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ONLINE INSIDER
From the September Issue

ONLINE INSIDER

A Thanksgiving Lesson

We revisit Ron Starner’s account of finding the true meaning of Thanksgiving on a rain-soaked highway 36 years ago.

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FROM SITE SELECTION MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE
From the September Issue

NEWS DIGEST

World Reports

News briefs update us on FIFA’s possible move to the U.S. from Switzerland; venture funding trends; Nestlé’s bamboo planting in the Philippines; Axalta’s new site in China; and Boeing’s first uncrewed aircraft assembly plant outside of North America in Queensland, Australia.

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From the September Issue

INVESTMENT PROFILE: SOUTH CAROLINA PORTS

Open Door

Capacity growth in Charleston aims to boost customer supply chains and relieve port congestion all at once.

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 CONWAY ANALYTICS SNAPSHOT 
Map courtesy of Move.org

Move.org dug this fall ranked the 74 most populated U.S. cities from highest to lowest in living costs, with the 10 highest-cost places and 10 lowest-cost places listed in the map above. Analysis did not include median individual or household income, but did encompass how much rent, food, gas, and utilities cost on average in every city. “For the gas numbers in our data, we started with how much a gallon of gas costs in each city, then factored in how many miles the average person drives every month (1,123) and how many miles per gallon the average passenger vehicle gets,” the organization said in a news release. The average cost of living in America’s 74 most populous cities is $1,743, and the median income is $33,749. Other findings:

  • Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, and Newark are the four cities where it’s most difficult to live on either a median individual income or a median household income.
  • Honolulu, Hawaii has the fifth-highest cost of living but the lowest median income of the 10 most expensive cities.
  • Seven out of the 10 U.S. cities with the highest living costs are in California.

Two metros from the Top 10 Lowest-Cost list appeared in Site Selection’s Top Metros of 2020 for corporate facility projects: No. 2 Cincinnati was No. 9 among our Top 10 cities with populations over 1 million, and No. 8 Indianapolis was No. 5 in that same large-metro category. — Adam Bruns

 

 EVENTS 

 

 SITE SELECTION RECOMMENDS 

The U.S. Economic Development Administration announced it received 529 applications from regions in all 50 states and five territories for Phase 1 of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The announcement included a full PDF list of applicant organizations and their projects. Here are the top 10 states and ties by number of applications:

State Number of Applications
California 36
Texas 36
North Carolina 23
Virginia 22
Georgia 21
Florida 17
New York 17
Ohio 16
Pennsylvania 14
Louisiana 13
Michigan 13
New Mexico 13

 

 CHOOSE WASHINGTON 2021-2022

OUTDOOR RECREATION

More to Explore

Washington’s outdoor recreation industry is boundless.

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From the September Issue

INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Come Together

Collaboration anchors new models for innovation.

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 PROJECT WATCH 

Connecticut

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced in June that iCapital Network, a fintech platform in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, will create 200 jobs at this new site over the next two years. Headquartered in New York, iCapital Network also has offices in Zurich, London, Lisbon and Hong Kong. The company has approximately 450 employees and services $75 billion in global client assets across more than 750 funds. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development is supporting the expansion with “earn-as-you-grow” incentives that provide grants in arrears as job targets are reached. “When we considered locations for the expansion of our domestic footprint, Connecticut was the obvious choice,” said Lawrence Calcano, chairman and CEO of iCapital Network. “I respect the Governor’s commitment to bringing top-tier employers and good jobs to Connecticut and supporting entrepreneurship in innovative sectors that will drive economic growth.”

Source: Conway Analytics

Texas

As rumors swirl about where Rivian will establish its next major manufacturing plant, the company has continued to establish a presence in various cities around the country, including this investment in Houston. Among the major metro areas vying for the manufacturing facility are Mesa, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. A Reuters story in August that the $5 billion project could create up to 7,500 jobs by 2027, with factory workers earning a minimum average starting wage of $56,000. An in-depth story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last Friday documents Georgia’s recent history of economic development efforts to attract the state’s first major auto manufacturing plant since Kia landed in West Point, Georgia, in 2006.

Source: Conway Analytics

 

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 PHOTO OF THE DAY 

“High mountain lakes. Impressive mountain views. Wild landscapes. Solitude. These are just some of the words used to describe the Missions Mountain Wilderness,” says the U.S. Forest Service of this area in Montana. Site Selection Publisher/Director Laura Lyne made this sunset photo of the area earlier this fall. Site Selection and Conway Data wish all of our U.S. friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.