Sidney makes top U.S. micropolitan list again

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SIDNEY — Sidney was once again named as one of the country’s top 100 micropolitans by Site Selection Magazine.

The internationally circulated business publication covers corporate real estate and economic development. The magazine has issued their rankings since 1988. Sidney has been ranked by the magazine for several years.

“Sidney being named one of the top micrpoitans in the United States once again affirms the robust and progressive business climate here,” said Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership Executive Director Mike Dodds. “Sidney and Shelby County are so fortunate to have many companies that are growing and providing great jobs.”

The Office of Management and Budget defines a micropolitan as a community that has a population between 10,000 and 50,000 people plus adjacent area that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.

Ohio ranked first among the 50 states with the number of micropolitans named by the magazine. Rankings are based on the number of economic development projects undertaken in the previous year.

“Ohio clearly surpasses the rest of the county when it comes to the power and capabilities of our smaller cities,” said Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst. “This is the third straight year that Ohio has led the nation with the highest number of micropolitans named to Site Selection magazine’s Top 100 List of Micropolitans. If you look at the complete list, there are no micropolitans west of the Mississippi River that made the list of the top 100 micropolitans.”

In addition to Ohio, the national ranking of states included Georgia in second place, Kentucky in third, North Carolina in fourth, Tennessee in fifth, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Indiana tied for sixth place, New York in fifth place, and Illinois and Mississippi tied for 10th place.

Findlay not only ranked first in Ohio with the number of projects (21) announced for 2017, but first in the nation. Batavia, New York finished second nationally, with 17 projects, followed by Wooster, Ohio with 15 projects.

Ohio communities in the top 10 were Ashland and Tiffin. Ashland tied for seventh place with eight projects and Tiffin tied for 10th place with six projects. Other Ohio communities ranked tenth included Ashtabula and Celina.

Sidney was among 10 communities to tie for 18th place nationally, with five projects announced.

“Sidney is truly blessed with a portfolio of great companies — companies both large and small — that contribute to the healthy local economy,” Sidney City Manager Mark Cundiff said. “We are fortunate to have a great working relationship with those companies — a relationship in which government and business work well together.”

Other Ohio micropolitans making the national list include Norwalk, tied for 28th place with 4 projects, Bellefontaine, Greenville, Marion, Sandusky, Urbana and Wapakoneta, all tied for 41st place with three projects each, and Cambridge, Portsmouth, Van Wert and Wilmington, each with two projects and tied for 64th place nationally.

“Despite the fact that both Texas and Nebraska tied for first place among the states with the number of new projects, beating out Ohio, who finished in third place, those states seem to be concentrating all of their development in large metropolitan areas,” Barhorst said. “I think Ohio will be much better positioned in the future by ‘not putting all of our eggs in one basket’ as some other states seem to be doing.”

Sidney City Manager Mark Cundiff, from left to right, and Mayor Mike Barhorst look over the article that Mike Dodds, executive director of Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership, shares in Site Selection Magazine that names Sidney one of the country’s top Micropolitans.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2018/04/web1_Top-US-Micropolitan.jpgSidney City Manager Mark Cundiff, from left to right, and Mayor Mike Barhorst look over the article that Mike Dodds, executive director of Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership, shares in Site Selection Magazine that names Sidney one of the country’s top Micropolitans.

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