Missouri Town Stuns by Ranking With Nation’s Smartest

In what can only be categorized as a pleasant surprise, there is one Missouri town that has just been ranked among the nation's smartest and it's not the usual suspects St. Louis or Kansas City.

I'm not sure what's the most surprising thing about this new national ranking of the most educated cities in America by 24/7 Wall St. Is it the fact that a Missouri town that's not the largest in the state is among the most educated or the fact that I lived there once? It's a toss-up.

Congratulations to Columbia, Missouri which is now ranked as the 35th most educated city in America. Check out these numbers which resulted in Columbia getting a nod for being a place for smart people:

• Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 56.5%
• Adults with a graduate or professional degree: 26.3%
• Largest college in 15 mile radius: University of Missouri-Columbia (31,013 students)

This really shouldn't be a surprise considering the University of Missouri calls Columbia home. During my time in Columbia nearly 40 years ago, I was surrounded by smart people. Sadly, I did not absorb any of that intellectual ingenuity, but that's not Columbia's fault.

I have noticed that Columbia has become a real hotspot for tech companies as of late which makes sense considering how many college students are available to join them upon graduation without having to relocate.