Edge Cities

List of the 10 U.S. cities with the greatest concentration of small companies.

By George Gendron | 
 

Organization men (and women) are city slickers, preferring to do their business in major metropolitan areas; real entrepreneurs, evidently, prefer "edge cities," outside metro areas but with access to all the amenities urban areas have to offer. Below are the 10 places that have the greatest concentration of small companies anywhere in the United States. Notice that there's not a downtown area among them.

Area Nearest city % of companies with fewer than 50 employees
1. Buckhead, Ga. Atlanta 87%
2. Walnut Creek, Calif. San Francisco 87%
3. Coral Gables, Fla. Miami 87%
4. Southpark Area, N.C. Charlotte 86%
5. San Antonio Airport Area, Tex. San Antonio 86%
6. South Texas Medical Center Area, Tex. San Antonio 86%
7. Redwood City, Calif. San Francisco 86%
8. San Rafael, Calif. San Francisco 86%
9. The Sunset Freeway Corridor, Oreg. Portland 86%
10. Newport Beach, Fashion Island, Calif. Los Angeles 86%

Source: Edge City Database, produced by Strategic Mapping of Santa Clara, Calif., 1993.

* * *