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 Now it's Democrats' turn to complain about a 60 Minutes edit. She was married at 12. At 25, she faces execution. Diane Ladd, who played the salty Flo, dies at 89. These 6 food items are a no-go after their expiration dates. See 6 more photos Report an error