Congratulations, Cleveland. You are among the most literate cities in America. We shall begin using polysyllabic words pronto.
That's according to the latest findings of an annual study of the United States' most literate cities, which ranks the "culture and resources for reading" in the nation's 75 largest metro areas. The study examines not whether people can read, but whether they actually do."What difference does it make how good your reading test score is if you never read anything?" asks researcher Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. "One of the elements of the climate, the culture, the value of a city is whether or not there are people there that practice those kinds of behaviors."
The study, based on 2010, looks at measures for six items — newspapers, bookstores, magazines, education, libraries and the Internet — to determine what resources are available in each city and the extent to which its inhabitants take advantage of them.
Cleveland ticks in 14th on the list, one spot down from the previous year's rankings. Credit goes to Ohio's rich library culture and the long cold winters when people have little to do but stay inside.
