10 Most Literate Cities in the U.S. A.

While Amazon is doing well, the total number of book stores in the USA is declining. The US Census report shows that we now have 19,275 retail stores focused on books, periodicals and music, down approximately 3,500 from 1997.

And more people are writing and publishing books. More than 170,000 titles were published last year - 465 per day.

Here are the top 10 most literate cities in the USA based on US Census data, newspaper circulation rates, magazine publishing, educational attainment levels, library resources, and booksellers.

1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Seattle, WA
3. Pittsburgh, PA
4. Madison, WI
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Washington, DC
7. Denver, CO
8. Boston, MA
9. Portland, OR
10. San Francisco, CA

To see how your hometown stacks up, see the entire list of 79 cities at http://www.uww.edu/npa/cities/allrank.html

Famous motivational speaker, Charlie Tremendous Jones, frequently tells us that five years from now, we'll be the same people we are today except for the people we meet and the books we read.

Here are some quotes from Tremendous Jones' "Life Changing Classics, Vol III - Books are Tremendous."

"The reading of good books is one of the most helpful ways in which young people can develop themselves. One of the saddest mistakes I made in years gone by was utter neglect of reading. I realize now what I have missed by not having read and studied more." department store guru JC Penney

"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." classic 19th century American author Mark Twain

"A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." classic poet John Milton.

"Some books leave us free and some books make us free." 19th century American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"A man who buys a book is not just buying a few ounces of paper, glue and printer's ink; he may be buying a whole new life." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"If a man can purchase but very few books, my first advice to him would be, let him purchase the very best. If he cannot spend much, let him spend well. The best will always be the cheapest." American author and theologian Charles H. Spurgeon

"The average salesman doesn't read a book a year. That's why he is the average salesman." Anonymous

So, what's the moral of the story? If you are not reading several books a year, you're missing out on a rich part of your life. Grab a book off the shelf and get started. A few minutes a day will shoot you through a book so fast you'll wonder why you procrastinated.

Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of "Winning Under Fire." (McGraw-Hill) collie@couragebuilders.com

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