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Is Framingham "geeky?" Forbes magazine thinks so

Print | Comments () Posted by Your Town August 5, 2011 07:08 PM

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Globe Staff

When you talk about Framingham, people might mention the Danforth Museum of Art, or the Framingham Heart Study, or the town's vibrant Brazilian community or just complain about the traffic on Route 9.

But "geeky?"

This week, Forbes Magazine named Framingham the third "geekiest" community in the US, based on a National Science Foundation's study of towns that measured the percentage of workers in science, math, technology and engineering. Lowell came in at No. 6 and Boston was ranked No. 15 in the top 20 list.

"Based on the NSF’s criteria, the densest concentration of geeks in the U.S. cities is not necessarily where you would expect, with one big exception,'' Forbes wrote, referring to San Jose, Cal. as its top geekiest community.

No surprise there. Then came Boulder, Col.

"In third place is Framingham, Mass., where 16.6% of workers are science and math geeks. The city hosts the corporate headquarters of the consumer electronics maker Bose and the office supply chain Staples, and a sizable Genzyme research center,'' Forbes wrote.

Forbes also pointed to the Framingham Industrial Park and the Framingham Technology Park along Route 9.