Yet, of all the factors that draw mobile people -- lower living costs, safer streets, expanding job opportunities, milder weather, good schools -- everything from studies by geographers to annual surveys from Money magazine show the arts to be least important in deciding where to settle.

Perhaps the real reason why the arts are pushed in economic development promotion is because they are symbols of civilization. For mobile executives, some regions of the country may be captioned "Here Be Dragons," in the same way unknown parts on a map of the world were marked by cartographers centuries ago.

Unfortunately, the arts aren't distributed fairly. Of all the quality of life factors, the variety and supply of arts and culture most often gets better with the size of the city. But not always. Take two metro areas: Jacksonville and Las Vegas. Both are thriving. Both topped one million in population early this decade. Both are forecasted to outperform most other metro areas in total personal income and in job growth well into the next century.

For all that, the number of dates booked for symphony, ballet, opera, theater, and touring artists in "Jax" or "Vegas" makes them resemble the mid-size areas they were in the 1960s, rather than the powerhouses they are today.

True enough, a lack of artistic and cultural amenities hasn't hurt either area in attracting new employers and residents. Both areas have bloomed so fast that local art museum collections and touring artist bookings haven't caught up with the demand. You can also argue that there are lots of other things to do in Las Vegas and Jacksonville, aside from sitting through a performance of La Traviata.

Still, something is missing in these and in other Sunbelt metro areas. Besides white-collar employment and retail trade, a busy, well-subscribed performing arts calendar adds another dimension to downtowns from Boston to Toronto, and from Louisville to Des Moines. The arts keep the city center open a few hours more and have their own economic impact.

So what is the point in all this?

For all their troubles, the arts still outdraw all of professional sports, and many other activities as well. They add another, attractive dimension to central business districts. Economic development advertising uses the arts in a savvy way. They tell you that your destination looks just like home. But they also tell you that there's another dimension here to quality of life, a dimension Las Vegas and Jacksonville may yet acquire as they continue to grow into the next century.

David Savageau is the author of the best-selling book, Places Rated Almanac.