The University of Palookaville and Brushed Near Greatness

This study sheds light on and/or fuels a lot of petty arguments - among those between the comparative supremacy of Seattle or San Francisco, with Portland and Anchorage and LA fluttering stunned on the floor like a bird that flew into a guy's head here inside Cafe Ladro this morning, which it did.

More importantly, it creates a surprisingly sharp picture of education and economy and culture in the U.S.

"The largest predictor of economic well-being in cities is the percent of college graduates," said Ned Hill, professor of economic development at Cleveland State University. To do well, he said, cities must be attractive to educated people.

Nationally, a little more than one-fourth of people 25 and older had at least bachelor's degrees in 2004. Some 84 percent had high school diplomas or the equivalent.

By comparison, in 1970 only a bit more than one in 10 adults had bachelor's degrees and about half had high school diplomas.

Seattle of course is number 1. The slack-jawed goobers in San Francisco are number 2. Boston is barely in the top 20. But I was most struck by the following:

The median income - for adults with bachelor's degrees was $42,404. It was $25,360 for high school graduates.

Which also means that about 75% of the U.S. population has a median income of less than $25,360. Crickey! The CIA is right: "Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households." ( I think we should congratulate those hard-working folks at the CIA for coming to a correct conclusion. Well, done, spies!)

Please see Standard Paragraph.

Also, today's Brush with Greatness: noted local atheist, radical evolutionist and dog describer Ron Reagan, getting a haircut at the same hepster place I get my hair cut, with it's phalanx of indy rocker girl barberettes, who I happen to know are going to college.