I-AA cities make the best 25 list.

[Ronbo]

Some I-AA cities make INC.com's top 25 small cities (under 150,000 pop).

1. Montpelier With classic Yankee humility, George Malek, executive vice president of the Central Vermont Chamber, could not bring himself to boast about his region's top ranking. He cited instead his city's burgeoning insurance industry and the advantages of being a state capital and home to several small colleges.

2. Missoula Montana's nice scenery and the local university go a long way in a small place. Missoula's population has almost doubled in the past 30 years, and many newcomers have started businesses. Financial and professional business services, as well as information, have all made solid gains.

3. Casper With 66,000 people in this Wyoming region, Casper is small even by small-town standards. But its business services industries--in particular, financial services--made strong showings. Another sign that professional service sectors are declustering from traditional urban centers.

4. Rockland County Although not cheap by midwestern or southern standards, its housing prices are bargain basement compared with areas closer to New York City. Population growth has been three times the New York average since 2000, while information and business services have shown solid growth.

5. Sioux Falls This South Dakota small city is picking up population, a far cry from the out-migration of years past. There's a skilled work force for financial and professional services and an emerging information and biological sciences sector. Both are attracting investment dollars.

6. Waco, Texas

7. Burlington, Vermont

8. Dutchess County, New York

9. Anchorage, Alaska

10. Manchester, New Hampshire

11. Bismarck, North Dakota

12. Bryan-College Station, Texas

13. Danbury, Connecticut

14. Altoona, Pennsylvania

15. Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota

16. Las Cruces, New Mexico

17. La Crosse, Wisconsin

18. Newburgh, New York

19. Albany, Georgia

20. Medford, Oregon

21. Utica-Rome, New York

22. Lake Charles, Louisiana

23. Bristol, Virginia

24. Fort Smith, Arkansas

25. Enid, Oklahoma

[DaBears]

I didn't know sioux falls is a I-AA city. When did Augustana go I-AA?

[Ronbo]

I didn't say anything about Souix Falls. Missoula, Fargo, and Lake Charles made the list. Maybe someone else too, does anyone see another I-AA city?

[McNeese75]

I didn't say anything about Souix Falls. Missoula, Fargo, and Lake Charles made the list. Maybe someone else too, does anyone see another I-AA city?

:eek:

[UAalum72]

:eek:

Colgate is about 30 miles from Utica.

Marist College is in Dutchess County, NY and St. Francis is just outside Altoona, PA.

[jimbo65]

I live in Westchester County which is across the river from Rockland County and can not think of a 1AA football school that is located in Rockland.

[Baldy]

Albany, GA?????????
You gotta be kiddin' me. :lmao:
My guess is the person who wrote that INC.com article has never been there.

No I-AA in Albany either, just DII Albany State. However, they did beat DII NC Valdosta State last season.

[UAalum72]

Obviously this is a list of INCs top 25 small cities. Some of them have I-AA colleges.It's not a list of the top 25 I-AA cities.

[Ronbo]

I said I recognized three I-AA cities (3) that made the top 25. Geeze you guys think all 25 are I-AA? Missoula, Lake Charles, and Fargo. If you don't see any other I-AA's, they didn't make it or they are in the Mid and Large city lists. In fact if you actually read the list Casper, College Station, Waco, and Las Cruces are I-A.

[colgate13]

I guess you could lump Utica/Rome with Colgate. It's as close as we'll ever get to a city.

[yomama]

In fact if you actually read the list Casper... are I-A.

Casper? Try again.

[blueballs]

Albany, GA?????????
You gotta be kiddin' me. :lmao:
My guess is the person who wrote that INC.com article has never been there.

No I-AA in Albany either, just DII Albany State. However, they did beat DII NC Valdosta State last season.

Albany is not even on my list of best smaller cities in So GA. I'd rather live in Saint Simons, Saint Marys, Kingsland, Jekyll Island, Valdosta, Thomasville, etc. over Albany.

[jimbo65]

Albany NY does have a 1AA team. They are a mid-major and their 1AA status is a sham, however, unfortunately Fordham plays them.

Albany, NY is a dump.

[89Hen]

Looks like a western bias to me :p

2. Missoula
3. Casper
5. Sioux Falls
6. Waco, Texas
9. Anchorage, Alaska
11. Bismarck, North Dakota
12. Bryan-College Station, Texas
15. Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota
16. Las Cruces, New Mexico
17. La Crosse, Wisconsin
20. Medford, Oregon
22. Lake Charles, Louisiana
24. Fort Smith, Arkansas
25. Enid, Oklahoma

[Ronbo]

Casper? Try again.

Oh yeah that's Laramie, my bad.

[Ronbo]

Looks like a western bias to me :p

2. Missoula
3. Casper
5. Sioux Falls
6. Waco, Texas
9. Anchorage, Alaska
11. Bismarck, North Dakota
12. Bryan-College Station, Texas
15. Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota
16. Las Cruces, New Mexico
17. La Crosse, Wisconsin
20. Medford, Oregon
22. Lake Charles, Louisiana
24. Fort Smith, Arkansas
25. Enid, Oklahoma

I think there are plenty of Eastern cities on the large and mid lists.

Large (over 450,000)

1. Atlanta "Hotlanta" is precisely that, the hottest of the hot economies of the country. Pummeled in the early days of the 2000 recession, the sprawling Georgia metropolis has roared back, mostly on the basis of its strong service sector, pro-business culture, and a relatively affordable housing environment in comparison with other big-time cities.

2. Riverside-San Bernardino California's premier hot spot has been criticized as the epitome of urban sprawl and for creating mostly "crummy jobs."

But it's also been the Golden State's economic Energizer Bunny: The low-cost haven keeps on growing in population, attracting emigrants from the coast.

3. Las Vegas At first hurt by the downturn in tourism after 9/11, the Nevada metropolis has gotten its groove back. Although tourism remains the linchpin, the area is creating jobs in high-end sectors and even manufacturing, in large part because of an exodus from more expensive locales on the Western Seaboard.

4. San Antonio Largely unnoticed amidst the mega-hype surrounding media favorite Austin, this more affordable Texas city has benefited from steady population growth, a diversifying economy, and a strong military presence.

5. West Palm Beach This part of Florida is getting crowded, so relatively low prices could soon be a thing of the past. Right now, the perceived high quality of life and reasonable housing prices make this area an almost irresistible lure.

6. Southern New Jersey, New Jersey

7. Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood-Pompano Beach, Florida

8. Jacksonville, Florida

9. Newark, New Jersey

10. Suburban Maryland-D.C., Maryland

11. Orlando, Florida

12. Phoenix, Arizona

13. Washington MSA, District of Columbia

14. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida

15. San Diego, California

16. Nassau-Suffolk, New York

17. Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia

18. New Orleans, Louisiana

19. Austin, Texas

20. Northern Virginia, Virginia

21. Middlesex-Somerset- Hunterdon, New Jersey

22. Miami-Hialeah, Florida

23. Orange County, California

24. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

25. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York

Medium (150,000 - 450,000)

1. Green Bay The Packers may provide name recognition to this Wisconsin city, but locals swear to the quality of life, a diversified economy, and a hardworking, skilled labor force.

It lacks the population-driven growth of Sunbelt cities such as Las Vegas or Atlanta, but it is an excellent place to start and expand a business.

2. Madison Cold weather didn't stop Wisconsin from packing a one-two punch among midsize cities. Madison is peculiarly well suited for the service-driven economic expansion. As state capital and locale of one of the region's top universities, its population is exceptionally well educated.

3. Sarasota This may well be Florida's "next big thing," an affordable coastal region that attracts many skilled, middle-class emigrants from the north. A sizable tech work force has made this among the fastest-growing areas for information-based industries. And there's always the beach.

4. Fresno California's economy is driven by real estate affordability and population growth, but here it's particularly spurred on by Latino and Asian immigration. A key issue, as in other growth centers, will be creating a bigger high-end service, manufacturing, and information sector.

5. Bakersfield Like Fresno, but with perhaps stronger prospects. Sprawl has made the old Merle Haggard Okie capital a distant suburb of pricey Los Angeles, and people actually commute over the mountains. A good choice for firms seeking to expand close to southern California, without the price tag.

6. Reno, Nevada

7. Albuquerque, New Mexico

8. Tucson, Arizona

9. Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, California

10. Modesto, California

11. Stockton, California

12. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida

13. Corpus Christi, Texas

14. Syracuse, New York

15. Springfield, Missouri

16. Monmouth-Ocean, New Jersey

17. Westchester County, New York

18. Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pennsylvania

19. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

20. Daytona Beach, Florida

21. Jackson, Mississippi

22. Lancaster, Pennsylvania

23. Portland, Maine

24. Boise City, Idaho

25. Akron, Ohio

[89Hen]

10. Suburban Maryland-D.C., Maryland
13. Washington MSA, District of Columbia
20. Northern Virginia, Virginia

Surprised to see them break out all three jurisdicitons. Good to know I live on the right side of the river. :p

[Baldy]

What crummy lists.
Jacksonville over Orlando? Jacksonville is a poor redneck's Atlanta. Orlando is way more cosmopolitan. Jax must be high because of neighbors like Fernandina, Amelia Island, and St. Augustine. :confused:

[eaglefan452]

Albany, GA?????????
You gotta be kiddin' me. :lmao:
My guess is the person who wrote that INC.com article has never been there.

No I-AA in Albany either, just DII Albany State. However, they did beat DII NC Valdosta State last season.


Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I would like to know exactly what it is that makes it such a nice "small" town.

[blueballs]

What crummy lists.
Jacksonville over Orlando? Jacksonville is a poor redneck's Atlanta. Orlando is way more cosmopolitan. Jax must be high because of neighbors like Fernandina, Amelia Island, and St. Augustine. :confused:

Atlanta has more Fortune 500 companies headquartered there than the entire state of Florida combined. :eek:

Orlando has a relatively low median income because of the literally thousands of tourist related "menial" jobs. But jobs are jobs, right?

Orlando is way more cosmopolitan than Jax, no doubt, and I think overall a better place. Orlando has better theatre, concerts, arts, dining, shopping, universities, and is growing in every direction. The resorts alone with all their amenities make this a better place.

I should know, I started out after college in Jax and moved to the metro Orlando area after 2.5 years and still live here 20 years later.

[Cocky]

Jackson, MS
New Orleans, LA

These would make my bottom 25.

[Retro]

Do you have a link to this site that shows the list?

[AgentOrange]

Looks like a western bias to me :p


It's all about development, Not much space to SPRAWL in the east.

[AgentOrange]

It also makes you wonder why there isn't a major college in San Antonio. It's a beautiful city with HUGE development trends spreading to the northwest. The only few schools that it has Trinity and UT-San Antonio.

If pro sports ever consider expansion in the future (whiuch I'm not a big fan of anymore), San Antonio would have to be the new market. It actually surpasses Dallas as the second largest city in the Lone Star State. But if the pro money can't move there, why not the college crowd?

[NorthDakotaBison]

Surprised to see them break out all three jurisdicitons. Good to know I live on the right side of the river. :p

those guys most know what they're doing.

I'd rather like in PG County than Alexandria or Fairfax County?

[eagleskins]

I would much rather live in Jacksonville than Atlanta.

[RadMann]

These articles that rank the "best" places use a set of criteria in their ranking that maybe only the author of the article would agree make a nice place to live. To be honest, if Altoona is on the list I gotta question the criteria. Nothing against Altoona, but ranking it in the top 20 places in the US is, well absurd....

[DaBears]

I said I recognized three I-AA cities (3) that made the top 25. Geeze you guys think all 25 are I-AA? Missoula, Lake Charles, and Fargo. If you don't see any other I-AA's, they didn't make it or they are in the Mid and Large city lists. In fact if you actually read the list Casper, College Station, Waco, and Las Cruces are I-A.

Ok, i'm an idiot. I thought i was going to show how smart I was--well, I guess I did show how smart I am.

[89rabbit]

I didn't say anything about Souix Falls. Missoula, Fargo, and Lake Charles made the list. Maybe someone else too, does anyone see another I-AA city?

Although you didn't say anything about Sioux Falls, and our friend from UNC was just taking a shot, one could argue that Sioux Falls is indeed a I-AA city. After all it is located just 45 min. south of Brookings and SDSU does play the occasional "Home game" in South Dakota's largest city.

'05-'06 SDSU Home games being played in the Sioux Falls.

Football - Oct. 8, UC-Davis

Men's Basketball - Dec. 20, Manhattan

Baseball - April 12, Minnesota
May 9-10, Creighton
May 16-17, Kansas State

Sioux Falls is also the home of SDSU single largest Alumni base and both communities (Sioux Falls and Brookings) are growing much faster then the National Avg. So although Sioux Falls is not home to SDSU, everyday it is becoming more of a Jackrabbit city! :nod: