QUEEN CITY VOTED TOP BEST CITIES FOR THE NEXT DECADE

Kiplinger's Personal Finance announced that it has named Burlington one of its 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade-with a focus on locales that specialize in innovative thinking. This year's picks are profiled in the July issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, on newsstands June 8, and online now at www.kiplinger.com/links/bestcities with additional interactive features.

To identify the winners, Kiplinger's teamed up with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. "New ideas generate new businesses," says Stolarick, who this year evaluated U.S. cities for growth and growth potential. "In the places where innovation works, it really works. People in fields such as science, engineering, architecture, and education are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city."

Kiplinger's methodology included the consideration of several economic indicators and the use of a formula to identify cities with current and likely future growth in high-quality jobs and income. Kiplinger's also looked at affordability, public transit infrastructure, and the number of "creative class" workers (such as educators, writers, and scientists) in the area. Kiplinger's also made visits to each city to interview residents, business leaders, and community leaders.

The Kiplinger's profile of Burlington states that "this mountain city wants to be a role model for saving the planet. Environmentalism isn't just ingrained in the city's diverse economy; it's the driver for much of its economic growth" and continues on to say that "creativity and entrepreneurship define Burlington. The town is a haven for writers and artists, and that innovative spirit energizes white-collar workers as well." (full profile: http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/best-cities-2010-burlington-v...)

"It's no coincidence that economic vitality and livability go hand in hand," says Kiplinger's senior editor Robert Frick. "Creativity in music, arts and culture, plus neighborhoods and recreational facilities that rank high for ‘coolness,' attract like-minded professionals who go on to cultivate a region's business scene. All of these factors make our 2010 Best Cities more than just great places to live. They're also great places to start a business or find a job."

"It's always gratifying to have the efforts of residents, local businesses and organizations, and City government recognized nationally," said Mayor Bob Kiss. "Burlington has distinguished itself with its focus on green economic development and encouragement of a diverse and creative economy. I appreciate Kiplinger's prestigious designation of Burlington as a city of the present as well as the future."

Kiplinger's Best Cities 2010 includes the following online features at www.kiplinger.com/links/bestcities:

•Narrated walking-tour slide shows with Kiplinger's editors and writers
•A Which City is Best for You? calculator to help readers determine the city which best matches their goals and tastes
•A spreadsheet that lets readers see where their own city ranks in different key categories
•A Facebook "Readers' Choice" poll where audiences can vote for their favorite city among Kiplinger's top 10 picks or add their own favorite city to the mix
Burlington was listed 8th among the cities recognized, which included: Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; Boulder, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; Rochester, MN; Des Moines, IA; West Hartford, CT; and Topeka, KS.

The Kiplinger's recognition follows upon Burlington's recent appreciation by Forbes.com as one of America's "Prettiest Towns" and a 2010 Top 100 Place to Live by RelocateAmerica.com. Burlington was also recently chosen as a "First Wave City" for the Carbon War Room Initiative, which seeks to leverage private investment for environmental initiatives in cities such as Burlington with a commitment to environmentalism and green economic development (see http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/docs/1912.pdf). Burlington has been engaged in a comprehensive rewrite and update of its climate action plan (http://burlingtonclimateaction.com/) and recently released an extensive carbon cost-benefit analysis to guide the City in prioritizing greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. Mayor Kiss has set a goal of reducing Burlington's carbon footprint 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

More on Ranking Methodology

Kiplinger's included data on population growth, unemployment rate, income growth, and cost of living to determine city rankings. Martin Prosperity Institute research director Kevin Stolarick derived a formula that identifies cities with current and likely future growth in high-quality jobs and income. Kiplinger's also weighed affordability and public-transit infrastructure-the latter being an important factor to ensure continued growth in certain metro areas. Also included in the formula is a "creative class" measure, which stems from Stolarick's work with Richard Florida, academic director of the Martin Institute and author of The Rise of the Creative Class. This measure reflects the number of creative-class workers-including educators, writers, and scientists-living in the area. Further research involved traveling to cities to interview business and community leaders and residents. The rankings factor in both the data and the results of Kiplinger's reporting.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON BURLINGTON

Best Cities 2010: Burlington, Vt.
The economy in our number-eight pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade
is powered by the green movement.

By Stacy Rapacon, Reporter
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, July 2010

This mountain city wants to be a role model for saving the planet. Environmentalism isn't just ingrained in the city's diverse economy; it's the driver for much of its economic growth. For example, Seventh Generation, maker of eco-friendly household products, is headquartered on Burlington's beautiful Lake Champlain waterfront.

Outside the city, Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative are working together to build a new wind farm that will add jobs in the growing green sector. "And it's a way of capitalizing on the Vermont brand with its clean air and mountains," says Gen Burnell, of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Creativity and entrepreneurship define Burlington. The town is a haven for writers and artists, and that innovative spirit energizes white-collar workers as well. "Creativity is the lifeblood of our businesses," says Bruce Seifer, of Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office. "Having art everywhere inspires those aha moments, to create something new and reinvent existing products."

Even a mundane commercial oven cooks up ingenuity in Burlington. When Kentucky Fried Chicken realized it needed to offer healthier menu items, it turned to Blodgett, a maker of commercial ovens that has been based in Burlington since its founding in 1848. Last year, the partnership resulted in the introduction of Kentucky Grilled Chicken -- a finger-lickin' good choice for health-conscious customers. And the newly engineered Blodgett ovens that cook the chicken at more than 5,000 KFC locations are eco- and cost-conscious, too: The half-size, energy-efficient ovens each save $600 a year in electricity costs.

Big Blue has a big presence as well. In nearby Essex Junction, IBM's microelectronics plant, with about 5,000 workers, remains the area's single largest employer despite the company's recent ups and downs. The University of Vermont is also a stalwart employer and a fount of fresh ideas and technology.

The city's largest employers are also seeing green: UVM's green building program is nationally recognized for its commitment to ensuring that new construction meets the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The university's Dudley H. Davis Center is the country's first student center to earn LEED gold-level certification, and the school now has five LEED-certified campus buildings. And last year, medical center Fletcher Allen Health Care received a $143,000 federal grant to develop its program of serving local foods to patients and in its cafeterias.

In fact, the local-food movement spreads throughout the city. Many shops and restaurants along Burlington's Church Street Marketplace, the famous pedestrian mall, serve up local goodies. A couple blocks over, the City Market/Onion River Co-Op, a community-owned grocery store, offers more than 1,000 Vermont products. (And atop the supermarket, generating 3% of the Co-Op's energy needs -- enough electricity to power six Burlington homes -- are 136 solar panels from groSolar, another Vermont-based company.) And the crown jewel for locavores: The Intervale Center is a nonprofit organization that has managed 350 acres of family-owned farmland in Burlington since 1988 and provides 10% of the town's food. "We're 30 years ahead of the country with the local-food movement," says Seifer.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/best-cities-2010-burlington-vt.html