Why Jacksonville?

The 'River City' has been highly ranked by numerous independent organizations and publications. From its low tax burden to high quality of life, Jacksonville soars above other cities in side-by-side comparisons. This translates into big returns for Jacksonville companies and an inherent advantage over their out-of-town competition.

Here is just a sample of Jacksonville's many rankings and accolades:

• Jacksonville ranked No. 6 on the list of “Best Cities for Technology Jobs” (Forbes Magazine – 2011)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 26 on the list of "50 Best Cities" (Businessweek.com - 2011)
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a study ranking Florida’s Workforce and Training programs No. 1 in the country (Enterprising States Report- 2011)
• Jacksonville was named the nation’s third least expensive city to launch a corporate headquarters (BizCosts.com - 2011) 
• Florida’s public school system ranks among the top 5 in the nation (Education Week – 2011)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 3 on the list of “Best Cities to Work” (Careerbliss.com - 2011)
• Jacksonville ranked among the top 15 most attractive metropolitan regions for business (Area Development Magazine – 2010)
• Jacksonville ranked ninth best U.S. Shopping City (Forbes Magazine – 2010)
• Jacksonville had the highest foreign capital investment in Florida in 2010 with the $122 million SAFT project (Site Selection Magazine – 2010)
• Florida ranks No. 14 on the best business climates list (Site Selection Magazine – 2010)
• Florida has the nation's fifth best tax climate for business for the sixth year in a row (The Tax Foundation – 2010)
• Jacksonville is ranked No. 1 on the list of Ten Best Cities for Recreation (Parenting Magazine – 2010)
• Jacksonville is home to two of America's Top 10 High Schools, Stanton College Prep and Paxon School for Advanced Studies (Newsweek – 2010)
• Florida is ranked No. 1 in the nation for its workforce (CNBC's America's Top States for Business – 2010)
• The Port of Jacksonville's foreign trade zone is ranked third in the world (FDi Magazine – 2010)
• Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) was ranked as the eighth largest producer of associate degrees in the U.S. (Community College Week – 2010)
• Jacksonville is the 13th largest city in the U. S. (U.S. Census Bureau - 2010)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 13 for best places to launch a new business in 2010, up from No. 25 last year (Portfolio.com – 2010)
• Florida ranks fifth most business-friendly state (The Tax Foundation – 2010)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 28 out of 101 'Best U.S. Cities for Business' (MarketWatch – 2009)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 50 of 399 cities in the 16th Annual Best Sports Cities report (Sporting News – 2009)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 17 of 360 mid-sized cities that are the best places to attend college (Analysts at the American Institute of Economic Research – 2009)
• Jacksonville is among three of Florida's cities hailed U.S. hotspots for young professionals (Next Generation Consulting – 2009)
• In terms of the number of associates degrees awarded, Florida State College (formerly FCCJ) ranked No. 3 in the nation (U.S. Department of Education Data – 2009)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 6 in a tally of the top 10 tax-friendly cities in the U.S. (Kiplinger.com - 2009)
• Jacksonville ranked No. 25 of the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas for starting a small business (Bizjournals – 2009)
• Jacksonville topped the list of 'Top 25 Arts Destinations' (AmericanStyle Magazine – 2008)
• Florida ranked No. 1 in 'Workforce' and 'Economic Climate' (CNBC and Forbes – 2008)
• Florida's business climate ranks fourth-best in the nation (Development Counsellors International – 2008)
• Jacksonville is No. 3 on the 2008 list of America's Cleanest Cities (Forbes Magazine – 2008)

• Jacksonville ranks the ninth least stressful metro area in the U.S. (Bizjournals – 2008)

• No. 3 'Best City in the U.S. for Jobs' (Forbes Magazine – 2007)

• Downtown Jacksonville has been named the 'Best Downtown Development Retail Opportunity in the Nation' (Retail Traffic Magazine – 2007)

• Jacksonville is the fastest growing U.S.-foreign trade gateway, earning the title of No. 1 Gem in the Expanding U.S. Export Market (Global Insight, Inc. – 2007)

• Jacksonville is No. 29 of the 100 largest metros in the United States and No. 2 in the state of Florida in income growth (Bizjournals – 2007)

• No. 5 'Best State Business Tax Climate' in the Nation (The Tax Foundation – 2007)

• According to a recent study by of new college graduates, Jacksonville is one of the top 25 Metro Areas in the country for Young adults (Bizjournals – 2007)

• '2006 Major Market of the Year' (Southern Business & Development Magazine – 2006)

• One of the Top 10 'Hottest Cities that Will Lead Job Growth Through 2015' (Business 2.0 – 2006)

• One of the Top 10 'Logistics Metros' in the U.S. and a 'Five-Star Logistics Metro' (Expansion Management Magazine – 2006)

• One of the Top 10 'Hottest Cities in America for Business Expansions and Relocations' for eight consecutive years (Expansion Management Magazine – 2006)

• One of the Top 5 'Up and Coming Areas' in the U.S. (Good Morning America – 2006)

• Jacksonville's millage rate of 17.3050 mills is one of the lowest in the state of Florida – lower than Miami, Orlando, Tampa and St. Petersburg (City of Jacksonville Property Appraiser)

• Jacksonville is the largest city by land area in the contiguous United States (City of Jacksonville Property Appraiser)

• No. 5 'Best Value Public Colleges' in the U.S. - University of North Florida (The Princeton Review – 2006)

• No. 10 'Best State for Biotechnology' (Ernst & Young Global Biotechnology Report – 2006)

• Jacksonville is home to three Fortune 500 companies, and leads the way in terms of Florida cities with the most Fortune 500 headquarters.

• No. 6 'Best State Business Climate' (Pollina Corporate Real Estate - 2006)

• Jacksonville has the largest urban park system in the United States (City of Jacksonville Property Appraiser)

• No. 6 best state in the 'Small Business Survival Index 2005' (Small Business and Entrepreneurial Council – 2005)

• No. 3 'Large City for Doing Business' in the U.S. (Inc. Magazine – 2005)