Best Cities for Relocating Singles Named by Worldwide ERC® & Primacy Relocation

CHICAGO -- Worldwide ERC(R) (the Employee Relocation Council) and Primacy Relocation announced at the ERC's Global Workforce Summit that Austin, Nashville, New York, Charlotte, and Houston are 2005's Best Cities for Relocating Singles(TM) among U.S. metropolitan areas.

For a second year, the two organizations have joined Sperling's BestPlaces to identify the cities with the most to offer relocating singles. Using statistical profiles of the largest 100 U.S. metro areas and the criteria most relevant to singles, the rankings reflect the probability of a smooth transition and a successful relocation.

The 10 Best U.S. Cities for Relocating Singles: (full results at www.primacy.com)

1. Austin-San Marcos

2. Nashville

3. New York

4. Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

5. Houston

6. Dallas

7. Atlanta

8. Portland-Vancouver

9. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett

10. New Orleans

"The appeal of a city is different depending on an individual's point of view," said Michelle Vallejo, Primacy's Chief Operating Officer. "This study provides employee relocation professionals with another tool to help facilitate happy and successful moves for their transferees."

This year's results reflect several new factors that can impact singles, including the gender population balance, a climate analysis keyed to utility costs, as well as fee and occupancy rates for temporary housing and mini-storage. Also, cities with plenty of collegiate and professional sporting events and fun, fan-friendly venues got a closer look this year.

Despite the new data, Austin retained its top spot from the 2004 study, while Nashville and Charlotte saw dramatic improvements in their rankings. New Orleans rose to 10th place, based on pre-Hurricane Katrina data. The survey's publishers decided to let the battered city's hard-earned ranking stand--out of respect and with full confidence that it will once again be an attractive destination for transferring singles.

Primacy Relocation is one of the top third-party employee relocation providers in the world, and is the largest to focus all resources on relocation and global assignment (expatriate) management. Primacy administers programs for employers throughout the Western Hemisphere, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Core services include home sales, destination services, household goods move management, and overall program administration.

Worldwide ERC(R) is the membership association of choice for more than 10,000 corporate and government relocation managers, real estate companies, appraisers, and a range of service firms and individuals from industries that address relocation-related workforce issues.

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