Your path: Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego Makes Top 10 List
Excerpt from an article by Cliff Newell in The Lake Oswego Review,
June 26, 2008.
Lake Oswego has made a top 10 list, and it's a good one, too.
U.S. News and World Report last week listed Lake Oswego as one of the 10 Brainiest Places to Retire in the USA.
"It certainly makes a great deal of sense," said Dr. Bill Korach, superintendent of the Lake Oswego School District, when informed of the report. "The school district does its part, but in all the organizations you see highly qualified people who are dedicated to this city."
Jerry Wheeler, executive director of the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, seemed to be happily shocked about the news, although initially he wasn't quite sure how to express his reaction.
"How do you talk about this without sounding like an elitist?" Wheeler joked.
But the chamber leader was gratified to have a little more firepower with which to promote Lake Oswego.
"We're within five miles of four colleges – Marylhurst, PCC, Lewis & Clark and Portland State is downtown," Wheeler said. "This community is so education-based we can market our schools. There is so much corporate brainpower here, too. This gives us unique opportunities that you don't find everywhere."
Key factors cited in the U.S. News story included the 15 libraries and 11 museums in the immediate area, plus the fact that 40 percent of the residents have a college degree.
While the list focused on cities that are brainy places for retirees, Korach noted that the atmosphere in Lake Oswego helps people who are a lot younger.
"Lake Oswego is a great community to work in if you're a school superintendent," Korach said. "This city is very educated and savvy."
Top 10 cities
* Ann Arbor, Mich.
* Berkeley, Calif.
* Boulder, Colo.
* Brookline, Mass.
* Chapel Hill, N.C.
* Hoboken, N.J.
* Lake Oswego, Ore.
* Reston, Va.
* Upper St. Clair, Pa.
* West Lafayette, Ind.