According to forbes.com
EAST TEXAS (KYTX) - Tyler and Longview ranked side by side
in a recent forbes.com list of best small places in America for business and
careers. The list used job growth, education and the cost of doing business in
each metropolitan statistical area to determine its list.
Forbes.com ranked Tyler 53rd overall nationally.
The Rose City was considered the country's 32nd best region for job
growth and 58th in education, but was 172 in the cost of doing
business.
Meanwhile, Longview ranked 54th overall. Despite being rated 157th in education, the Longview MSA ranked 10th nationally in job growth and 16th in the cost of doing business.
Sioux Falls, S.D., topped the list at No. 1, followed by Fargo, N.D., Bismarck, N.D., Logan, Utah, and Manhattan, Kan., rounding the top 5. College Station was Texas' highest-ranking metro area on the list at No. 6.
According to forbes.com, the Tyler/Smith County MSA, with a metro population of about 213,800 people, lists health care and roses as its major industries, with a gross metro product of about $10.6 billion, median household income of $47.392 and a college attainment percentage of 24.9 percent. Tyler MSA's unemployment rate is 6.8 percent. The area enjoyed 1.8 percent job growth and a net migration of 1,860 people in 2011, with the cost of living at 2.5 percent below the national average.
"Tyler is dubbed with the nickname, ‘Rose Capital of the Nation,'" forbes.com said in a profile of the city. "Tyler is also a major medical center which serves the city as well as the surrounding East Texas area."
The three-county Longview MSA, with a metro population of about 217,000 people, lists energy and health care as its major industries, with a gross metro product of about $12 billion, median household income of $44,982 and a college attainment percentage of 15.7 percent. Longview MSA's unemployment rate is 5.9 percent. The area enjoyed 1.3 percent job growth and a net migration of 1,430 people in 2011, with the cost of living at 5.9 percent below the national average.
"One of Longview's most notable economic assets, the East Texas Oil Field, contributes greatly to the healthy local economy of services, technology and manufacturing," forbes.com states. "The city hosts major events including the Multicultural Festival, the Great Texas Balloon Race and the East Texas Boat, RV and Camping Expo, which attract people from across the country. The events boast a plethora of live entertainment, exhibitors and cuisine that reflect the many ethnicities and cultures that make up Longview."
Information on the East Texas cities can be viewed at http://www.forbes.com/places/tx/tyler and http://www.forbes.com/places/tx/longview.
