Knoxville broke the top 10 for the first time on an internationally respected list of the best American cities to do business, Mayor Bill Haslam and local economic development officials announced Friday.

The metropolitan area's ranking appears in the "Hottest Cities" survey in the January-February issue Expansion Management magazine, a trade journal read by some 50,000 business decision makers worldwide.

Knoxville ranked ninth among the nation's 362 metropolitan regions. Rankings reflect the opinions of 80 prominent business location consultants who advise companies about where to expand or locate their companies.

Knoxville ranks 9th on the Expansion Management's "America's 50 Hottest Cities" for businesses looking to expand or relocate."Because of the way this community is working together, building upon our strengths and pooling our resources, Knoxville is getting well-deserved notice for being a great place to locate, expand and grow businesses," Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam said. "This is great news for the East Tennessee region, and confirmation that our economic development strategies - particularly Jobs Now!, - are working."

Consultants participating in the poll considered the metropolitan areas they are most likely to recommend to business clients. They considered such factors as overall business climate, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs and the ease of working with local political and economic development officials, according the Expansion Management editor Bill King.

The Knoxville region ranked 14th in the 2004 poll, which was the first year the metro area was mentioned in the annual top 50 "Hottest Cities" survey.

2006 LIST OF AMERICA’S 50 HOTTEST CITIES
 
1. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn. MSA
2. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. MSA
3. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. MSA
4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas MSA
5. San Antonio, Texas MSA
6. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C.
7. Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. MSA
8. Jacksonville, Fla. MSA
9. KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE MSA
10. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. MSA
11. Tucson, Ariz. MSA
12. Tulsa, Okla. MSA
13. Denver-Aurora, Colo. MSA
14. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. MSA
15. Richmond, Va. MSA
16. Raleigh-Cary, N.C. MSA
17. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. MSA
18. Austin-Round Rock, Texas MSA
19. Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, Texas MSA
20. Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. MSA
21. Albuquerque, N.M. MSA
22. Huntsville, Ala. MSA
23. Oklahoma City, Okla. MSA
24. Pittsburgh, Pa. MSA
25. Charleston-North Charleston, S.C. MSA
26. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Fla. MSA
27. Indianapolis, Ind. MSA
28. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. MSA
29. Columbus, Ohio MSA
30. Longview, Texas MSA
31. Louisville, Ky.-Ind. MSA
32. Colorado Springs, Colo. MSA
33. Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. MSA
34. Winston-Salem, N.C. MSA
35. Rochester, N.Y. MSA
36. Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa MSA
37. Mobile, Ala. MSA
38. Des Moines, Iowa MSA
39. Reno-Sparks, Nev. MSA
40. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho
41. Orlando, Fla. MSA
42. Jackson, Tenn. MSA
43. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, N.Y. MSA
44. Syracuse, N.Y. MSA
45. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. MSA
46. Greenville, S.C. MSA
47. Greensboro-High Point, N.C. MSA
48. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. MSA
49. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash. MSA
50. Salt Lake City, Utah MSA

SOURCE: Expansion Management survey of site consultants, November 2005