Asheville ranked in the top 50 performing cities of 2008

From the Mountain Xpress:

Asheville has placed 46 on the Best-Performing Cities 2008 list, just released by the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners—up 71 spots from the city’s 2007 rank. That’s the second-largest gain among all 200 cities on the list.

The annual study, Best-Performing Cities: Where America’s Jobs Are Created and Sustained, ranks metropolitan areas by how well they’re creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.

Factors used to determine the ranking include: short- and long-term job growth; wage and salary statistics; and the concentration of high-tech industries. Asheville’s rise in the rankings was driven primarily by strong one-year and five-year job growth.

That's some good news for the locals on "Main Street" concerned about the economy. Let's hope we move up again for next year's ranking!