Seattle one of the smartest places to live - partly because of the Happiness Initiative

Seattle Named Smartest City in North America

By Martha Kang

Credit Tim Durkan

Cities don’t get much smarter than Seattle, according to Fast Company magazine.

Seattle topped the magazine’s list of smartest cities in North America. The ranking is based on a number of categories, including government, lifestyle, environment, and economy.

Fast Company praised Seattle’s focus on sustainability as well as its “entrepreneurial ecosystem” that attracts and nurtures startup companies. The magazine also highlighted Seattle’s efforts to improve quality of life through open data sets and the happiness initiative.

Seattle ranked third in 2012, coming in behind Boston and San Francisco. Those two cities tied for second place in the latest ranking, followed by Washington, D.C. and New York.

Vancouver, British Columbia ranked seventh, and Portland, Oregon ranked eighth. 

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