Hot Cities

Top 5 Midsized Cities

1. Wilmington/Newark, DE/MD

2. Tacoma, WA

3. Louisville, KY/IN

4. Charleston/North Charleston, SC

5. Pensacola, FL

Top 20 Large Cities

1. West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, FL

2. Salt Lake City/Ogden, UT

3. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC

4. Atlanta, GA

5. Orlando, FL

6. Las Vegas, NV/AZ

7. Phoenix/Mesa, AZ

8. Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, VA/NC

9. Middlesex/Somerset/Hunterdon, NJ

10. Washington, DC/MD/VA/WV

11. Indianapolis, IN

12. Jacksonville, FL

13. Dallas, TX

14. Houston, TX

15. Fort Lauderdale, FL

16. Cincinnati, OH/KY/IN

17. San Jose, CA

18. Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill, NC/SC

19. Austin/San Marcos, TX

20. Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, WA

Top 5 Southeast

1. West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, FL (1*)

2. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC (3)

3. Atlanta, GA (4)

4. Orlando, FL (5)

5. Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, VA/NC (8)

*overall ranking

Top 5 Central

1. Indianapolis, IN (11*)

2. Dallas, TX (13)

3. Houston, TX (14)

4. Cincinnati, OH/KY/IN (16)

5. Austin/San Marcos, TX (19)

*overall ranking

Top 5 Northeast

1. Middlesex/Somerset/Hunterdon, NJ (9*)

2. New York, NY (23)

3. Boston, MA/NH (28)

4. Monmouth/Ocean, NJ (31)

5. Bergen/Passaic, NJ (33)

*overall ranking

Top 4 Mountain

1. Salt Lake City/Ogden, UT (2*)

2. Las Vegas, NV/AZ (6)

3. Phoenix/Mesa, AZ (7)

4. Denver, CO (21)

*overall ranking

Top 5 West

1. San Jose, CA (17*)

2. Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, WA (20)

3. Orange County, CA (22)

4. Portland/Vancouver, OR/WA (26)

5. San Diego, CA (30)

*overall ranking

Best Bets Entrepreneurial Activity

1. Las Vegas, NV/AZ (6*)

2. Orlando, FL (5)

2. Salt Lake City/Ogden, UT (2)

4. Monmouth/Ocean, NJ (31)

5. Austin/San Marcos, TX (19)

*overall ranking

Best Bets Lowest Failure Rates

1. Cincinnati, OH/KY/IN (16*)

2. Indianapolis, IN (11)

2. New Orleans, LA (41)

4. West Palm Beach/

Boca Raton, FL (1)

5. Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, NC (38)

*overall ranking

Best Bets Economic Growth

1. Las Vegas, NV/AZ (6*)

1. New York, NY (23)

3. Phoenix/Mesa, AZ (7)

4. Orlando, FL (5)

5. West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, FL (1)

*overall ranking

Best Bets Small Business Growth

1. Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill, NC/SC (18*)

2. Las Vegas, NV/AZ (6)

3. Salt Lake City/Ogden, UT (2)

4. Washington, DC/MD/VA/WV (10)

5. Dallas, TX (13)

*overall ranking

This article was originally published in the October 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Hot Cities.