Where the jobs are
It's still a tough job market, but opportunities have been on the
rise in these counties, making them great places to live and work.
owns include:
Evans, Martinez
A flood of new jobs is flowing into this county set on the Savannah River. Thanks to the strength of companies like John Deere and the Georgia Iron Works Foundry, opportunities are pouring in. Another boost comes from nearby Fort Gordon, a major employer in the area.
Love the outdoors? Bass Pro Shops is slated to open a new 50,000-sq.-ft. store in the area that's expected to create 200 cashier, associate and stockroom jobs.
Meanwhile, many smaller retailers and restaurants are bubbling up to meet new community demand. Catering to varied and new tastes, they include two steakhouses, a tapas bar, a Punjabi grill, a wine shop and a cigar lounge.
Rockwall County keeps climbing. Though small by Texas standards,
the area is growing fast as aerospace, logistics, defense and
manufacturing companies expand and relocate there. Situated 20 miles
east of downtown Dallas, the 365-acre Rockwall Technology Park has
attracted a diverse range of tenants.
Bimbo Bakeries has built a $75 million bakery in the park that employs 130. Hatfield and Co., a plant engineering specialties distributor, relocated its corporate headquarters, manufacturing and sales offices to the park. The move created 25 full-time positions. And Nolan Power Group recently opened a regional headquarters there.
3. Falls Church, VA
Falls Church may be compact, but don't call it a small town. Local leaders are branding it "The Little City," to capture its urban vibe and intimate scale. SmithGifford, the ad agency that coined the phrase, is one of its thriving local businesses. The firm has added jobs as its client list has grown.
An independent city operating outside any county, Falls Church is growing jobs one at a time. Take, for example, Technology Catalysts International -- the small consulting firm has fewer than 20 employees but it says it's looking for a few good research analysts.
Viget Labs also captures the city's Small Giant ethos of quality over quantity. The 59-person business with three offices is in hiring mode. It's seeking copywriters, developers, designers and project managers.
Continental Automotive recently added sensor production to its Seguin plant, a $113 million investment that's creating hundreds of jobs. All this activity is perking up the local housing market and bringing more business to area shops.
To encourage even more moving around, a 41-mile extension of State Highway 130 -- which stretches from Seguin to Georgetown -- was completed last year. The 85-mile-per-hour toll road helps distributors bypass costly congestion, and shortens the trip to the San Antonio or Austin airports to a mere 45-minute drive.
St. Johns County's vitals are strong. It's the healthiest county
in Florida and leads the state in public education. Plus, the weather's
gorgeous year-round. No wonder highly educated talent is being wooed
there in droves.
Opportunities in clean manufacturing are big here. 2G Cenergy, an advanced clean energy technologies company from Germany, chose St. Augustine for its first manufacturing center in the U.S. The company has already hired 50 employees in the area, and expects to add 70 more in the next four years.
Meanwhile, defense contractor Northrop Grumman plans to build an aircraft-production center that would bring in 400 jobs.
Utah County is playing up its values to attract jobs. Local
boosters tout its hardworking, well-educated, high-integrity workforce
and some of the lowest utility costs in the nation.
Novell, Nuskin and Ancestry.com have operated in the county for some time. Newcomers include Adobe Systems, which now houses 1,100 employees in a $107 million campus in Lehi.
And don't forget the little guys. Smaller businesses such as Downtown Provo's 150 retail stores and 48 homegrown restaurants are helping give employment figures a boost.
The U.S. military and private defense contractors are commanding
growth in Madison County. Army base Redstone Arsenal is rapidly
expanding its 37,000-strong workforce. Defense companies Yulista
Management Services and SAIC have both snapped up buildings in the
Jetplex Industrial Park, adjacent to Huntsville's International Airport.
Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the country, is central to the county's jobs success. It's a hub around which large employers, high-tech businesses and U.S. space and defense agencies revolve.
But the military isn't the only game in town. Toyota recently broke ground on an expansion of its V-6 engine operation there that will add more than 100 jobs by early next year, while Carpenter Technology has selected a site for a new manufacturing facility that's expected to employ 200.
8. Prince William County, VA
More people equals more jobs in this county outside the Beltway.
Developers have had great success selling businesses -- and individuals
-- on the reverse commute from D.C. Move here and cut your drive time in
half or more, they say.
The county is gaining significant traction among small- and medium-sized firms. Tech companies are attracted to the area's dense fiber network and its low-cost, low-hassle business permitting process. Also appealing: Real estate and labor costs are cheaper than elsewhere in the area.
Berkley Net, a web-based workers compensation products firm, is investing $3.5 million and adding 14 employees there. Software company MCL Systems Ltd. recently expanded its headquarters by 1,500 square feet to accommodate 10 additional software development pros.
9. Gwinnett County, GA
Gwinnett County is going global. Nearly 600 international
businesses call Gwinnett home, drawn by its proximity to Atlanta's
airport (the busiest in the world). Companies from Japan, Korea, China
and Germany all have a strong presence here.
Mitsubishi Electric is expanding its operations there, going from three smaller buildings into one 550,000-sq.-ft. facility. As part of the move, the company expects to add 100 warehouse and engineering employees to its current 300.
Domestic firms are in growth mode too. Primerica just opened the doors of its new Duluth headquarters to 1,600 employees, and has space for 200 more. Like donuts? National DCP, the sourcing, purchasing and distribution partner for Dunkin' Donuts, will open a corporate office there in August, bringing 125 full-time administrative positions with it.
Avalex Technologies, a military surveillance equipment supplier, employs 60 workers at its new facility and expects to add staff, said Shannon Ogletree, director of economic development for Santa Rosa County. Priton, which makes quick assembly windows, doors, plumbing and electrical hookups for affordable housing, plans to hire 30 workers as it settles into its new home in Santa Rosa Industrial Park. WTEC, a renewable energy service company, is expanding with plans to hire more than 100 employees.
Tourists also are touching down in the county that has rebranded itself "Florida's playground." A recent study estimated that Santa Rosa has 1,144 jobs in the field.
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Job growth (2010-2012):
14.1%
A flood of new jobs is flowing into this county set on the Savannah River. Thanks to the strength of companies like John Deere and the Georgia Iron Works Foundry, opportunities are pouring in. Another boost comes from nearby Fort Gordon, a major employer in the area.
Love the outdoors? Bass Pro Shops is slated to open a new 50,000-sq.-ft. store in the area that's expected to create 200 cashier, associate and stockroom jobs.
Meanwhile, many smaller retailers and restaurants are bubbling up to meet new community demand. Catering to varied and new tastes, they include two steakhouses, a tapas bar, a Punjabi grill, a wine shop and a cigar lounge.
Towns include:
Rockwall
Job growth (2010-2012):
13.0%
Bimbo Bakeries has built a $75 million bakery in the park that employs 130. Hatfield and Co., a plant engineering specialties distributor, relocated its corporate headquarters, manufacturing and sales offices to the park. The move created 25 full-time positions. And Nolan Power Group recently opened a regional headquarters there.
3. Falls Church, VA
Towns include:
Falls Church
Job growth (2010-2012):
12.6%
Falls Church may be compact, but don't call it a small town. Local leaders are branding it "The Little City," to capture its urban vibe and intimate scale. SmithGifford, the ad agency that coined the phrase, is one of its thriving local businesses. The firm has added jobs as its client list has grown.
An independent city operating outside any county, Falls Church is growing jobs one at a time. Take, for example, Technology Catalysts International -- the small consulting firm has fewer than 20 employees but it says it's looking for a few good research analysts.
Viget Labs also captures the city's Small Giant ethos of quality over quantity. The 59-person business with three offices is in hiring mode. It's seeking copywriters, developers, designers and project managers.
Towns include:
Cibolo, Schertz
Job growth (2010-2012):
12.2%
Business in Guadalupe County is making the earth move, literally.
Fortune 500 giant Caterpillar invested $180 million to consolidate and
move its engine plant there in 2009, adding 1,465 jobs and prompting
other big businesses to take a look. Amazon.com followed with a $166
million distribution center.Continental Automotive recently added sensor production to its Seguin plant, a $113 million investment that's creating hundreds of jobs. All this activity is perking up the local housing market and bringing more business to area shops.
To encourage even more moving around, a 41-mile extension of State Highway 130 -- which stretches from Seguin to Georgetown -- was completed last year. The 85-mile-per-hour toll road helps distributors bypass costly congestion, and shortens the trip to the San Antonio or Austin airports to a mere 45-minute drive.
Towns include:
Fruit Cove, Palm Valley, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine
Job growth (2010-2012):
12.1%
Opportunities in clean manufacturing are big here. 2G Cenergy, an advanced clean energy technologies company from Germany, chose St. Augustine for its first manufacturing center in the U.S. The company has already hired 50 employees in the area, and expects to add 70 more in the next four years.
Meanwhile, defense contractor Northrop Grumman plans to build an aircraft-production center that would bring in 400 jobs.
owns include:
Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Eagle Mountain, Highland,
Lehi, Lindon, Orem, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Provo, Saratoga Springs
Job growth (2010-2012):
11.6%
Novell, Nuskin and Ancestry.com have operated in the county for some time. Newcomers include Adobe Systems, which now houses 1,100 employees in a $107 million campus in Lehi.
And don't forget the little guys. Smaller businesses such as Downtown Provo's 150 retail stores and 48 homegrown restaurants are helping give employment figures a boost.
Towns include:
Huntsville, Madison
Job growth (2010-2012):
11.5%
Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the country, is central to the county's jobs success. It's a hub around which large employers, high-tech businesses and U.S. space and defense agencies revolve.
But the military isn't the only game in town. Toyota recently broke ground on an expansion of its V-6 engine operation there that will add more than 100 jobs by early next year, while Carpenter Technology has selected a site for a new manufacturing facility that's expected to employ 200.
8. Prince William County, VA
Towns include:
Dale City, Sudley
Job growth (2010-2012):
11.4%
The county is gaining significant traction among small- and medium-sized firms. Tech companies are attracted to the area's dense fiber network and its low-cost, low-hassle business permitting process. Also appealing: Real estate and labor costs are cheaper than elsewhere in the area.
Berkley Net, a web-based workers compensation products firm, is investing $3.5 million and adding 14 employees there. Software company MCL Systems Ltd. recently expanded its headquarters by 1,500 square feet to accommodate 10 additional software development pros.
9. Gwinnett County, GA
Towns include:
Lilburn, Snellville, Suwanee
Job growth (2010-2012):
11.3%
Mitsubishi Electric is expanding its operations there, going from three smaller buildings into one 550,000-sq.-ft. facility. As part of the move, the company expects to add 100 warehouse and engineering employees to its current 300.
Domestic firms are in growth mode too. Primerica just opened the doors of its new Duluth headquarters to 1,600 employees, and has space for 200 more. Like donuts? National DCP, the sourcing, purchasing and distribution partner for Dunkin' Donuts, will open a corporate office there in August, bringing 125 full-time administrative positions with it.
Towns include:
Midway, Navarre, Pace
Job growth (2010-2012):
10.9%
Aerospace and manufacturing firms are landing in Santa Rosa
County. Already a base for dozens of aviation fabrication and parts
manufacturers, economic developers are focused on snagging more.Avalex Technologies, a military surveillance equipment supplier, employs 60 workers at its new facility and expects to add staff, said Shannon Ogletree, director of economic development for Santa Rosa County. Priton, which makes quick assembly windows, doors, plumbing and electrical hookups for affordable housing, plans to hire 30 workers as it settles into its new home in Santa Rosa Industrial Park. WTEC, a renewable energy service company, is expanding with plans to hire more than 100 employees.
Tourists also are touching down in the county that has rebranded itself "Florida's playground." A recent study estimated that Santa Rosa has 1,144 jobs in the field.
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