Magazines Rank Charlottesville, VA, A Top Business City!--2008

Thought you might be interested in reading this article that was published in the Cavalier Daily, Fortune Small Business, and Forbes Magazine.  Another positive for Charlottesville. 

Charlottesville, Virginia
is one of country's best locations for launching new business ventures.

If you're looking to start a new business or pursue a new career, the City of Charlottesville is one of the best places to be, according to recent rankings released by Fortune Small Business and Forbes magazines.

Fortune Small Business ranked Charlottesville as the 18th best place to "live and launch" a new business, while Forbes Magazine rated the city as the 12th-best city for business and careers and the ninth-best small metropolitan area for businesses and careers.

"The Charlottesville chamber has been claiming for many years that this place is a great place to do business and live," said Jay Crawford, director of communications for the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. "So this certainly justifies our claims."

Crawford said Forbes based its rankings on job and income growth, business and living cost, crime, educational attainment and the presence of four-year colleges or universities, as well as cultural and recreational opportunities in small metropolitan areas.

Fortune, meanwhile, focused on diversity of industries, manufacturing, medical services, life sciences and technology, Crawford said, noting that the magazine also looked at economic and social conditions such as local tax rates, natural beauty and culture and recreation.

Crawford said the commonwealth's current business regulations contribute to people's interest in starting new businesses in Virginia.

"I think the state legislation makes it pretty easy for entrepreneurs to come into the state and do business," he said.

Chris Engel, assistant director of economic development for the city, said Charlottesville has also taken physical steps to attract new business owners to the city.

Economic developers also have recently compiled a CD-ROM guide to starting a business in Charlottesville, he said, adding that the guide includes all local and state business forms, information about the local and state economic market and business plan software.

"We put that together with the hopes of encouraging people to consider Charlottesville as a place for a business start-up," Engel said, adding that the city also hopes University of Virginia students will consider starting a business in Charlottesville.

Crawford also noted the University's link to Charlottesville's business growth.

"I don't think there's any doubt about the impact the University of Virginia has," Crawford said, noting, for example, that spectators at University football games also eat and shop in the area.

Crawford said he expects the recent upward trends in Charlottesville's rankings for starting a business to continue in the near future.

"We certainly hope that [the trends] continue and I don't see any reason that they will not," Crawford said. "There are just so many things to like about Charlottesville ... all of those factors combined make it a very, very special place to do business and to live."

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