Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408180120
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
The metropolitan area in central North Carolina is the current favorite for list-loving glossy business magazines.
Crowned the best metro area in which to do business by Fortune this spring, Raleigh-Durham turned up at the top of Money's ``Best Places to Live in America,'' published in the September issue distributed Wednesday.
``This is a rare double for a city,'' Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer said. ``It's an opportunity we really need to take advantage of.''
Despite the unscientific nature of magazine lists, Fetzer knows they have tremendous public-relations value.
He already plans a print ad campaign to boast of the No.1 status.
Raleigh-Durham, with 882,000 residents, placed well in the economic, housing, education and health categories.
The region has an unemployment rate of just 3 percent, several large medical centers and three large universities - Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State.
Because Money changes the criteria for the list based on a yearly survey of readers' interests, the positions of cities can change wildly.
While Rochester, Minn., was bumped from No.1 to No.2, Kenosha, Wis., plunged from 25 to 261.
Kenosha was knocked because of commuting time.
``But we're still 2 minutes below the national average,'' said Lou Micheln, director of the Kenosha Chamber of Commerce.
Roanoke, which was 81 last year, plunged to 201. Other Virginia cities also slipped in rank: Charlottesville was 77, down from 37 last year; Danville was 214, down from 60; Lynchburg was 219, down from 67; Norfolk-Virginia Beach was 224, down from 63; and Richmond was 253, down from 64.
At the bottom of the list in the No.300 slot was Jackson, Mich., which was No.277 last year.
The city of 150,000 in southeastern Michigan fared poorly in part because it is home to the state's largest prison. Crime inside its walls is recorded as crime in Jackson.
The magazine said its readers this year were most interested in low crime, clean air and water, good health care, strong government and low taxes.
They were less interested in good schools, low housing prices, ski areas and proximity to major-league sports than they were a year ago.
by CNB