Indiana Destination Among America’s Top Nerd-Friendly Cities

Whether it's books, board games, space movies, or comic books, there is one Indiana city that now bears a nerdy badge of honor.

It's no secret that I have a nerdy side. In addition to being a huge Star Wars fan, I love to read fantasy books and have done my fair share of cosplaying. I think most people these days have a nerdy side, and it's a culture that has been more normalized in recent decades thanks to social media and hit shows like The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019). I think it's awesome to see more people embracing nerd culture. After all, it's not much different than being passionate about a sports team. Both fans dress up, show up, and even yell at the TV when something bad happens.

Solitaire Bliss recently set out to find the "king of nerds" in terms of the most "nerd-friendly" cities. To do this, the website looked at 10,000 nerdy businesses and events across 75 of the largest U.S. cities. Solitaire Bliss then analyzed the data and ranked cities based on the number of businesses and events per capita. There were definitely some places on the list that I could have predicted, but there were also others that did surprise me.

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Chicago, Illinois; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Houston, Texas, came in as the top three nerdiest cities in the U.S., respectively. The first two were not shocking discoveries, but Houston was a bit of a surprise. According to the data, Houston, San Antonio, and Las Vegas have the most video game stores in the country. However, Chicago took the #1 spot due to its 215 nerdy shops—the most inside any U.S. city. It's also worth noting that bookstores comprise 21% of all nerdy shops in the U.S., making them the most common type.

An Indiana city also made it on the list, with Indianapolis appearing at #17 in the ranking. Indianapolis scored higher than several other cities due to its vast number of game stores throughout the area. I have several friends who live in or around Indianapolis, and it's safe to say there are plenty of stores where one can "nerd out." That said, Evansville has a great selection of shops as well, and I'm likely due for another action figure buying excursion.