SFist: SF Ranked 5th Most Literate City

oskarv

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:32:47 -0800

A huge proportion of people who live in San Francisco incessantly ramble on and on about greener pastures. There isn't any other group of people in San Francisco as predictable as this one. "New York is SOOOOOO much better than San Francisco, I can't wait to get out of this one-horse town. I'm gonna go there and get PUBLISHED!" or "Ohhh man, I can't wait to get out of this hell-hole filled with rich yuppies and trust-fund hipsters. PORTLAND is where it's at!! In Portland, you can get loft for like $50 a month! It's way better for bicyclists, and it has 100x more of an art scene than SF, dude! I'm not a hipster!!!" I'd imagine these people spend too much time obsessing over rent prices and yuppies to get any reading done.

The Angry Young Man

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:26:59 -0800

What makes you think I was talking about you, KatyG? Hah?! It's not all about you, you know. It's about ME! MEEEE! Anyway, Brock Keeling is far more culturally illiterate than you, so don't worry. Any man who'd substitute the Swedish actress who played the original Pippi Longstocking for Wendy of the Wendy's hamburger fortune will forever be on my shit list.

KatyG

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:49:47 -0800

Actually, it's because I'm a native New Yorker, but nice try.

The Angry Young Man

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:46:11 -0800

One of the things I really love about San Francisco is how the people here make their cultural illiteracy your problem. It's hilarious.

zstone

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:36:21 -0800

Minne-snow-ta, woot.

sirwalterralegh

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:27:39 -0800

(That also leads me to think: given the untapped potential of Midwesterners for blog comment snarky-ness, and the fact that Minneapolis practically ends in "ist" anyway, one wonders if Gothamist ought to expand there.)

sirwalterralegh

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:24:24 -0800

Guilty as charged. We're earnest folk though, and generally apologize, even when unnecessary.

KatyG

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:09:57 -0800

I see midwesterners are also sadly subject to the siren call of the snark. Thank you for the list.

sirwalterralegh

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:19:14 -0800

R U 4 Reeuhl? How about: - second most theater seats per capita (second only to New York), including the world class Guthrie Theatre; - home of Garrison Keillor / Prairie Home Companion, as well as his awesome little book store; - home of Prince, the Replacements, The Hold Steady, Atmosphere, and countless other independent rock and hip hop groups since the 1980s; - an overwhelming number of museums (especially if you include St. Paul); - a larger Hmong population than any other metro area, which means Hmong New Year celebrations that make SF's Chinese New York celebration look like an SF Republicans meeting; - a huge Somali population; - more civic engagement than anywhere in the country (based on state voter turnout, at least -- not to mention hyper-involved neighborhood associations); - Uptown and Northeast Minneapolis, which unlike any of SF's neighborhood, are both hip/attractive to young people/artists and affordable (1 br's for $600/month); - more bike commuters (per capita) than anywhere but Portland, in spite of the weather; - far fewer pretentious people, while still very educated and very liberal (MN has gone blue for more consecutive elections than any US state, and Minneapolis itself is truly progressive). Sorry to disrupt any stereotypes about the Midwest; I'm sure they're still true for the most part about other cities and towns.

KatyG

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:17:40 -0800

Other than the Center for the Book and being the birthplace of MST3K, like what cultural scene?

The Angry Young Man

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:48:33 -0800

Oh, don't get me wrong, young Brock. Hyperconformity in a town that eschews chain retail in favor of over priced shoe stores, head shops, and $20 Niman Ranch raised grease burgers is a very good thing in my book. That culturally relevant Peruvian pipe band still hanging around the cable car turn around at Powell and Market?

Brock Keeling

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:40:12 -0800

You say that as if it is a bad thing.

The Angry Young Man

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:37:02 -0800

I lived in Minneapolis for four years and I'm not in the slightest bit surprised it's rated number one. Minneapolis is a great city with a really active cultural scene. I certainly had far more intelligent conversations with a greater array of humans there than I ever have here, but that's prolly because people here are too busy getting their looks together so they can look exactly the same as they ride about town on their fixies and/or mopeds, that they can't be bothered to read actual books.

megang

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:22:05 -0800

I wonder if Danielle Steele and Simone de Beauvoir were rated as equals. That might explain something!

sirwalterralegh

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:21:48 -0800

(of course, 5th is still very good)

sirwalterralegh

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:21:00 -0800

Minneapolis and St. Paul (where I grew up) are actually very literature cities, sort of oases of culture in the Midwest. They also happen to actually be affordable enough for people who write books to live and avoid starvation, which is helpful. SF (where I live now) is a great place, but everyone is too busy striving to make ends meet; doesn't leave much time for reading (or writing, for that matter).

periqueblend

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:13:02 -0800

moreover we would have scored higher if we read the local newspaper online - not just any newspaper. You'll notice that Oakland is ranked higher in this category than SF. Which says more about the Tribune vs the Chronicle than it does the reading achievement level of the population. One last note. The amount of bookstores is not the same thing as the amount of books sold per capita.

oskarv

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:10:41 -0800

the study has a newspaper bias too. for the "internet" category, they rank cities based on how many people from that city log onto their online newspapers...

aj

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:57:47 -0800

More seriously, this study has an enormous dead tree bias. Literacy is not limited to books and newspapers and other devices produced by the MSM.

aj

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:56:20 -0800

Who has time to read these days? We're too busy commenting on blogs!

bottombracket

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:53:11 -0800

What a shame. We used to rank much better in studies like this. I guess our latest wave of immigration has been too busy with other things (like the now-classic BMW steering wheel in one hand, cell phone in the other trick).

aj

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:40:06 -0800

It's European style crossing of the sevens. Because we're all sophisticated like.

aj

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:38:56 -0800

If adult were included, SF would be #1 by a mile.

oskarv

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:32:39 -0800

Now people in Minneapolis have even more reason to feel superior to St. Paul.

mariconsoy

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:31:10 -0800

If the books have a lot of pictures, I'll join.

KatyG

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:31:08 -0800

@dj - that's not one of the factors indicated in the methodology. Nor are specialty, adult or religious bookstores, which is weird to my way of thinking.

DJBurrito

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:25:41 -0800

I'm starting a book club.

Joel

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:19:05 -0800

Why would this be surprising to you? Serious question.

davitydave

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:14:04 -0800

as evidenced by that predictable "somewhere in the Midwest" comment

SFJoe

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:06:30 -0800

That's unpossible

mariconsoy

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:04:26 -0800

And New York is chopped liver?

Richmondlover

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:00:07 -0800

Behind St. Louis and Minneapolis? REALLY? How very disappointing.

Shibi

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:53:56 -0800

Uh does anyone else see the text as all Strike Out-y? Maybe it's my illiteracy kicking in again.

Shibi

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:52:58 -0800

I am absolutely certain that SFites believe in their literary prowess more than Denverians.

bornandraised

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:50:04 -0800

the article says #5, so which is it?

singlewall

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:50:02 -0800

yeah, we sure are awful...

Joel

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:32:31 -0800

Jaw-dropping because SF is #1 (or at least #2 with a bullet) in cities that think highly of its own intellect.