"Atlanta is the nation's best city for entrepreneurs, according to a survey by Inc. Magazine.

The study, based on a review of job growth data in 277 cities, ranked Atlanta No. 1 because of its diverse mix of industries and relatively affordable housing climate." 1

The Magazine has rated these as the top 10 best and worst Cities for entrepreneurs.

Best cities
1. Atlanta
2. Riverside-San Bernadino, Calif.
3. Las Vegas
4. San Antonio
5. West Palm Beach
6. Camden, N.J.
7. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood-Pompano Beach, Fla.
8. Jacksonville
9. Newark, N.J.
10. Suburban Maryland-D.C.

Worst cities
1. San Jose
2. Grand Rapids, Mich.
3. Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
4. Dayton, Ohio
5. Rochester, N.Y.
6. New York
7. San Francisco
8. Portland, Ore.
9. Boston
10. Philadelphia

To be honest.. this list came as a surprise to me.. look at New York, Boston and then the Jacksonville, Florida? Good stats.

Maybe for offline business's but I dont see how this could affect a virtual business (location wise)

Well, in your case, you might work strickly online. There are plenty of web hosts that have offices, some of which are in Atlanta, such as Interland.

I live in San Jose and I'm not surpised. A very large amount of people have lost a lot of money here.

I'm sure Seattle used to be on the good list a few years back. Of course the WA unemployment rate and cost of living on the western side of the state probably knocked it down a fair way.

Well NYC is no big surprise....
Simple answer there is Rent & Taxes.

If I had a choice to start a small business in Atlanta or NYC I'd choose Atlanta. The $/sqft costs in Atlanta are going to many times less then it would be in NYC. Not to mention the 12% (not 100% sure about that) compared to the City of Atlanta's 8% and surrounding areas at 5%-7%...

tax here in ny
is 8.5% went up from 8.25
thanks bush! lol

Originally posted by ilyash
tax here in ny
is 8.5% went up from 8.25
thanks bush! lol

Oops... I was wrong... NYC Sales Tax (City + State) is a nice 8.625

Ours is only 7% here in Atlanta. Good to see Atlanta's got something going for it. I hate this town.

ours is 15%... Canada rules :)