Joplin makes magazine’s list of 25 ‘choice cities’

May 07, 2008 11:04 pm

— By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com
Joplin can hold its own against communities like Santa Fe, N.M., Gainesville, Fla., and Syracuse, N.Y., according to one magazine’s annual survey results.
Joplin was No. 23 on Business Development Outlook’s list of 25 “choice cities” to which high-ranking company officials consider moving their businesses. The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce announced the results Wednesday.
All metropolitan areas in the United States were considered during the survey, and the top 25 were chosen based on cost of living, crime rates, access to transportation, quality of life and recent economic development.
Kirstie Smith, communications coordinator for the Joplin chamber, said this is the first time Joplin has been included on the list, and it was the only Missouri city to make the top 25.
The Joplin area’s two-county economic development growth since 2005 was a major factor in the city making it onto the list, Smith said. Since 2005, more than 1,000 jobs have been created in the Joplin market by new businesses such as the AT&T Customer Service Center and Communication Solutions Technologies, and by local expansion of existing companies such as EaglePicher Technologies, LaBarge, Gestalt and Frito-Lay.
“We were very surprised, but pleased and honored to make it on the list,” Smith said. “We’re in some good company.”
Charleston, W.Va., was at the top of the list, which also included Tucson, Ariz.; San Antonio, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; and Sacramento, Calif.
In Business Development Outlook’s article explaining its choice cities, Joplin was described as “one city that shines in the many areas it takes to make for a pleasant all-around place to live.” It cited Joplin’s predicted 13 percent future job growth, according to Sperling’s Best Places.
Smith said Joplin has one of the lowest costs of living in the United States, according to the most recent report from the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association. According to that report, Joplin’s cost of living is 81 percent of the national average.
“Joplin met the criteria for an overall thriving city that is hard to beat,” the magazine article states.
Smith said the city and chamber will use the honor in promotional materials to help attract businesses to the area.
Melissa Dunson is the business writer for The Joplin Globe.

Publication

Business Development Outlook is a publication of the World Economic Development Alliance. For more information, see the January/February 2008 edition of Business Development Outlook at www.bdomagazine.com.