Shopping Bag
NC And SC Jobs In Small Towns
Last week we discussed the very promising trend of increased capital investment and increased business expansion and relocation to North Carolina and South Carolina.
We also noted how this investment is a sign that both North Carolina and South Carolina are attractive places to do business.
This means jobs as well as new career and business opportunities to you!
Both now and hopefully well into the future as you’re making your plans to find your best place in North Carolina or South Carolina there is the hope of finding a job.
As I in last week's Carolina Report, most of the new projects and capital investment are happening in and around large cities and metropolitan areas but that’s not the whole picture.
The North Carolina areas of Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton, while constituting a major metropolitan statistical area according to the government is nonetheless quite rural. However, this area is very successful in attracting new business and business investment.
Today, we’re going to talk about how jobs and business are coming to the smaller, more rural parts of the Carolinas and the importance of “micropolitan” areas to the economies of both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Okay, so what is a micropolitan area?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)…
a micropolitan area is predominantly a rural county, often well outside a major metropolitan area, which contains an urban core (town or city) of at least 10,000 and no more than 50,000 people.
All told there are 576 micropolitan areas in the United States and 39 of them are in the Carolinas;
North Carolina – 26
South Carolina – 13
What makes these areas so attractive to businesses looking to relocate or add production?
With many of the small towns and rural counties we’ve talked, the cost of doing business from real estate to labor is significantly lower than in the larger metropolitan areas. Additionally, many of the more successful micropolitan areas are quite adept at sealing the deal with incentives and the organization to make it happen.
By the way, I left out the fact that both North Carolina and South Carolina are in the Top Ten for the most economically successful micropolitan areas in the country! North Carolina has 15 and South Carolina has 7.
That’s out 576 micropolitan areas in the entire country!
Wow!
Which brings me to the Statesville – Mooresville, NC micropolitan area.
Those of you familiar with Places of Value probably know that Statesville, NC, about 45 minutes north of Charlotte, is already on our list of best places to retire or relocate in North Carolina. And Mooresville, NC is only about 20 miles south of Statesville near Lake Norman.
Great job to the Statesville-Mooresville micropolitan area which has secured more business facility and expansion projects than any other micropolitan area in the United States and has done so 8 out of the last 10 years!
That's right, it’s #1 in the entire country!
Not only is it #1 in the country now, it is consistently so, and an example of how jobs and economic development in North Carolina and South Carolina isn’t just limited to the big cities.
Moreover, it’s an example of how You can find a job and a high quality of life and enjoy small town living at the same time. Isn't this about finding Your best place to live in North Carolina or South Carolina?
To be fair, it doesn’t hurt that the Statesville-Mooresville, NC micropolitan area is roughly equidistant from both Charlotte and the Piedmont Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) area but as Robert Carney, the executive director for economic development in the area noted in a recent article in Site Selection magazine…
“Our leaders recognize the importance of being an employment center rather than a bedroom community to other areas.”
I could go on and on about the accomplishments of the Statesville-Mooresville, North Carolina micropolitan area but I have to say I think that statement says it all.
I’m quite sure there are many more best places like the Statesville-Mooresville area in the Carolinas that have the same concern for the future of their city, town or community.
When it comes to finding your best place to relocate or retire to in North Carolina or South Carolina I don’t hesitate to encourage you to look into all the advantages that many of the successful micropolitan areas have to offer.
See you next time,
Bob
About Bob Bencivenga
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Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
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