Article Reposted with permission from Colorado Springs Business Journal:
Lorna
Gutierrez
March 16, 2007
Folks who live in Colorado Springs might be getting a bit light-headed as of late - not because of the lack of oxygen at 6,000-plus feet but because of the abundance of statistical compliments that have come their way.
Best place to live (Money Magazine)
Third fittest city in the United States (Men's Fitness)
Best place to chill (medium-size cities, Sperling's Best Places)
Seventh best city to have a baby (Fit Pregnancy)
Fourth smartest city (Bizjournals.com), 16th smartest city (CNNMoney.com)
Ninth safest driving city (Allstate Insurance Co.)
Top 20 among cities with cleanest air (American Lung Association)
Third place environmental ranking, first place for mid-size cities (Earth Day Network)
Pretty nice plaudits, but do they add up?
"If (the study) is done in true, independent, unbiased (form) without influence from an agency or people the numbers are true numbers," said Bob Deemer, associate professor of the Master of Business Administration program at Regis University, adding that statistics in general can be skewed to fit a certain viewpoint.
"In this case, I think it reflects well," he said. "I think it's pretty reflective of other studies (i.e. Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Newsweek and various medical reports). I think when integrated with independent readings it's pretty credible."
So the methodology seems sound, and since Colorado Springs was originally founded as a health resort, the city's listing in Men's Fitness would likely please its founders.
Gym memberships, exercise, diet, time spent in traffic and other factors were calculated to determine the ranking.
Las Vegas, this year's fattest city according to Men's Fitness, was cited for its numerous fast food restaurants and sedentary lifestyle.
In "Fast Food Nation," Eric Schlosser writes that Americans spend more money on fast food than higher education, computers and new cars.
But take a drive in Colorado Springs and it's doubtful the biker lanes will be unoccupied, even on snowy days. Sedentary the city is not.
And to have a baby? Fit Pregnancy cites the low violent crime rate, more vitamins and healthier/organic foods, miles and miles of stroller-friendly trails and public pathways, better air quality and 164 percent more public park space that average as some of the reasons why Colorado Springs scored high on it's list.
The Springs' restaurants, clubs, cafes, bistros and parks contributed to its best place to chill statistic.
Colorado Springs is the fourth-highest city in the country when it comes to residents with a high school diploma, adding to its brainpower statistic while 34.9 percent of residents 25 and older have at least a bachelor's degree.
The Earth Day Network ranked the city high environmentally, particularly in human and public health, air quality and quality of life.
The Springs also was given the blue ribbon for having the best walking trails in the country. So fit, yes.
Not to mention the average Colorado Springs driver has an accident once every 12.3 years, making it a fairly safe place to drive.
And as a best place to live, well, the ranking helped bring a new company, Petrogen, to town.
"We wanted to have more elbow room," said Linda Heft, vice president.
Petrogen was originally based in San Francisco, where Heft said she was sandwiched between 13 million other people.
She said the company looked for 10 years to find a suitable home, and when employees visited Colorado Springs, the search stopped.
"Everybody found something they loved," she said. "The business community here is warm and wonderful to work with."
The move also puts Petrogen a little closer to its clients on the East Coast.
David White, vice president of marketing at the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp., said the accolades have an impact on bringing smaller businesses here, but not Fortune 500 companies.
"When thinking about expanding or relocating, they're thinking about the rankings. It doesn't make or break a deal but it's on their radar screen," he said, adding that larger companies hire their own consultants to do rankings.
Mike Kazmierski, president and CEO of the EDC said he thinks the rankings can be attributed, in part, to the quality of life that Colorado Springs provides.
"The climate, the outdoor activities, the big-city amenities with a small town feel and the people all contribute," he said, adding that the community is always working to improve, including taking the initiative to lower its rating as one of the most congested cities of its size.
Will Temby, CEO of the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, echoed Kazmierski's thoughts about the constant push to be better.
"We're always looking at the city's infrastructure, transportation, education and environment to do business," he said. "We continually work closely on Fort Carson issue (transportation) and regulatory environment at a state level to make sure certain laws aren't passed that make it harder to do business here. We do a lot of programs and events here so that businesses can thrive."
White said the city can't rest on its laurels and should "do everything in its power to keep the rankings high and continue to find ways to make the city more livable."
Some of those areas include energizing downtown, attracting more amenities such as shopping and making sure educational standards are met.
"We need to stay on top of things," he said, "and make it even better."
Lorna.Gutierrez@csbj.com
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