CLEVELAND, OHIO - December 22, 2004 - Expansion Management, a monthly business magazine for executives of companies actively looking for a place to expand or relocate their facilities within the next one to three years, has released its 7th annual "America's 50 Hottest Cities" ranking, to be published in its upcoming January 2005 issue.
Topping this year's list is the Nashville metro area, followed by Atlanta, Kansas City, Charlotte and Indianapolis. Rounding out the Top 10 are Phoenix, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth and Jacksonville.
Last year, Atlanta was ranked No. 1 and Nashville was ranked No. 2.
Texas has five metros on the list, while South Carolina had four cities. Five states — Alabama, Florida, New York, Virginia and Tennessee — each had three cities. A complete listing of the Top 50 metros can be found at the end of this press release.
“Unlike the other rankings we do each year, which are based upon hard economic and demographic data, the Hot Cities poll attempts to measure the perceptions of professional site location consultants, whose business it is to help companies select the best locations for future facility expansions,” said Bill King, chief editor of Expansion Management.
In order to find out which are today's hottest cities for business expansion, Expansion Management surveyed more than 80 of the industry's most prominent site location consultants in order to find out which cities their clients find most attractive when it comes to actually selecting an expansion or relocation site — and why these cities are more appealing than the others.
The consultants, whose identities remain confidential, were asked to list their top city choices for relocating and expanding manufacturing companies, taking into consideration such factors as the business climate, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs, and the ease of working with local political and economic development officials.
"Some cities are well-prepared to attract and retain businesses," said Ken Krizner, managing editor of Expansion Management. "They have logistical advantages, a high quality of life, available work force, and a favorable tax and political climate. These 50 Hottest Cities have a built-in advantage when companies look to site a new manufacturing or distribution facility, or headquarters operation."
Expansion Management is mailed to more than 45,000 CEOs, vice presidents, directors and other officers of companies that have indicated they are considering expanding into new geographic areas.
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