(Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images for Boston Sports Clubs)
In a recent ranking of the funniest cities in America, Boston came out on top. It's nice to be No. 1 for something that doesn't suck!
Let's face it: the news for Boston and the Commonwealth as a whole hasn't exactly been great as of late. Recently, Massachusetts made the Top 10 in a list of the most impolite states in America. A dubious distinction, but not surprising. They don't call us "Massholes" for nuthin'. Then there was this ranking, which placed Boston City Hall as the forth-ugliest building in the world. Sure, our City Hall is an eyesore. But forth-worst in the WORLD? Not exactly bragworthy.
It's not all been bad news, however. Boston recently made the Top 10 for cities with the youngest-looking residents. It's gotta be all those college kids. And with Boston's hilarious history stemming from our rich, decades-long comedy scene, this latest Top 10 placing should come as no surprise. It comes from Shiny Smile Veneers, and it's a Top 10 of America's Funniest Cities.
Boston is No. 1 in the Funniest Cities in America
Let's cut right to the chase: Boston is numero uno for chuckleheads. But how did Boston land such a coveted spot? The study created a "funny score," analyzing the following factors:
- Residents per comedy club (40 points):
- Residents per comedy festival (30 points)
- Residents per comedy special host city (only for city; 20 points)
- Residents per top comedian’s home state (only for state; 20 points)
- Search volume per city/state (10 points)
Makes sense now that you see how they broke it all down, right? Boston has been home to some legendary comedy clubs over the years (The Comedy Connection comes to mind, of course), and some of the biggest names in comedy have called Massachusetts home (Steven Wright comes to mind of course). See what cities round out the Top 10 below, and enjoy some laughs from the comics who call those cities home. And be warned: some of the clips are NSFW.
1) Boston
Gary Gulman is a True North Shore Legend and I can't thank him enough for The Great Depresh.
2) Los Angeles
Paul Rodriguez, one of the best to ever come out of the L.A. scene.
3) San Francisco
Margaret Cho is a comedy trailblazer and is still crushing it to this day. Here's a clip from her recent special on Peacock.
4) Washington D.C.
Betcha didn't know Rip Taylor grew up in D.C.
5) Seattle
If you watch RuPaul's Drag Race, you probably know Jinkx Monsoon.
6T) Austin
Devon Walker recently joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.
6T) Chicago
You know her best as the voice of Lois Griffin on Family Guy, but she's a helluva stand up comedian, too.
8) New York City
It's wild that NYC is down here at No. 8. But hey, at least they made the list so we can laugh at some Marina Franklin jokes.
9) Philadelphia
Betcha didn't know Larry Fine is a Philly guy!
10) Denver
We round out our list with the one-of-a-kind Josh Blue from Denver, CO.
