Another lifestyle kudo has been awarded to Bethesda, this time from “Forbes.com” that has named the Montgomery County community as the “most-educated small town” in the country. Two other Montgomery County communities made the top 20 – Potomac (pop. 47,294) was in seventh place and North Potomac (pop. 26,127) placed 19th.

In the article entitled “In Depth: America’s Most Educated Small Towns,” posted on January 5, Bethesda (pop.56, 842) is cited as having “the highest percentage of residents with advanced degrees in the country,” with 51.5 percent of those over 25 years of age having earned master’s degrees or Ph.D.’s. This percentage is more than five times higher than the entire U.S. It also noted that “professors from Georgetown, lawmakers from the capital and researchers from the National Institutes of Health give Bethesda…a preponderance of advanced degrees.”

The article cited another factor in the selection of the local community -- the presence of the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the corporate headquarters of Marriott, Lockheed Martin and COMSAT.
In December, “Self” magazine ranked Bethesda – in conjunction with the Gaithersburg to Frederick corridor – at the top of its 2009 list of America’s Best Places for Women.

According to Forbes.com, data from the U.S. Census 2005-2007 American Community Survey was used to determine its most educated small town rankings. The survey covered more than 2,500 regions with populations ranging from 25,000 to 65,000 and focused on educational attainment.

Potomac was cited as being known for “its affluent demographics and rich history.”

North Potomac was called “a country-club village” that benefits from the same industries as Bethesda. Its location between Seneca Creek State Park and Rock Creek Regional Park was credited for giving the community “an out-of-town feel with a short commute to Bethesda and Washington, DC.”

The remaining top five small towns were Wellesley, MA; Palo Alto, CA; McLean, VA; and Los Altos, CA.

To read the entire article, go to www.forbes.com/2009/01/02/educated-small-towns-forbeslife-cx_jd_0105realestate_slide_21.html?