Posted June 15, 200619 yr Okay, guys...tear it apart: Boomtowns '06 From: Inc. Magazine, May 2006 | Page: 97 By: Joel Kotkin Bellingham, Washington; St. George, Utah; McAllen, Texas... You may be surprised by the places that top our list of the hottest cities for entrepreneurs. Call it the revenge of the boondocks. For several years now, the nation's entrepreneurial hotbeds have been migrating from the major urban centers to smaller cities on the periphery. But a funny thing happened on the way to Inc.'s 2006 Hot Cities list. Demographic trends have accelerated to the point that what once constituted the periphery is no longer, well, peripheral. Sure, longtime list-topping cities such as Phoenix, Daytona Beach, and Orlando again are posting strong job growth and continue to be great places to do business. But the nation's newest entrepreneurial hotbeds can be found even further afield--in cities like Bellingham, Washington; Port St. Lucie, Florida; and McAllen, Texas--places that have never registered as business centers. The rise of these small communities is the most important trend emerging from this year's survey of the nation's hottest places to do business. As always, our list (which was compiled by Michael A. Shires, professor of public policy at Pepperdine University) puts the focus on job growth, which we believe is the best measure of a region's economic vitality--especially as it applies to entrepreneurs. The Small Business Administration estimates that small companies generate as many as three-quarters of the nation's new jobs; as a result, a region showing strong job creation is likely to be a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. What's more, strong job growth suggests that a region's economy is expanding. That means new demand and new opportunities. To compile the rankings, Inc. measured current-year employment growth, as well as average annual job growth over the past three years and compared job growth in the first and second halves of the period comprising the past 10 years. The big difference this year is the number of communities surveyed. In years past, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which generates the job-growth data, surveyed 274 metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs. This year, BLS surveyed 393--which has allowed us to paint a far more accurate picture of where the action really is. Red-hot Florida is the center of that action, contributing 19 cities to the list's top 100. Indeed, every one of the state's metro areas is experiencing significant population and job growth. The three star megaregions of the desert Southwest--Las Vegas (No. 9), Reno (No. 25), and Phoenix (No. 36)--boast many of the same advantages and are experiencing similar levels of growth. Now much of that growth is spilling over into even smaller areas, such as St. George, Utah (No. 2), Idaho Falls, Idaho (No. 10), and Bend, Oregon (No. 14). Says St. Louis-based demographer Wendell Cox: "This is the sprawl beyond the sprawl." The nation's largest urban areas continue to lag. New York City comes in at No. 292, Boston at No. 343, and Philadelphia at No. 392. This is in stark contrast with surrounding areas, such as the suburbs of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The industrial belt also is lagging; it accounts for five of the bottom 10 MSAs, including last place Muncie, Indiana. Admittedly, it's a lot easier for small, emerging regions to post big growth rates than it is for big, mature ones. Still, it's hard to deny the advantages of the boomtowns described in the pages that follow. We've profiled the top 20 cities in three categories--small (an employment base of less than 150,000); medium (150,000 to 450,000), and large (more than 450,000). We've also included some U.S. Census figures ranking the nation's cities on measures like median income, health, and education. Lots more here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20060501/boomtowns-intro.html Here is the ranking of all cities of all population sizes. The number following each city name is the 2005 non-farm employment in thousands. 1 Yuma AZ 50.8 2 St. George UT 46.7 3 Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL 209.7 4 Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin FL 88.5 5 Coeur d'Alene ID 54.9 6 Bellingham WA 80.5 7 Port St. Lucie-Fort Pierce FL 121.8 8 Naples-Marco Island FL 124.1 9 Las Vegas-Paradise NV 879.3 10 Idaho Falls ID 52.6 11 Casper WY 37.8 12 McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr TX 189.7 13 Bremerton-Silverdale WA 86.2 14 Panama City-Lynn Haven FL 74.8 15 Morgantown WV 57.5 16 Prescott AZ 58.9 17 Bend OR 63.8 18 El Centro CA 43.0 19 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR 194.5 20 Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice FL 312.0 21 Logan UT 49.1 22 Punta Gorda FL 41.1 23 Greeley CO 77.8 24 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach FL 747.7 25 Reno-Sparks NV 219.9 26 Winchester VA 56.9 27 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL 210.9 28 Orlando FL 1014.6 29 Laredo TX 79.0 30 Olympia WA 96.3 31 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach FL 558.6 32 Madera CA 34.4 33 Dover DE 63.5 34 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL 168.1 35 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA 1169.1 36 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ 1737.0 37 Ocala FL 94.1 38 Lakeland FL 203.0 39 Farmington NM 49.0 40 Provo-Orem UT 168.4 41 Bakersfield CA 216.2 42 Northern Virginia VA 1266.2 43 Great Falls MT 34.6 44 Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA 46.4 45 Auburn-Opelika AL 50.5 46 Billings MT 75.3 47 Hot Springs AR 38.7 48 Boise City-Nampa ID 252.9 49 Las Cruces NM 63.8 50 Harrisonburg VA 62.0 51 Bismarck ND 57.1 52 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC 2367.2 53 Tuscaloosa AL 93.8 54 Charleston-North Charleston SC 281.6 55 Yuba City CA 40.6 56 Flagstaff AZ 63.6 57 Wenatchee WA 39.2 58 Hanford-Corcoran CA 34.9 59 Fairbanks AK 39.7 60 Tucson AZ 367.4 61 Johnson City TN 79.9 62 Medford OR 80.2 63 Anchorage AK 169.0 64 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL 1301.6 65 Camden NJ 544.9 66 Pocatello ID 38.4 67 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC 118.1 68 Portsmouth NH 57.1 69 Hinesville-Fort Stewart GA 16.8 70 Gainesville FL 131.3 71 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL 168.7 72 Missoula MT 55.3 73 Merced CA 58.4 74 Savannah GA 147.2 75 Calvert-Charles-Prince George's MD 402.8 76 Cheyenne WY 42.1 77 Tacoma WA 262.2 78 Ogden-Clearfield UT 189.2 79 Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA 90.2 80 Grand Junction CO 55.9 81 Jacksonville FL 597.2 82 Sioux Falls SD 126.7 83 Carson City NV 33.0 84 Salisbury MD 53.9 85 Warner Robins GA 51.9 86 Wilmington NC 130.0 87 Lawrence KS 51.6 88 Clarksville TN 82.1 89 Santa Fe NM 62.9 90 Longview TX 88.1 91 Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord NC 798.6 92 Raleigh-Cary NC 457.3 93 Iowa City IA 84.9 94 Morristown TN 51.3 95 Huntsville AL 197.2 96 Richmond VA 617.6 97 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford ME 201.6 98 Salt Lake City UT 585.3 99 Abilene TX 64.8 100 Vero Beach FL 44.2 101 Rochester-Dover NH 54.1 102 Fargo ND 111.5 103 Brownsville-Harlingen TX 118.7 104 Modesto CA 161.8 105 Manchester NH 101.0 106 Stockton CA 206.4 107 Knoxville TN 327.4 108 Columbia MO 87.4 109 Charlottesville VA 93.2 110 Lebanon PA 47.8 111 Trenton-Ewing NJ 234.5 112 Ocean City NJ 56.3 113 Springfield MO 187.1 114 Fort Collins-Loveland CO 132.5 115 Glens Falls NY 57.4 116 Bowling Green KY 57.0 117 Rapid City SD 62.6 118 Grand Forks ND 50.7 119 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood TX 114.5 120 Honolulu HI 438.3 121 Putnam-Rockland-Westchester NY 579.4 122 Madison WI 342.4 123 Redding CA 65.8 124 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine CA 1487.1 125 Lawton OK 40.8 126 Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall FL 1036.0 127 Vallejo-Fairfield CA 127.4 128 Rochester MN 104.8 129 Des Moines IA 306.5 130 Albuquerque NM 377.9 131 Jacksonville NC 41.7 132 Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville CA 868.9 133 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA 1277.1 134 Dothan AL 61.9 135 Nashua NH 129.8 136 Brunswick GA 43.5 137 Elizabethtown KY 46.3 138 College Station-Bryan TX 86.5 139 Midland TX 57.1 140 Amarillo TX 108.7 141 Spokane WA 203.5 142 Winston-Salem NC 212.4 143 Texarkana TX 54.4 144 Tyler TX 89.0 145 El Paso TX 263.2 146 Elkhart-Goshen IN 130.8 147 Valdosta GA 52.8 148 Oshkosh-Neenah WI 93.9 149 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro TN 726.1 150 Fresno CA 291.2 151 Lake Charles LA 90.1 152 Fond du Lac WI 50.0 153 Janesville WI 70.5 154 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta CA 171.2 155 Montgomery AL 172.1 156 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown NY 253.2 157 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA 99.6 158 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA 763.9 159 Norwich-New London CT 138.0 160 Ithaca NY 60.8 161 Columbus IN 43.3 162 Boulder CO 161.7 163 Barnstable Town MA 112.4 164 Oklahoma City OK 551.3 165 Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD 99.5 166 Eugene-Springfield OR 144.6 167 Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA 95.5 168 Sherman-Denison TX 45.2 169 Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR 970.4 170 Waco TX 103.7 171 San Antonio TX 774.0 172 Tallahassee FL 169.2 173 Austin-Round Rock TX 681.0 174 Chico CA 73.3 175 St. Joseph MO 53.4 176 Jonesboro AR 48.5 177 Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg MD 571.4 178 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA 333.3 179 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett WA 1380.1 180 York-Hanover PA 174.8 181 Edison NJ 1028.4 182 Wilmington DE 351.0 183 Visalia-Porterville CA 103.9 184 Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY 450.4 185 Greenville NC 69.6 186 Asheville NC 166.4 187 Colorado Springs CO 254.9 188 Jackson MS 257.3 189 Lake County-Kenosha County IL 397.6 190 Odessa TX 52.2 191 Salem OR 144.5 192 Roanoke VA 161.5 193 Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land TX 2319.9 194 Lubbock TX 124.5 195 Corvallis OR 36.8 196 Reading PA 169.0 197 Lincoln NE 170.0 198 Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton NJ 62.4 199 Waterloo-Cedar Falls IA 86.7 200 Dubuque IA 52.9 201 Indianapolis IN 887.0 202 Fayetteville NC 117.6 203 Mobile AL 175.0 204 State College PA 70.4 205 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford VA 71.7 206 Cumberland MD 39.0 207 Nassau-Suffolk NY 1246.9 208 Wausau WI 71.5 209 Kingston NY 64.6 210 Anniston-Oxford AL 50.9 211 Columbia SC 345.1 212 Omaha-Council Bluffs NE 454.6 213 Burlington-South Burlington VT 114.1 214 Pueblo CO 55.9 215 Napa CA 61.5 216 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux LA 83.0 217 San Angelo TX 44.4 218 St. Cloud MN 96.5 219 Durham NC 268.5 220 Ames IA 45.6 221 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA 285.9 222 Gainesville GA 68.9 223 Lancaster PA 234.4 224 Chattanooga TN 240.4 225 Athens-Clarke County GA 77.4 226 Fort Worth-Arlington TX 801.9 227 Augusta-Richmond County GA 213.0 228 Kansas City KS 420.3 229 Decatur AL 56.8 230 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN 1763.6 231 Denver-Aurora CO 1195.9 232 Huntington-Ashland WV 115.7 233 Framingham MA 153.1 234 South Bend-Mishawaka IN 146.0 235 Longview WA 37.5 236 Shreveport-Bossier City LA 171.0 237 Harrisburg-Carlisle PA 327.7 238 Lewiston-Auburn ME 48.2 239 Jackson TN 60.5 240 Providence-Fall River-Warwick RI 585.0 241 Memphis TN 624.6 242 Greensboro-High Point NC 358.9 243 Little Rock-North Little Rock AR 329.1 244 Wichita Falls TX 60.8 245 Pine Bluff AR 40.3 246 Erie PA 133.0 247 Atlantic City NJ 154.0 248 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA 2290.3 249 Fort Smith AR 117.2 250 Lafayette IN 90.1 251 Oakland-Fremont-Hayward CA 1035.7 252 Bangor ME 64.3 253 Muskegon-Norton Shores MI 66.5 254 Cincinnati-Middletown OH 1031.9 255 Jefferson City MO 78.6 256 Rome GA 42.7 257 Syracuse NY 320.9 258 Dallas-Plano-Irving TX 1928.5 259 Kansas City MO 554.3 260 Worcester MA 244.7 261 Cedar Rapids IA 130.2 262 La Crosse WI 72.8 263 Ann Arbor MI 199.5 264 Eau Claire WI 77.8 265 Kokomo IN 48.4 266 Columbus OH 922.0 267 Appleton WI 117.7 268 Wheeling WV 67.7 269 Joplin MO 75.8 270 Tulsa OK 402.9 271 Peoria IL 177.7 272 Green Bay WI 167.7 273 Owensboro KY 50.3 274 Lexington-Fayette KY 245.3 275 Cleveland TN 40.9 276 Alexandria LA 59.4 277 Lewiston ID 26.7 278 Baton Rouge LA 341.3 279 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA 4004.8 280 Victoria TX 47.8 281 Lynchburg VA 103.0 282 Louisville KY 606.0 283 Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford MA 118.8 284 Fort Wayne IN 213.5 285 Altoona PA 62.3 286 Sandusky OH 43.0 287 Evansville IN 179.7 288 St. Louis MO 1331.1 289 Terre Haute IN 74.3 290 Bloomington IN 78.9 291 Johnstown PA 59.7 292 New York City NY 3572.7 293 Duluth MN 131.2 294 New Haven CT 270.0 295 Birmingham-Hoover AL 512.2 296 Pittsfield MA 37.2 297 Hattiesburg MS 54.5 298 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT 537.6 299 Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner MA 52.1 300 Williamsport PA 54.1 301 Florence SC 87.6 302 Yakima WA 76.8 303 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI 842.3 304 New Bedford MA 63.8 305 Parkersburg-Marietta WV 73.4 306 Corpus Christi TX 166.2 307 Charleston WV 148.8 308 Salinas CA 128.1 309 Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton MA 89.9 310 Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA 184.7 311 Lynn-Peabody-Salem MA 102.1 312 Pascagoula MS 53.9 313 Lafayette LA 132.7 314 Akron OH 328.6 315 Gary IN 275.3 316 Waterbury CT 68.9 317 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol TN 120.8 318 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton NC 166.2 319 Spartanburg SC 121.6 320 Monroe LA 78.8 321 Anderson SC 63.0 322 Springfield IL 112.4 323 Florence-Muscle Shoals AL 54.1 324 Danbury CT 68.0 325 Springfield MA 294.7 326 Pittsburgh PA 1136.0 327 Topeka KS 111.5 328 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL 3807.5 329 Albany GA 63.8 330 Buffalo-Niagara Falls NY 547.1 331 Gadsden AL 38.1 332 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre PA 256.3 333 Greenville SC 294.2 334 Toledo OH 332.0 335 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 412.1 336 Wichita KS 281.3 337 Bergen-Hudson-Passaic NJ 901.7 338 Decatur IL 54.8 339 Goldsboro NC 43.1 340 Lima OH 57.7 341 Utica-Rome NY 133.6 342 Canton-Massillon OH 178.4 343 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA 1651.4 344 Niles-Benton Harbor MI 63.2 345 Racine WI 79.9 346 Macon GA 100.3 347 Rocky Mount NC 62.0 348 Newark-Union NJ 1017.7 349 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IL 184.2 350 Battle Creek MI 62.5 351 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn MI 819.9 352 Monroe MI 43.1 353 Dalton GA 76.2 354 Kalamazoo-Portage MI 143.4 355 Rockford IL 155.8 356 Jackson MI 62.1 357 Sheboygan WI 62.4 358 San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA 946.9 359 Weirton-Steubenville OH 47.4 360 Kankakee-Bradley IL 42.7 361 Columbus GA 120.4 362 Sumter SC 39.4 363 Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury MA 76.3 364 Beaumont-Port Arthur TX 154.4 365 Binghamton NY 111.1 366 Bloomington-Normal IL 87.3 367 Michigan City-La Porte IN 46.6 368 Grand Rapids-Wyoming MI 381.9 369 Champaign-Urbana IL 108.9 370 Burlington NC 59.4 371 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH 1076.7 372 Springfield OH 52.1 373 Lansing-East Lansing MI 227.3 374 Danville IL 32.1 375 Anderson IN 44.8 376 Rochester NY 503.1 377 Dayton OH 408.2 378 Sioux City IA 70.8 379 Warren-Farmington Hills-Troy MI 1204.7 380 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MI 93.3 381 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA 859.6 382 Danville VA 41.5 383 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH 240.2 384 Bay City MI 39.5 385 Elmira NY 39.1 386 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA 543.7 387 Holland-Grand Haven MI 110.8 388 Gulfport-Biloxi MS 105.1 389 Baltimore City MD 380.4 390 Flint MI 156.1 391 Mansfield OH 59.2 392 Philadelphia City PA 651.5 393 Muncie IN 52.3
June 15, 200619 yr does anyone know if cincy-midletown numbers include newport, covington, and ft thomas ?
June 15, 200619 yr does anyone know if cincy-midletown numbers include newport, covington, and ft thomas ? I would say no, because usually when KY is included –it says "KY".
June 15, 200619 yr Dayton and Rochester aways seem to be close to each other on these lists. lol, Canton has San Francisco beat pretty nicely... ....and Huntington-Ashland metro has every city in Ohio beat. Hmmm.
June 15, 200619 yr Says St. Louis-based demographer Wendell Cox: "This is the sprawl beyond the sprawl." Any list that quotes this asshole is going to have some goofy conclusions. I'm wondering if Cox was actually the source of it? I said it before...I'll say it again: Anyone who believes this guy's conclusions is a Cox Sucker. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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