Auburn Ranks Top 5 Micropolitan - 2 Years in a Row

Article by Andy Barrand | KPC News | March 3, 2022

AUBURN — For the second straight year, the City of Auburn ranks as America’s fifth-strongest“ micropolitan area” in a new report by Site Selection Magazine.

This year, the city is tied with Batavia, New York for the fifth place spot.

“We are excited to see DeKalb County and the City of Auburn rank as a Top 5 Micropolitan in the United States for 2021,” said Anton King, executive director of DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership Inc.

“This makes back-to-back years of reaching that milestone, and it is a testament of the increased activity we have seen from the economic development landscape locally.”

The magazine defines micropolitan areas as between 10,000 and 49,999 residents. Auburn’s population was 13,412 in the latest census.

The report ranks micropolitans according to the number of corporate projects that began in 2021.

King said nine qualified projects (county-wide) were submitted for this year’s rankings.

“Site Selection Magazine is a premier publication in the site selector and corporate investment world, and continuing to have a presence as a top performer showcases that DeKalb County and northeast Indiana is a premier place to do business,” King said.

“Much credit goes to the local leaders and teams of our municipalities and county in creating an environment where decision makers want to invest.”

Angola ranks in a tie for 10th place with three other cities, Lumberton, North Carolina, Fremont, Ohio and Jefferson, Georgia. Angola jumped 22 spots as it was listed 32nd in last year’s report. Angola had seven projects listed.

Kendallville was tied for 39th with three projects.

Indiana ranks second among states for micropolitan projects, behind No. 1 Ohio.

A micropolitan is described as, “Among the salient characteristics of these communities is proximity to major transportation infrastructure such as interstate interchanges and rail hubs. Another is their tendency to be ‘halfway points’ between bigger communities, so companies see them as good logistical locations for investments.”

Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_589215fb-c04c-5776-b579-dc37200a139c.html

Direct link from Site Selector Magazine: https://siteselection.com/issues/2022/mar/the-2021-governors-cups-cover.cfm