High ranking: Business climate is good, and the other kind is, too

This should be of interest to anyone who might start a business or move one to more profitable and pleasant surroundings:

Among communities that are smaller than the large metropolitan areas, Goldsboro ranks 12th most favorably in the country in the cost of doing business.

The rankings are compiled annually by Forbes magazine. They were mentioned this week in an Associated Press story on North Carolina’s competition with other states in luring businesses and jobs. The story, citing surveys and interviews, said North Carolina has one quality that other states can’t match: It’s cheap.

A closer look at the Forbes rankings indicates that the eastern part of North Carolina might be the cheapest of the cheap. Four eastern communities ranked in the cheapest 20. In addition to Goldsboro, they were Greenville at number 13, Jacksonville at 16 and Rocky Mount at 20.

Among North Carolina cities, Fayetteville was next at number 37, and Wilmington ranked 43rd. The first western North Carolina community listed was Asheville at number 48.

It is also interesting that Forbes ranked the Raleigh-Durham area, just an hour or so from Goldsboro, as the second-best metro area in which to launch a business or professional career.

Madison, Wis., ranks first in that category. That is true, of course, only for people who like to be really cold in the wintertime. The climate in eastern North Carolina is among the most appealing in the country.

Published in Editorials on August 18, 2004 10:23 AM