Forbes Locates Fort Smith in Oklahoma (Outtakes Opinion)
by May 24, 2004 12:00 am 78 views
We were glad to see that Forbes magazine recently rated the Fayetteville metropolitan statistical area as No. 5 among its annual top 150 best small places to live. We assume that although the magazine identified the area as “Fayetteville,” it really meant the Northwest Arkansas MSA that includes Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville since it lists a population of 332,000. Forbes apparently corrected the error by May 19.
The list identifies “the best places to launch a new business or career” among both small and large metropolitan areas. The ratings are based on a variety of factors such as Ph.D. graduates per 100,000 residents, cost of labor and other expenditures.
We were disappointed to see, however, that Forbes included a ranking for Fort Smith, Okla., on its Web site. Obviously, the border town is actually in Arkansas.
Fort Smith rated No. 10 overall for “cost of doing business,” or 25 spots above the Fayetteville MSA. Fort Smith ranked No. 57 overall, behind Jonesboro at No. 28.