Dublin people have long been known for their wit and wisdom so it hardly seemed surprising they would be named among the top most intelligent people in the world.

Alas however, it was Dublin, Ohio , settled by Irish immigrants, that was  named as one of the top seven most intelligent communities in the word for 2011 by a leading New York based think-tank.

An Irish gentleman named John Shields who originally settled there named the town . According to historians, Shields decided to name the town after his birthplace:

"If I have the honor conferred upon me to name your village, with the brightness of the morn, and the beaming of the sun on the hills and dales surrounding this beautiful valley, it would give me great pleasure to name your new town after my birthplace, Dublin, Ireland,”  he said

A major Irish festival every August relives that Gaelic past.

The accolade was bestowed on the Ohio city by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) which has selected the top seven smartest communities in the world for over a decade.Communities are awarded for tackling “the complex task of building and maintaining competitive and inclusive local economies in the global Broadband Economy.”

Other cities honored included Chattanooga in Tennesse; Riverside in California; Eindhoven in the Netherland; Issy-les-Moulineaux in France and both Stratford and Windsor-Essex in Ontario, Canada.

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Commenting on the award, Dublin City Manager Marsha Grigsby said: “We are honored to be a Top Seven Intelligent Community in the company of six other global leaders in innovation and technology. This recognition reflects the excellence of our community - our residents, the many businesses large and small that have created a vibrant economic base and chosen Dublin as their home.”

The city was commended for it’s efforts in establishing the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center and working alongside both the education and business centers to provide a highly skilled work force.

The health-care community were also honored for their work in developing the cities broadband network.