Raleigh Ranks Right on Top

RALEIGH, N.C. (November 2005) -- North Carolina's Capital City area certainly makes the grade when it comes to positive accolades.  Over the past five years, numerous third parties have praised Raleigh for its quality of life, excellent education, entertainment options and business climate.  After all, Raleigh embodies, "City Life, Carolina Style."  Among Raleigh's most notable accolades:


LIFESTYLE

One of "7 Cool Cities"     
Kiplingers, August 2005

#4 Best Cities for Singles     
Forbes.Com, July 2005

#34 "Top 100 Places to Live" (Cary)    
Money Magazine, July 2005

#17 Best Place for U.S. Running    
Runner's World, July 2005

# 8 Best Place for Wireless Connections   
Intel, June 2005

Five Star Quality of Life (Raleigh-Cary)   
Expansion Management, April 2005

Top 50 City: Quality of Life (Raleigh-Cary)   
Expansion Management, March 2005

#4 Best City for Dating (Raleigh-Durham, NC)
Sperling's Best Places, May 2004

#4 City That Rocks
Esquire Magazine, April 2004

Hottest Town in the East (Cary, NC)    
Money Magazine, January 2004
 
#6 Most Fun City      
Cranium, January 2004

#1 College Town (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) – Tier II 
USA TODAY, August 2003

#10 Lowest Rents-CBD     
Expansion Management, August 2003

#1 Best Place to Live      
MSN House & Home, July 2003

MEETING

#20 Expo's Top 25 Bargain Destinations   
Expo, July/August 2004

#3 Cost-Effective Location for Corporate Meetings  
GetThere, December 2003

#10 Successful Meetings 10 to Watch   
Successful Meetings, December 2003

#1 Best Place to Live & Work    
Employment Review Magazine, June 2003

#9 Best City for Singles     
Forbes Magazine, June 2003

#3 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life    
AARP Magazine, May/June 2003

#10 Low-Stress City (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) 
Sperlings Best Places, 2003

Top 20 Best Urban Trails (Raleigh's Umstead Park)  
Runner's World, October 2001

#4 Healthiest Metro Area in the US    
Demographics Daily, June 2001

#2 Best Place to Live and Work    
Employment Review, June 2001

EDUCATION

#2 Most Educated City     
US Census Bureau-American Community Survey,
2003 (Released April 2005)

#2 Best Public Education System    
Expansion Management, April 2005
(Raleigh – Cary)

#2 Most Educated City     
US Census Bureau-American Community
Survey, 2002 (Released May 2004)

#6 Best Public School System
Expansion Management's MSA Education
(Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill MSA) Quotient Rankings, April 2004

2005 National Superintendent of the Year   
American Association of School
(Bill McNeal, Wake County Public Schools) Administrators, 2004

#3 Best Education In The Biggest Cities    
Forbes, February 2004 (Wake County Schools)

Gold Ribbon School District – Wake County
Expansion Management, December 2003

# 2 Best Place for Education
Forbes Magazine, June 2003

#1 Best City for Education
Places Rated Almanac, Millennium Edition


BUSINESS

Named one of 15 Top Fast Cities (Raleigh-Durham, NC)  
Fast Company, November 2005

#7 Top Metro for Scientists & Engineers Per Capita  
Expansion Magazine, May 2005

#10 Top Metro for University Spending   
Expansion Magazine, May 2005

#7 Best Educated Workforce     
Expansion Magazine, May 2005

#2 Best Place for Business & Careers    
Forbes, April 2005

#4 Best City for Entrepreneurs and Small Business  
Gold Guide Rankings, May 2004

#5 Best City for Economic Dynamism   
Gold Guide Rankings, May 2004

#2 Best Place for Business (Raleigh-Durham, NC)  
Forbes, May 2004

#1 City with the Happiest Workers    
Hudson Employment Index, March 2004

#3 High Value Labor Market Quotient 2005   
Expansion Management, March 2004

#6 Least Expensive Midsize Metro Area for Businesses 
KPMG LLP, February 2004

#1 Hottest Job Market (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) 
Business 2.0, March 2004

#4 Top State for New Business Sites and Facilities  
Plants Sites and Parks, January 2004

#13 Hottest Cities (Raleigh-Durham, NC)   
Expansion Management Magazine, January 2004

#11 Choice City for Biotechnology
Business Development Outlook, December 2003

#9 Hottest Job Growth Market 2003-2013   
Business 2.0, September 2003

#7 High Value Labor Market Quotient 2003   
Expansion Management, July 2003

#4 Top High-Tech City
Business Facilities, May 2003

#9 Best City for Corporate Headquarters
Business Facilities, April 2003

#3 Best Place for Business and Careers
Forbes Magazine, May 26, 2003

#10 Real Estate Market
Expansion Management, August 2002

#3 in New Biotechnology Companies in the 1990's. 
Signs of Life: The Growth of the Biotechnology Centers in the US. Brookings Institute,
June 2002

Top 60 Cybercity
      
Site Selection Magazine, March 2002

#2 City in the US for Relocation
Expansion Management, January 2002

#3 Hottest Metro
Plants, Sites & Parks, March 2002

Fastest Growing State in Venture Capital Investment
Plants, Sites & Parks, January 2002

5-Star Ranking for Best Economic Metro
Demographics Daily, January 2002

#1 Fastest Growing Local Online Population   
Nielson/Netratings Report, February 2003

#3 Highest Mobile Phone Penetration   
Telephia Report, February 2003

#5 for access to venture capital 
Progressive Policy Institute, April 2001

#3 for access to high-tech jobs
Progressive Policy Institute, April 2001

#8 Most Wired City       
Yahoo! Internet Life, March 2001

#3 for percentage of households using the Net  
Yahoo! Internet Life, March 2001

#4 for broadband use and interest    
Yahoo! Internet Life, March 2001

#7 State (NC) for New Facilities/Expansions in 2000 
Site Selection, March 2001

#4 Best City to Start and Grow a Company in Now  
Inc., December 2000

#3 Best City in the Nation for Entrepreneurship  
Entrepreneur, October 2000

#6 for Directory Density (sites per 1000 capita)  
Yahoo! Internet Life, March 2000

#5 for Hosts Per Capita     
Yahoo! Internet Life, March 2000

#6 Hottest City      
Expansion Management, January 2000

The Greater Raleigh CVB is a non-profit agency that promotes Raleigh and Wake County to enhance the economic growth and development of Raleigh and Wake County by increasing visitor and convention business. For a free visitors guide or more promotional information, call (800) 849-8499; visit www.visitraleigh.com, or e-mail visit@visitraleigh.com. That's "City Life, Carolina Style."