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Go to Town

Be good to your city, and it will be good to you.

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This story appears in the May 2004 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

When the civic leaders of Dayton, Ohio, noticed their city'spopulation was trickling out to the suburbs in the early 1990s,they put their heads together to prevent their downtown frombecoming a ghost town. Their efforts exploded in the late '90swith a new stadium, a $32 million riverfront development project, anew performing arts center, and new downtown housing. And all alongthe way, entrepreneurs were involved.

As an , the first thought on your mind might not bethe health of your city, but it should be. If your town thrives,your is rewarded with a larger customer base and a betterpotential work force. Your business then gives back by hiring morelocal workers and contributing more taxes. And one of the keyelements to fostering a healthy city is to attract the creativefolks who will start and work in innovative businesses.

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