America's Most Literate Cities, the 2010 List

Milwaukee is tied with Miami at #29, just behind Chicago at #28.

Less bookish?  (Boston Globe, 1/23/2011)

Excerpt: In the annual America’s Most Literate Cities report, Boston slipped from No. 8 in 2009 to 12 in 2010, while Washington, D.C., replaced Seattle in the top spot.

John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, has been compiling the rankings for the nation’s 75 biggest cities since 2003. The rankings are based on six factors, including a city’s educational level, library resources, and the number of magazine publishers. What does the latter have to do with a city’s literacy? One might wonder. Yet if not for Boston’s No. 3 ranking on that measure, the city’s overall standing might have fallen even farther.

The most sobering finding is the number of independent bookstores per capita: Boston ranked No. 61. Once upon a time Boston was known for its bookstores. In a sign of the times, Boston ranks No. 5 in Internet resources, which include online book purchases as well as online newspaper readership.

In an overview of the study, Miller wrote, “What matters most is not whether the rank ordering changes but what communities do to promote the kinds of literacy practices that the data track.’’ One bright spot is the Boston Book Festival, the city’s single biggest public display of affection for the reading life.