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April 23, 2008
Houma zoomed up 30 places from last year in the Forbes Magazine ranking of the 179 best smaller cities in the U.S. to do business and have careers, published by the magazine last month.
The Houma metro area, which includes Thibodaux, placed at 133 this year, ahead of all smaller metro areas in Louisiana except Alexandria, which ranked 128.
Forbes ranked Houma at 29 in job growth, a rise of 37 places from last year.
“This shows we are continuing to grow, especially compared to some other areas which are in decline,” said Terrebonne Economic Development Authority CEO Mike Ferdinand. “This shows some of our milestones are being met.”
The magazine classified metro areas as smaller if they had fewer than 240,000 people. The Houma-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area has 203,000 residents.
To produce the rankings, the magazine considered labor, tax, energy and office space costs and living costs like housing, transportation, food and other household expenditures. Educational attainment, crime, the presence of four-year colleges and cultural and recreational opportunities were also considered.
The best smaller cities in the U.S. for business and careers according to Forbes were all located in the Midwest: Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Iowa City, Iowa; Bloomington, Indiana; Columbia, Missouri and Bismarck, North Dakota.
In Louisiana, Lake Charles ranked 144 and Monroe placed at 156. Both cities ranked ahead of Houma last year.
“There’s more opportunity for people in our area to seek good quality opportunities here,” said TEDA Business Retention and Expansion Director Katherine Gilbert. “We have wonderful opportunities here.”
“The climate for business is improving locally,” she said. “We’re encouraging local entrepreneurs to invest in their ideas. We meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs to help them open businesses. We work with them in their business plans to obtain financing. It’s part of what we do.”
Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said the job market in Houma is great in many different areas for anyone wanting to work.
“Next year, we hope to get even higher,” he said.
Houma placed at 74 for the cost of doing business in the Forbes rankings.
The Houma metro area ranked near the bottom in educational attainment at 168.
“Forbes Magazine” lists the Houma metro area as the 133rd top smaller city in the United States to do business or have a career. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
