US | college America's 20 Smartest Small Towns Where brains and high property values meet By Victoria Floethe Posted Jan 10, 2009 6:59 PM CST Copied Bethesda, Md. attracts brainy folk from state capital Georgetown. (Flickr) See 6 more photos America's brainiest small towns boast high property values and high culture. Forbes lists the nation's smartest: Bethesda, Md.: Nearby Georgetown and the National Institutes of Health draw brainy folk to Bethesda, which has a rate of advanced degrees five times higher than the nation's. Wellesley, Mass.: Home to two private colleges and some of the state's top high schools, Wellesley is just 13 miles from brainy Boston. Palo Alto, Calif.: Palo Alto's scholarly folk, drawn by Stanford University, maintain a median income of $119,000. McLean, Va.: Many officials and politicians are drawn here from nearby Washington, DC. Los Altos, Calif.: Pulls in some of Stanford's tenure-track faculty and probably has even higher property values than Palo Alto. For more enlightened corners, click here. Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. Supreme Court gives Trump big win on national injunctions. See 6 more photos Report an error