Accolades
Forbes’ Best U.S. Places For Business
2. Raleigh-Durham
Population: 1,313,000
Job Growth: 0.7%
Income Growth: 1.7%
Big Employers: Duke University, University of North Carolina, IBM, North Carolina State University, GlaxoSmithKline. Last year Credit Suisse First Boston, Merk and chip maker Cree announced plans to invest a total of $700 million in the area. Two big draws: 39% of the adult population has a college degree and business costs are 12’5 below the average.
Forbes’ Best Cities For Singles
4. Raleigh-Durham
“Well it’s growing, so they’re opening new restaurants and bars everywhere. There are lots of people, lots of young college graduates around, so there are all sorts of people and places to hang out.”
Kiplinger.com’s 2005
“7 Cool Cities”
Raleigh: Part of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is as hot as it gets, thanks to a healthy job market, a billion dollar downtown rehab, top universities and plentiful, inexpensive housing.
Bizjournals’ Best Inner Cities For Small Business
5. Raleigh
Job Growth: 2.9%
“An inner-city location is working well for Peopleclick, an IT company that picked downtown Raleigh, N.C., instead of suburban Research Triangle Park as its headquarters.”
“Peopleclick’s downtown location is a plus when it comes to recruiting employees, says President and CEO Steve Sasser.
Forbes’ Richest Cities In The U.S.
7. Raleigh
Though it may be across the country from San Jose, highly educated workers also drive income levels in Raleigh, says Ken Atkins, executive director of Wake County Economic Development, part of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
“A very short answer is very smart workers,” Atkins says. The area has the largest research park in the world, Research Triangle Park, and has become a center for knowledge industries.