Iowa beats Brooklyn: Tiny Keota tagged as ‘most extroverted city’ in America

May 29, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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By Eric Goldschein

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn may be the most exciting place in America, but it isn’t the most extroverted.

That distinction has gone to Keota, Iowa, a city of 1,009 residents in the state’s Keokuk County.

Using a personality algorithm to examine 181 million Americans, Redmond, Washington-based PYCO, Inc. found that 61.9 percent of Keota residents were “extroverted.” Number two on the list was upstate Manchester, N.Y., at 61.5 percent, and third was Helenville, Wis., with 60.6 percent. No metro areas made the top ten list, and New York City was said to be 5 percent less extroverted than Keota.

Pushy New Yorkers, known for their tolerance of crowds and noise, their wide-ranging interests, and their love of sharing their opinions with anyone in earshot, may feel slighted by the PYCO rebuke.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, one of the most extroverted politicians ever, had a typically boisterous response to the news.

“Keota, Iowa, may be the most extroverted city in the nation, but we have the equally-as-important ‘Brooklyn attitude,’ where we can charm people off their feet and be in their face at the same time,” Markowitz said.

“And because Keota is just an hour’s drive from Brooklyn — as in Brooklyn, Iowa — it’s possible that’s why so many Iowans are relocating in droves to our Brooklyn, where they can live among their own kind: our anything-but-shy-and-reserved Brooklynites.”

Of course, while you may find more extroverts in New York City — hundreds of thousands more, perhaps — that doesn’t mean that there are more extroverts here per capita.

It helps that Keota’s total area is just 0.6 square miles.

Regardless, the mayor of Keota, Tony Cansler, was pleased by the news.

“We just found out this morning, and we’re very excited to hear it. It’s quite an honor,” Cansler — who answered the phone personally by saying “This is Tony” — told the Brooklyn Eagle yesterday.

As to how Keota came away with the top spot, Cansler gave credit to his town’s residents. “It has to be the people. Everyone here is so friendly, and they go above and beyond for each other.”

“Everyone has nicknames for each other,” Cansler added, “and they’ve had them since day one.”

Cansler was looking forward to teaming up with local radio stations to promote the honor.

“We’ll hopefully be able to take advantage of this news,” said Cansler, citing tourism reasons.

Since New York has plenty of tourists already, perhaps it’s best that we give this one to Keota. To quote one of the well-known signs put up by Markowitz, let’s just “Fuhgeddaboudit.”

UPDATE: In Wednesday’s Des Moines Register, columnist Kyle Munson writes that “Keota is at once confused and gratified by its unexpected honor.” Link: http://ow.ly/bfsZC

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