Santa Clarita has
been selected for placement on the "Top Ten Small Cities of the Future"
in fDi Intelligence, an international publication from the
London Financial Times
which provides foreign investment information. Ranked in the top three,
Santa Clarita has been recognized for growth and potential for
profitable investment. The news was announced during the publication's
American Cities of the Future Awards, 2011/2012, where Santa Clarita
also earned honors in the strategy category.
To be considered
small, the city must have a population over 100,000 but under 250,000.
Besides size, the requirements are based on a list of criteria
including: economic potential, business friendliness, quality of life,
potential for outside investment, and prospect of business expansion.
Business
growth and potential for investment were the most important criteria in
the judgment, and growth does not necessarily just refer to hiring
more employees. For growth, there are many options, including
diversifying your product, targeting other markets, and of course,
opening new locations. However, many businesses are viewing the Internet
as the last frontier for business expansion. To take advantage of
search engine ranking, businesses who choose to increase visibility
online must take advantage of technology available, such as online
marketing companies, high-speed wired routers, and social networking.
Within
the judging was a consideration for the number of resources directed to
encouraging inward investment, training, key growth initiatives,
infrastructure, and urban planning by the city.
Other cities in
the top three were Huntsville, AL and Richmond, VA. Santa Clarita has
been a prominent figure in Southern California, due to reliable public
transportation, top-performing school systems, amenities, business
process, and housing. Also, businesses located in the Enterprise Zone
are offered government incentives which lower its state income tax.
The
awards ceremony will be presented June 29 in Washington, D.C. by the
editor of fDi magazine. The magazine will also present awards for the
"American Cities of the Future" list, which includes cities over
250,000. The list includes New York, Chicago, and Houston. These cities
were judged for the same criteria as the small cities list.
Other top honors have been bestowed on Santa Clarita in the past few years, including second safest city in the US by the
FBI for populations over 150,000.