A City on the GROW!

I feel so fortunate to live in Oklahoma City.

There is an energy here that is growing. People know big things are happening. How do they know this? Because kinda’ big things are already happening!

I recently saw an article in a Jacksonville newspaper that was comparing our two cities… In a positive way. They were even so kind as to note the awards our city has earned over the last year. Check out this bragging wall:

2009: The rankings speak for themselves.

#3 on BusinessWeek’s Forty Strongest U.S. Metro Economies

#1 on Fortune Magazine’s list of best places to start a business

Top 20% of all metro’s in GDP growth, U.S. Dept of Commerce

28 of the nation’s 500 fastest-growing companies

Top Ten in BusinessWeek’s Strongest Housing Markets in the U.S.

#1 on fastest-growing per capita income for a large MSA, U.S. Dept of Commerce

#2 for volunteer hours, #7 for overall volunteerism among major U.S. metros.

#4 Best Undervalued Place to Live, U.S. News & World Report

#8 for Indeed’s Best Cities to Look for a Job

#2 on the Brooking’s Institution’s list of best-performing cities during the recession

#4 in ArtBistro’s Top 25 Cities for Artists and Designers

#4 for WomenCo.com’s Best Cities for Your Career

#1 on FDI’s (Foreign Direct Investment) on list of most cost-effective large cities

#1 on BusinessWeek’s most affordable major metros

Top Ten, Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park on National Geographic’s Ten Best Things for Families

#37 on The Sporting News’ Best Sports Cities (Toronto is #36, Austin is #38)

#28 on the Today Show’s Best Places to Raise a Family

#7 on Forbes’ Top Ten Cleanest Cities

#4 on Forbes’ Best Cities for Commuters

#1 on Forbes’ Most Recession-Proof Cities

#4 on BizJournal’s 10 Least Stressful Metros Umm… Hello? Is there ANY doubt that OKC absolutely ROCKS?!

The awards are great. The recognition is invaluable. But now is the time for OKC to follow-through on what has been started.

Let’s stoke those fires… Pay it forward… Prove ’em right. Oklahoma City has the brightest future of any city I know. And that is because of the people who live, work and do business here.

The people of our fair city make the difference! We are filled with smart, innovative entrepreneurs, a diverse mix of solid, Fortune 500 companies and a premier high-tech, artistic, forward-thinking group of individuals.

OKC is the place to BE!

And, I’m proud to call it home.

#OklahomaCity