fact, Massachusetts towns comprised a full quarter of the list with five appearances. For comparison, only three other states were represented more than once: gigantic California had three, while Maryland and Indiana had a two apiece.

1. Amherst, Massachusetts

With over half its population employed in the education industry, it’s no wonder the charming bohemian enclave tops the list. Home to both the University of Massachusetts as well as the prestigious Amherst College (Alma Mater of David Foster Wallace), Hampshire County’s largest town is a paradise for the intellectually inclined.

4. Brookline, Massachusetts

Almost entirely surrounded by the the city of Boston, Conan O’Brien’s hometown boasts some of the country’s best medical facilities — both for care as well as research. Also, its proximity to Boston gives access to the area’s world-famous institutions of higher learning, leading us to . . .

5. Cambridge, Massachusetts

An obvious choice for this list, Cambridge is home to both Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The two school are currently ranked, respectively, as the second- and seventh- best universities nationally. Not only do an absurd percentage of its residents hold a college degree, but a not-so-insignificant handful of them also have Nobel Prizes and McArthur Fellowships to their names. Certainly the reputation of the “People’s Republic” of Cambridge as one of the most important research hubs on the planet is well deserved.

11. Lexington, Massachusetts

Idyllic Lexington, just west of Boston, is the birthplace of the American Revolution. But it doesn’t look very much like a battlefield today. The intended endpoint of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, this Massachusetts suburb is home to many professors and researchers. And while homes in Lexington are some of the most expensive in the state, the property taxes assessed on them fund one of the United States’ best public school systems.

19. Wellesley, Massachusetts

Remember how Harvard and MIT are two of the country’s best universities? Well, the further you get from Boston, the more impressive the Commonwealth’s institutions get. Williams College, Amherst College, and Wellesley College (in — you guessed it — Wellesley, MA) take the top three spots in the rankings of national liberal arts colleges.

This Boston suburb (and former part of nearby Needham) is one the wealthier Massachusetts towns. But if you move here, you’ll be living in the one-time hometown of some of the country’s most powerful women. To be specific, both former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and current presidential frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton lived here while in college.

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Just browsing? You can read the full list of the country’s smartest towns here.