Worcester is Snobby, but not That Snobby
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Is Worcester a snobby city?
"We're not looking down on anyone as a snob," said spokesperson Nick Johnson. "We did some research on what makes someone a snob and just went from there."
The places were ranked on home prices, household income, college graduation percentages, private schools, performing arts, art galleries, fast food restaurants, and country clubs. Movoto's blog team compiles city rankings on any and every possible designation- from "nerdiest places" to "worst dressed places."
The “snobbiest” place in America, according to Movoto, is Pasadena, California. Worcester is the snobbiest place in New England according to the rankings.
See the complete rankings here.
Giorgio Defends Worcester
“In the past week, Worcester has been ranked as a Top 10 Family Friendly city, one of the top gay-friendly cities, and now we’re being called one of the snobbiest cities,” said Paul Giorgio, President of Pagio, Inc. and a community leader. “I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Giorgio said many of the cities in the top 50- namely Alexandria (Virginia), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Fort Collins (Colorado), and Eugene (Oregon) were great cities to be compared to.
“Today Worcester is a city of very diverse neighborhoods. We have strong ethnic roots. None of that seems snobby to me,” said Giorgio.
More college graduates makes Worcester "snobbier"
“Worcester is one of the least snobbiest places in America,” Giorgio declared.
How Legit is It?
Movoto Real Estate is based in San Mateo, California. The PR team is located in Lafayette, Indiana, so the list makers haven't been to all of the places they rank in their blog pieces. Johnson said the blog team receives plenty of feedback from people, both positive and negative.
"We've done some pretty controversial lists in the past, and I think we've alienated some people, which we're not happy with," Johnson said. "We don't want anyone to be offended. There's nothing wrong with being a snob."
Johnson said the public can comment on the blogs and give suggestions and ideas for future rankings projects. He added that while it's a lot of fun and games, Movoto's rankings are becoming a viable resource when researching respective homes.
"It's a good publicity stunt, but we realize we are becoming a viable resource for some people," Johnson said. "Our goal is to be light-hearted and fun, but also informative and practical."
How Cities are Ranked
The Movoto blog defines their mission in city-rankings on their website.
“We have received coverage from all over the world for our city-ranking lists. Our thorough and well-researched methods involve using algorithms to weigh categories in ways that have never been done before. We take the time to dig deep into the important subjects in life, like which city is the nerdiest, and research the criteria no one has dared to touch before us,” it says.
Johnson said the analytics team uses an algorithm to rank cities based on data they can gather from primary sources and the internet.
More information on the rankings process can be found at http://www.movoto.com/blog/kind-of-a-big-deal-lists/.
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