Raleigh and Wake County Receive Large Recognition!

#3 Best Places to Launch a Small Business (Raleigh, NC) CNNMoney.com, October 2009
#1 Best Place for Data Centers (North Carolina) Tishman Technologies October 2009
#1 America’s Smartest Cities (Raleigh-Durham, NC) The Daily Beast, October 2009
#8 Next Hot Youth-Magnet Cities (Raleigh-Durham, NC) The Wall Street Journal September 2009
3rd Highest Percentage of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree
4th Highest Percentage of Adults 25 and Over with a Master’s Degree or Higher
6th Highest Percentage of Adults with a Doctorate/Professional Degree (Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA) U.S. Census Bureau September 2009
#5 Metro for Best Quality of Life (Raleigh-Durham, NC) Business Facilities, August 2009
Favorite Destination for Retirees (North Carolina) Kiplinger.com, August 2009
#9 America’s Top States for Business (North Carolina) CNBC, August 2009
#4 MSA with Highest Concentration of Employment - Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Business Facilities, August 2009
#4 “Nano Metro” in the United States(The Triangle, NC) The Project on Emerging Nano Technologies, August 2009
#18 Best Cities for Working Mothers(Raleigh, NC) Forbes.com, August 2009
#10 Overall Biotechnology Strength(North Carolina)Business Facilities, July 2009
#2 Best Sports Franchise (Carolina Hurricanes) ESPN The Magazine, July 2009
#18 Sports-Obsessed City in the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) Men’s Health, July 2009
Best Places to Live and Work for Young Professionals: #6 (Cary, NC) - Mighty Micros
#12 (Raleigh, NC) - Midsized Magnets Next Generation Consulting June 2009
Strongest Metro Area in North Carolina (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Brookings Institution, June 2009
#20 Most Fit MSA (Raleigh-Cary, NC) The American College of Sports Medicine, May 2009
#10 Best City (Raleigh, NC) Kiplinger’s, May 2009
#5 Leading Life Sciences Clusters in the U.S. (Raleigh-Durham, NC) Milken Institute, May 2009
#10 High-Tech Centers in the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) American City Business Journals May 2009
#5 Fastest-Growing Metropolitan in the Country (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Easy Analytic Software, May 2009
#8 Best Big Cities for Jobs(Raleigh-Cary, NC) Forbes.com, May 2009
#1 City with Best Economic Potential(Raleigh, NC) fDi Magazine, April 2009
#1 City Where Americans Are Relocating (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, April 2009
#1 Best Place for Business and Careers (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, March 2009
2nd Best State to Do Business In (North Carolina)Chief Executive Magazine March 2009
~ #1 Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Area in the Country (Raleigh-Cary, NC) U.S. Census Bureau, March 2009
#6 Healthiest Housing Market (Raleigh, NC) Builderonline.com, February 2009
#18 MSA with Highest Rate of House Price Appreciation (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Federal Housing Finance Agency February 2009
#1 Top City for Small Business (Raleigh, NC)Bizjournals, February 2009
#4 Best City in America for Dating (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC)Sperling’s BestPlaces, January 2009
#15 Most Wired City (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, January 2009
2008
#1 Top Business Climate (North Carolina)Site Selection, November 2008
#2 Metro Entering Slow Period with Most Positive Momentum (Raleigh, NC)Bizjournals, November 2008
#1 Most Political City (Raleigh, NC)Men’s Health, October 2008
#2 Best Performing City (Raleigh-Cary, NC)The Milken Institute September 2008
#1 Best City for Doing Business (Raleigh-Cary, NC)Inc.com; newgeography.com July 2008
#2 Best City to Live, Work and Play (Raleigh, NC)Kiplinger’s, July 2008
#2 State with the Best Business Climate (North Carolina)Development Counsellors International, July 2008
#4 Best State for Business (North Carolina)Forbes.com, July 2008
#3 Most Educated Work Force (Raleigh, NC)
#4 MSA With Highest Concentration of Employment – Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (Raleigh-Cary, NC)Business Facilities, July 2008
#10 U.S. City with the Largest Numerical Increase (Raleigh, NC)U.S. Census Bureau, July 2008
#1 Best Place to Live in the U.S. (Raleigh, NC)msnbc.com, June 2008
#1 Pro-Business State (North Carolina)Pollina.com, June 2008
#8 Best City for Recent College Grads (Raleigh-Durham, NC)Forbes.com, June 2008
#6 Largest Concentration of Drug and Pharmaceutical Jobs (Raleigh-Durham, NC)Technology, Talent and Capital: State Bioscience Initiatives 2008 June 2008
#12 Highest Concentration of Tech Workers (Raleigh, NC)AeA’s Cybercities 2008, June 2008
#5 Best Medium-Sized City for Families with Children (Raleigh, NC)Who’s Your City?, May 2008
#1 Best Place for Young Adults (Raleigh, NC)Bizjournals, May 2008
Top 15 Place for Cultured Retirement (Raleigh, NC)Smithsonian.com, April 2008
#5 Recession-Proof City (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, April 2008
#23 Best Place in the South to Locate Your Company (Raleigh, NC)Southern Business & Development Spring 2008
#1 Best Place for Business and Careers (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, March 2008
#20 Best Place to Live and Launch (Raleigh, NC)CNNMoney.com, March 2008
#3 Most Romantic City for Baby Boomers (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC)Sperling’s BestPlaces, March 2008
#6 Medium-Sized Metro (Raleigh-Cary, NC)Site Selection, March 2008
#2 Best City for Bargain House-Hunters (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, February 2008
#10 Least Miserable Airport (Raleigh-Durham Intl.)U.S. News & World Report February 2008
The Best American City for Singles (Raleigh, NC)Every Day with Rachael Ray January 2008
#9 Best City for Jobs (Raleigh, NC)Forbes.com, January 2008
Top Five Strongest Real Estate Market (Raleigh-Cary, NC)Veros.com, January 2008

Source: www.raleigh-wake.org

NC Ranks Top in Business Climate for 6th Year in a Row!

North Carolina is No. 1 as a “state business climate” for the sixth consecutive year, says Site Selection magazine.

The Tar Heel state has now rankled first in the annual survey in nine of the last 10 years.
Read the story here.

The magazine bases its survey on data gathered from corporate site selectors as well as its own database of new and expanded facilities.

Southern states dominated the rankings with Tennessee second, Texas third, Virginia fourth and South Carolina fifth.

Georgia tied with Ohio for sixth.

North Carolina ranked first in the executive survey and first in new plant rankings for January through August of this year.The state ranked sixth in competitiveness, seventh in new plants for 2009 and 10th in new plants per million population. The index credited North Carolina with a score of 379 points, eight better than Tennessee.

“All states face economic and budgetary challenges these days, but this ranking reminds us that there are significant success stories, too,” said Site Selection Editor-in-Chief Mark Arend in a statement. “North Carolina’s first-place finish underscores its success across a wide spectrum of industries, from aerospace to life sciences to energy. We commend the governor and her economic development team for their focus on making and keeping their state business-friendly.”

In the survey of corporate executives, which was conducted in October, North Carolina finished first followed by Texas (2), Georgia (3), Tennessee (4), South Carolina (5), Florida (6), Louisiana (7), Virginia (8), Alabama (9) and Arizona (10).

Business executives evaluated the states based on:
1. Work force skills 2. State and local tax scheme 3. Transportation infrastructure 4. Flexibility of incentive programs 5. Availability of incentives and (tie) Utility infrastructure 7. Land/building costs and supply 8. State economic development strategy 9. Permitting and regulatory structure 10. Higher education resources