California Dominates Top 10 'Snobbiest' Places to Live in America: Report

Written by BEA KARNES (Patch Staff)

Roadsnacks has compiled a list of what it calls the 10 Snobbiest Cities in America. Landing seven of those slots--some of our favorite places in the Golden State. Excuse us?

RoadSnacks provides a disclaimer that its findings are “infotainment” and it’s based on data and science, and is nothing personal. (Not personal? Who doesn’t love being called a snob?)

The criteria for determining the snobbiest places in America included looking at the 250 largest cities. Then they looked at high home prices, high median household income and percent of the population with a college degree. California’s dominance is starting to make sense.

Then came such random things as private schools per capita, theaters and art galleries per capita, and number of Whole Foods per capita.

So without further ado, here’s the Top 10:

1. San Francisco
2. Berkeley
3. Pasadena
4. Scottsdale
5. Seattle
6. Irvine
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Costa Mesa
9. Santa Clara
10. San Diego

How did San Francisco land at the top of the heap? According to RoadSnacks, “San Franciscans live in the most expensive homes in the country (albeit they are very much overpriced). And San Francisco folks are really smart: 52% of its residents has a college degree.

“But they’re not just money snobs in the Bay Area. They’re culture snobs, too. San Francisco has more theaters and art galleries per capita than anywhere else in the nation.”

Hah. Take that, New York!

• Also from RoadSnacks: The Drunkest Cities in California

And how did Berkeley rank so high? According to RoadSnacks, “Whose kids are the most pampered in all the land? Berkeley’s kids, that’s who. There are more private schools in Berkeley than any other city in the nation.

“And they’re culture snobs here, too. Berkeley has the 2nd most art-related venues and theaters in America (right behind San Francisco.)”

You probably won’t find anyone in Berkeley apologizing for making their kids’ education a priority or for appreciating the arts.

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Southern California breaks into the list at number three. Pasadena has a higher median household income than Berkeley but lower housing prices. RoadSnacks’ take, “Pasadena (aka “Crown City”) isn’t too far behind the cities above when it comes to the number of private schools in the area (3rd in the nation), and theaters per capita (4th). It’s also one of the wealthiest cities in the country, too.”

Do you agree with the rankings? Did the authors get it right? Let us know in the comments section below.

Read the full RoadSnacks report here.

Photo by John Althouse Cohen, via Flickr Creative Commons; Brian McCready of Patch contributed to this article