OKC finishes high among nation's top-ranked cities

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Feb 11, 2002

The latest edition of America's Top-Rated Cities: A Statistical Handbook, 2002 by Grey House Publishing will list Oklahoma City among the nation's 100 cities cited as the best for business and living in the United States.

The book cites rankings conducted by other publications. Here is how Oklahoma City ranked:

* 63rd out of 354 metro areas in Places Rated Almanac, Millennium Edition, 2000. Criteria: cost of living, climate, transportation, job outlook, education, the arts, health care and recreation.

* 112th out of the nation's 200 largest cities by Ladies Home Journal On-line. Criteria: crime, lifestyle, education, jobs, health, childcare, politics, and the economy.

* 32nd out of the 50 largest urban areas in terms of "America's healthiest cities," by Natural Health magazine. Criteria: amenities, physical health, environment, and happiness.

* 61st out of 100 cities surveyed by Child magazine as the "Best cities for families." Criteria: number of pediatricians per capita, proximity to a children's hospital, immunization rates, infant mortality, air quality, water quality, school spending, pupil- teacher ratio, availability of parks/green space, nearby recreational opportunities, average commute time, number of sunny days, average cost of a three-bedroom home, unemployment rate, future job growth, crime rate, percentage of children under 5 years of age, mandated minimum child care ratios.

* 36th out of 140 cities ranked by Zero Population Growth for "children's health, safety, and economic well-being. Criteria: total population and population growth, percent of population under 18 years of age, number of children's museums, health improvement grade, percent of births to teens, percent of low birthweight births, infant mortality rate, number of Title X-funded clinics, average SAT/ACT scores, average elementary and secondary class size, crime rate, unemployment rate, percent affordable homes, number of bad air days, park acres per 1,000 persons, library circulation per child, and children's program attendance.

* 45th out of 87 of "America's most wired cities...and towns," by Yahoo! Internet Life. Criteria: home and work net use, user sophistication, domain density, and available content.

* 45th out of 64 leading U.S. markets for the number of shoppers who have Internet access and have purchased goods or services online, according to Scarborough Research.

* 269th out of 322 U.S. and Canadian metro areas for their sports' climate, according to The Sporting News On-line. Criteria: championships, playoff berths, regular-season records, applicable power ratings, fan fervor and knowledgeability, number of teams, stadium quality, accessibility and ambiance, ticket availability, and marquee appeal of athletes.

* Sixth out of 40 metro areas in a ranking of the "Top 40 Real Estate Markets" by Expansion Management. Criteria: rental costs, purchase prices, and vacancy rates of office and warehouse space.

* 82nd out of 200 metro areas ranked by Forbes/Milken Institute Best Places 2001 for "Best Places for Business and Career." Criteria: salary growth, job growth, number of technology clusters, overall concentration of technology activity relative to national average, and technology output growth.

* 40th out of 61 metro areas ranked by Entrepreneur magazine's list of the "Best Cities for Entrepreneurship." Criteria: entrepreneurial activity, small-business growth, economic growth, and risk.

* 38th our of 50 metro areas ranked by Inc. magazine's list of the "50 Best Large Metro Areas to Start and Grow a Company." Criteria: significant starts (firms started in the last 10 years that still employ at least five people) and young growers (firms 10 years old or less that grew significantly during the last four years).

* 180th out of 315 metro areas ranked by IndustryWeek as "World- Class Communities." Criteria: Metropolitan Statistical Area gross metropolitan product per manufacturing employee, and Metropolitan Statistical Area percent share of U.S. manufacturing Gross Domestic Product.

* 61st out of 125 largest metro areas for general financial security, according to ING Group's study, "The Best Cities to Earn and Save Money: A Ranking of the Largest 125 U.S. Cities."

Closing a Factory 2-U

Apparel retailer Factory 2-U Stores Inc. will close one of its two Oklahoma City locations as part of an effort to shut down underperforming stores nationwide, company officials confirmed Friday. The San Diego-based company said its store at 9632 N. Rockwell Ave. in Oklahoma City will close, most likely in March. Factory 2-U Stores' other outlet at 7357 S. Shields Blvd. in Oklahoma City and its one store in Tulsa will remain open.

Factory 2-U Stores Chairman Mike Searles said the company will close 28 unprofitable stores nationwide and open 30 new stores in 2002, in a business realignment. Company officials declined to name specific store locations to be closed. But local store employees confirmed the planned closing of the Rockwell location.

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