SYDNEY - Boston, one of the oldest cities in the United Sates, came first in a field of 331 cities in the Innovation Cities Global Index 2011 released on Tuesday by Australia's analyst firm 2thinknow.

Boston's dominant institutions Harvard and MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), business and strengthening start-up and arts network kept the city number one overall globally.

2thinknow said San Francisco Bay Area, Paris, New York, Vienna, Amsterdam, Munich, Lyon, Copenhagen, Toronto were among the top 10 innovative cities listed in the annual index for 2011.

"City innovation turns into economic good news in two to five years for many industries," 2thinknow Executive Director Christopher Hire said.

In Canada, Toronto moved up two places to 10th globally.

In Asia, Hong Kong climbed to 15th globally, ahead of Australia 's Melbourne and Sydney, at 17th and 20th respectively but Tokyo moved down to 22nd place ahead of Shanghai (24).

"China's economic performance to date was reflected by more Chinese cities than ever in the global Index, and the entry of cities like Wuhan and Chengdu for the first time," 2thinknow said in a statement.

European cities continued to place well, with Germany's Munich climbing up to 7th place from 15th and London improved to 11th from 14th.