A new report showed that Olympia is one of the smartest cities in the state and country.
Olympia was ranked number 39 in a list of the smartest and most news-literate cities in the United States. That was out of 999 ranked cities, according to SmartNews.
“Washington has some of the most intelligent people in the country,” said Jason Alderman of SmartNews in a statement that accompanied the report.
“There has long been a friendly rivalry between the cities in Washington about which is the smartest, and now SmartNews has settled the debate with this definitive list.”
Cities on the list were ranked based on time spent per capita viewing news on the SmartNews app during the first quarter of 2025.
There were 23 other Washington cities on the list, including:
Sequim - 5
Port Orchard - 6
Vancouver - 19
Spokane - 22
Federal Way - 30
Tacoma - 38
Olympia - 39
Puyallup - 56
Bremerton - 79
Richland - 87
8 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Fraudguy
And yet, they still elected Ferguson.
Tuesday, July 1 Report this
JW
A degree from the Evergreen State College doesn't make you smart. Rather, it tends to have the opposite effect.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
jimLacey
"A new report"? More like free advertising for an app. Reminds me of those Most Important People books that were published in decades past. The ones that allowed anyone to have themselves listed (for a fee)
To quote Bill the Cat, "thbbft"
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
Donald39
observers have noted that smartnews gets 56% of their political news from left sources, 0% from right... so they provide just what the folks in Olympia ordered... so sad! that makes us smart?
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
mathisje
Educated does not mean smart depending on the definition of 'smart'. Smart to me is the ability to use critical thinking to find the most relevant facts and make a reasoned decision based on those facts. You can get a college degree with determination and hard work though the need for critical thinking is the key to many degrees.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
BillString
Definitely not suspicious to list an app nobody has heard of in virtually every sentence.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
Casanova
Our granddaughter graduated from Olympia High School in 2024 and went to Oregon State, where she has been on Dean's list for all 3 terms. She she didn't realize how good Olympia High School is.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
citizenken
You must realize, Fraudguy, that Ferguson was elected by the entire state, not just Olympia. No, JW, a degree from any school doesn't make you smart, or have the opposite effect. Knowing that is smart. This article is not a serious evaluation of the general intelligence of people in various cities across the nation, but perhaps it is of people who comment on the article.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this