Spring Break
Athens named one of best cities of 2009
Issue date: 5/27/09 Section: News
The city of Athens can now join the many Georgia Bulldog athletic teams in boasting a top 10 ranking.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Athens fifth in its annual list of the 10 Best Cities of 2009, selecting locales offering solid employment opportunities and the talent to create new, well-paying positions.
A healthy job market means these cities will suffer less during the recession and will have a head start toward growth when the recovery takes off.
To identify the Best Cities of 2009, Kiplinger's teamed with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. Stolarick evaluated U.S. cities for their growth potential, looking not just at the overall number of jobs but also at the quality of those positions and the ability of cities to hold on to them when the economy softens.
"Although downturns are felt by everyone, our research has shown that the impact is less severe for those in the creative class-people who are paid to think," says Stolarick. "People in fields such as science, engineering, architecture, and education are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city."
"We know that most of our readers work in such professions," says Kiplinger's senior editor Robert Frick. "Our list is tailor-made to be of interest to our readers," he says, adding, "These cities are places where they may find not only a job, but also the company of people like themselves."
Kiplinger's Best Cities of 2009:
1. Huntsville, AL-This northern Alabama city represents critical mass for the nation's missile-defense and aerospace industries as well as medical and life-sciences sectors. In addition, Huntsville owes much of its red-blooded vitality to the U.S. Army, which employs more than 14,000 people at the 38,000-acre Redstone Arsenal.
2. Albuquerque, NM-Albuquerque's desire to bring good jobs to its residents is represented by its budding film industry, which has grown from 100 people eight years ago to 3,000 today, many of whom are locals trained for the new jobs. It's had even more success in attracting companies in the solar-energy industry-such as Schott North America, which has its flagship solar-panel plant in the area.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Athens fifth in its annual list of the 10 Best Cities of 2009, selecting locales offering solid employment opportunities and the talent to create new, well-paying positions.
A healthy job market means these cities will suffer less during the recession and will have a head start toward growth when the recovery takes off.
To identify the Best Cities of 2009, Kiplinger's teamed with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. Stolarick evaluated U.S. cities for their growth potential, looking not just at the overall number of jobs but also at the quality of those positions and the ability of cities to hold on to them when the economy softens.
"Although downturns are felt by everyone, our research has shown that the impact is less severe for those in the creative class-people who are paid to think," says Stolarick. "People in fields such as science, engineering, architecture, and education are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city."
"We know that most of our readers work in such professions," says Kiplinger's senior editor Robert Frick. "Our list is tailor-made to be of interest to our readers," he says, adding, "These cities are places where they may find not only a job, but also the company of people like themselves."
Kiplinger's Best Cities of 2009:
1. Huntsville, AL-This northern Alabama city represents critical mass for the nation's missile-defense and aerospace industries as well as medical and life-sciences sectors. In addition, Huntsville owes much of its red-blooded vitality to the U.S. Army, which employs more than 14,000 people at the 38,000-acre Redstone Arsenal.
2. Albuquerque, NM-Albuquerque's desire to bring good jobs to its residents is represented by its budding film industry, which has grown from 100 people eight years ago to 3,000 today, many of whom are locals trained for the new jobs. It's had even more success in attracting companies in the solar-energy industry-such as Schott North America, which has its flagship solar-panel plant in the area.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Danny
posted 5/27/09 @ 12:00 AM EST
A healthy job market? Who'd they poll, Barberitos and Raising Cane's? What a joke. I wonder what the poll results were outside of the food and bev business downtown. (Continued…)
Surprised
posted 5/27/09 @ 1:30 AM EST
Really?!
A look at the local poverty situation and the massive budgets cuts facing our university and local government would suggest otherwise. I think the data might be confounded by the fact that UGA is the employer of the majority of the town. (Continued…)
J.D.
posted 5/27/09 @ 9:02 AM EST
Just take the damn compliment. Anyways, these kind of lists often times turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Of course Athens has its problems, namely the thousands living in adjunct poverty, but just take this for what it is. (Continued…)
Irony?
posted 5/27/09 @ 2:35 PM EST
Wow. Not sure what to make of that. As a resident for the past 5 years, Jobs are not easy to find. Not compared to the metro Atlanta area at least. (Continued…)
CaptainCaveman
posted 5/27/09 @ 4:07 PM EST
hahahahahahahahaha... Kiplinger's!
Post a Comment