Where the Jobs Are

By Shea Andersen, 4-03-06

Boise hit the Milken Institute's list of "top-performing" cities for its ability to create new jobs. Funny thing; they ranked Boise together with Nampa to create one city of more than 500,000 souls.

In a listing of 200 of the country's largest metropolitan areas, Boise came in 32nd. Florida cities topped the list.

Here's how the Milken Institute found its cities: "The 2005 winners have similar characteristics: strong and growing service sectors, a robust recovery in tourism, growing populations and an increase in the number of retirees. "

But where Idaho really shined was in the "Small Cities" index; we got spots 10 and 11 for Coeur d'Alene and Idaho Falls, respectively. Bend, Ore. topped that list of 179 smaller cities. Lewiston came in 119th. [End of article]