America’s Most Creative Cities: Boulder, Portland & More (PHOTOS)

The nation’s cities have become centers of the creativity that fuels economic growth in everything from science to the arts to high tech, and as homes to key modern companies like Amazon, Google, and Starbucks. See the 20 most creative metro areas in the U.S. on Richard Florida’s Creative Class index, based on his book, The Rise of the Creative Class, Revisited.

AP Photo (3); Bloomberg / Getty Images (top right)