Forbes magazine recently released its 15th annual ranking of the best small towns in America for business and careers. Seven Alabama cities made the list, with Auburn leading the way, coming in at number 10 nationally.
Kurt Badenhausen, a Forbes staff writer, explained the methodology they used to craft the list:
We consider 12 metrics relating to job growth (1-year, 5-year and projected 3-year), costs (business and living), income growth over the past five years, educational attainment (college and high school) and projected economic growth through 2016. We also factor in net migration patterns over the past five years, as well as cultural and recreational opportunities. Lastly we included the number of highly ranked colleges in an area per our annual college rankings. We give the most weighting to business costs and educational attainment in the overall ranking.
The Auburn-Opelika metro area, which has a population of just over 150,000, ranked 5th nationally in cost of doing business, 14th in job growth, and 23rd in education, propelling it into the top 10 on Forbes’ highly competitive list.
Here’s what the country’s most widely read business magazine had to say about The Loveliest Village On The Plains:
Auburn is a college town and is the home of Auburn University, which is also central to the city’s economy. Auburn is home to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and the Telfair Peet Theatre, which hosts dozens of yearly concerts, including a series of outdoor concerts in the fall at Kiesel Park. Other musical series in Auburn include that of the Auburn Knights Orchestra, a big band jazz orchestra, and the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series. Recreational opportunities in Auburn include 16 parks, highlighted by Chewacla State Park, Kiesel Park and the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve. The city is also home to the Donald E. Davis Arboretum which showcases numerous tree species native to Alabama and the Southeast.
“Forbes realizes what I’ve known for a long time, Auburn is a special place to live, work and raise a family,” said Alabama House Speaker and Auburn resident Mike Hubbard. “Working together from the state, city, and local levels we have landed Auburn a place on the map as one of the most business friendly places in the state, and now, for the second year, one of the top 10 places for business in the country.”
Joining Auburn on Forbes’ list this year are Tuscaloosa (49), Dothan (172), Florence (121), Decatur (146), Gadsden (152) and Anniston (179).
(h/t OA News)
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