Best Cities
Primacy Relocation and Worldwide ERC®
Announce the 2008 Best Cities for Relocating Families
MOBILITY Magazine, August 2008
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By Michelle Vallejo, SCRP, GMS
A multitude of factors determine the success of an employee transfer, but relocating a family adds an entirely different set of needs affecting children, spouses, and even grandparents. To better predict the likelihood of a successful relocation for a family, Primacy Relocation, Memphis, TN, partners each year with Worldwide ERC®, Arlington, VA, to identify the Best Cities for Relocating Families™ among large, medium, and small U.S. metropolitan areas. Working closely with Bert Sperling of Sperling’s BestPlaces, Primacy and Worldwide ERC® rate cities based on a variety of both short- and long-term indicators that help employers manage successful transfers and communities understand the range of factors affecting a newcomer’s living experience.
The rankings take into consideration quality-of-life issues, while paying special attention to criteria that affect families during the first years they reside in a new location. For the 2008 study, an increased emphasis was placed on the housing market and economy, which significantly impacts both the employee mobility industry and an employer’s ability to transfer employees. We also look carefully at issues that transferees often discuss with their assigned relocation consultants. These include: economic impacts such as cost of living, property taxes, and a climate’s effect on utility/water bills; hassle factors such as the average commute, utility customer service ratings, and vehicle property taxes; and education issues, including pupil-to-teacher ratios and requirements for in-state tuition at local universities.
This year’s city size categories of large, medium, and small were adjusted to reflect the larger population areas to which families are most likely to relocate: 1.3 million and above; between 600,000 and 1.3 million; and 360,000 to 600,000, respectively.
Best Large Metro—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Once known as the center of the steel-making industry, Pittsburgh now hosts headquarters operations for both domestic and foreign companies in a variety of industries including financial services, technology, and health care. The city is comprised of more than 90 historical and revitalized neighborhoods, each offering a unique personality and charm to Pittsburgh’s ethnically diverse metropolitan population of more than two million people. Cultural and educational opportunities are available through the city’s various museums, theaters, symphony orchestra, colleges and universities, including the well-known Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, and the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to a strong public transit system, Pittsburgh offers a unique transportation infrastructure including roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, and bike and walking paths. Pittsburgh also is home to major league football, baseball, and hockey teams, and offers access to world-class sport venues, including Heinz Field, PNC Park, and Mellon Arena. These, combined with the area’s low cost of living and low crime rate, help explain why Pittsburgh has earned the reputation as a great place to raise a family.
Best Medium Metro—Omaha/Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa
This metro area is home to more than 800,000 residents and is comprised of Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, a more industrial city situated in Iowa on the east bank of the Missouri River. Omaha, considered to be the gateway to the Great Plains, boasts a diverse set of industries including banking, technology, transportation and architecture, and hosts five companies on the Fortune 500 list. A classic Midwestern area, this metro is clean and inviting with quaint neighborhoods, strong educational institutions, excellent housing values, and cultural amenities including museums, galleries and a nationally recognized and innovative public art program located in Council Bluffs.
Best Small Metro—Rockingham County/Strafford County, New Hampshire
Recognized as the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire, Rockingham and Strafford counties encompass a small area of land that separates northern Massachusetts and Maine. Nearly 390,000 residents live in the two-county area, comprised of 50 cities including Portsmouth and Rochester. The metro maintains a strong and rich heritage, with an extensive collection of period residential architecture and charming downtown areas. Close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean provides a predominately marine climate, with mild summers and cold winters. Families can enjoy the tranquility of a small city, while still taking advantage of large metro amenities by traveling to Boston, which is a mere 65 miles south of Portsmouth.
For a complete list of the top 50 cities in each category, please visit www.primacy.com.
Michelle Vallejo, SCRP, GMS, is president, the Americas, for Primacy Relocation, Memphis, TN. She can be reached at
+1 901 291 5512 or e-mail michelle.vallejo@primacy.com.
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