Challenge Located in the Phoenix area, Maricopa was one of the most rapidly growing communities in the country, increasing from 1,500 residents in 2000 to more than 43,000 by 2010. This dramatic growth reflected an unusually hot—and ultimately unsustainable—housing market. As a result, growth tapered off after the housing bubble […]
Challenge In early 2016, the Lewis Economic Development Council (Lewis EDC) began the process of developing a strategic plan to guide the organization’s short, medium, and long-range economic development activities. Funded under the US Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, the plan
Challenge Robust employment and economic growth led to extremely tight labor market conditions in the Greater Fargo Moorhead region at the start of the 21st century. Even during the 2007-2009 recession, the region’s employment base contracted by less than 1 percent and had fully recovered by 2010. With unemployment less
Challenge In 2018, Brownsville was the largest US city in the Rio Grande Valley and a rapidly growing, bi-national region with more than 2.5 million residents. The community was in the midst of an unprecedented convergence of major investment projects from both the private sector (such as SpaceX’s new Boca
Challenge Situated in the scenic foothills of northern Georgia among miles of largely unspoiled Lake Lanier shoreline, Forsyth County’s rapid population growth, highly rated schools, and affluence has made it a prime location for investment within the fast-growing and dynamic Atlanta metro area. However, the county’s many assets and successes
Challenge Located in the heart of the Arkansas River Valley, the greater Fort Smith area featured some exceptional assets in the early 2000s, including a strong manufacturing base, excellent access to major metropolitan areas, and a relatively low cost of living. However, the region had reached a tipping point and
Challenge Comprised of Mason City, Clear Lake, and Greater Cerro Gordo County, the North Iowa Corridor boasts multiple industry strengths, including advanced manufacturing, food processing, transportation and warehousing, and healthcare services. Like many rural areas, however, the region struggled to retain young professionals and experienced a gradual decline in population
Challenge Center cities of many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are registering their highest levels of population growth in decades, with some leading job growth in their metro areas as well. This trend, labeled by some as “the Great Inversion,” represents a reversal of patterns that have dominated the
Challenge The Greater Newport and East Bay Region—which includes Newport and Bristol Counties—has a rich history, a global brand, and is a sought-after tourist destination. With advanced defense companies like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, R&D assets like the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and national defense installations like the Naval War
Challenge The counties along Wisconsin’s Interstate 41 (I-41) corridor have traditionally comprised one of the nation’s largest manufacturing regions, with the sector accounting for nearly 19 percent of all jobs in 2016 (compared with just 8 percent of employment nationally). Following the Great Recession, the five-county area experienced steady job
