Best Cities to Start a Business in the South USA
Entrepreneurs and new businesses in the south are encouraged to relocate to Georgia and North Carolina, as Greensboro, Augusta and Columbus feature in a recent article from USA Today which highlights the best cities for new start ups. The article discusses the best and worst cities for new business start ups and you may be surprised to learn that New York and Los Angeles may not be the best locations for budding entrepreneurs. Dollars may be floating around some of the multinationals and Silicon Valley corporations but many new businesses struggle to make a name and income in these locations, while quality of lifestyle is also a major consideration.
Reasons Augusta, Columbus and Greensboro are the Best Cities to Start a Business in the South USA
You’ll find multinationals, major hospitals, world leading research institutes, universities and hosts of SMEs situated in Augusta, Columbus and Greensboro, with plentiful opportunities for any new business and less expensive office/retail locations than cities like New York or LA. Local chambers of commerce provide generous support and networks for added support once your business is operational.
Greensboro
Starting up in Greensboro allows you to pull in customers from the surrounding areas of Kernersville, Summerfield and High Point, while the thriving city population totals almost 300,000. The local Chamber of Commerce runs free seminars from the Center at Guilford Technical College, with added courses, workshops and seminars at a variety of locations, including the Nussbaum Center and the Con. Ed. Center. You can source advice and information from the Chamber, and the structured workshops give any budding entrepreneur all the advice and information required to start up a successful company.
Augusta
Augusta has one of the largest medical conurbations in the States and is also home to the Dept. of Energy nuclear facility based on the Savannah River. A number of multinationals are located in the neighborhood, while near by Fort Gordon is home to the Army Signals. Census figures show the 2012 Augusta population to be around 200,000. The Downtown Development Authority 2008 guide to starting up a new business is available for free download, while StartUp Augusta is a LinkedIn mentoring service offering support to local business startups via its online community.
Columbus
Columbus benefits from some of lowest Georgia property prices, while median income for 2013 was around $41,000. Around 20 percent of the city’s over-25’s population have attended university, with 8 percent having graduate/professional qualifications. Unemployment currently runs around 8 percent. Several universities and colleges are situated in Columbus and its surroundings, as well as private educational establishments. Columbus Small Business Support provides one-on-one consultations for budding entrepreneurs and is part of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, most members employ 50 or less employees.
Further information on business opportunities and office space availability in Georgia and North Carolina.
Sources
http://www.bloomberg.com/ss/09/03/0327_smallcity_startups/10.htm
http://doralchamberofcommerce.org/
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=greensboro%20population
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta,_Georgia
https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-augusta
http://www.city-data.com/city/Columbus-Georgia.html
http://www.myaugustadowntown.com/publications/Business_Guide.pdf
