The Most ‘Dynamic’ American Cities
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Connecting state and local government leaders
Despite the pandemic, these places remain resilient because of a mix of tech jobs, outdoor activities, the presence of a state capital and more, according to a recent report.
The 100 cities in this year's Most Dynamic Metropolitans report offer a robust mix of technology jobs, outdoor recreational activities, cultural amenities and a university and state capitol, according to Heartland Forward, a nonprofit organization that annually ranks the locales making themselves “more resilient and moving toward better economic futures” for their residents.
“In a time of unprecedented crises and economic turbulence, American metropolitans have shown their resilience and creativity,” Ross Devol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward, said in a statement.
Here are the top 25 "dynamic" metropolitan areas:
| Ranking | City |
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California |
| 2 | The Villages, Florida |
| 3 | San Francisco- Oakland-Berkeley, California |
| 4 | St. George, Utah |
| 5 | Provo-Orem, Utah |
| 6 | Logan, Utah-Idaho |
| 7 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas |
| 8 | Bend, Oregon |
| 9 | Boulder, Colorado |
| 10 | Naples-Marco Island, Florida |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington |
| 12 | Boise City, Idaho |
| 13 | Salt Lake City |
| 14 | Reno, Nevada |
| 15 | Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| 16 | Ogden-Clearfield, Utah |
| 17 | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
| 18 | Fort Collins, Colorado |
| 19 | Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| 20 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida |
| 21 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas |
| 22 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| 23 | Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina |
| 24 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, Washington |
| 25 | Wilmington, North Carolina |
Several of these metro areas are higher on the list this year including Columbia, Missouri, which jumped to 51 from 75, and Madison, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, Michigan, both of which returned to the top 100, the report shows.
The nonprofit analyzed recent employment, wage and gross domestic product growth data, including two entrepreneurship metrics–the density of young business activity within the overall economy and that of well-educated workers employed by those young businesses–and the average income of area workers. The report also says that local vaccination rates and total population influenced the rankings.
For more information from the report click here.
Andre Claudio is an assistant editor at Route Fifty.
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