Top towns for doing business in Alberta not necessarily the big towns

Alberta Venture magazine has showcased 10 communities in the province that are best when it comes to doing business and the result -- based on factors such as rental rates, land costs, taxes, market size, transportation access, licensing fees, average income, cost of living, post-secondary institutions and other amenities -- are sometimes surprising.

"The change in the economy has really shuffled the deck as far as which cities are most attractive to business. Costs are coming down everywhere, but some places definitely have more upside than others," says Michael McCullough, editor of Alberta Venture, in a release.

Top spot went not to oil boom town Calgary or provincial capitol Edmonton but to the "international region" encompassing the City of Leduc, Leduc County, and the towns of Beaumont, Calmar and Devon. The other nine runners up profiled in the issue are Airdrie, Calgary, Camrose, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Lloydminster, Strathcona County, and Strathmore.

When selecting the top communities, Alberta Venture editors paid special attention to those which exceeded the baseline criteria. All 10 communities scored highest on promising growth indicators key to surviving the current recession, including long term population increases, infrastructure improvements and other capital spending.

The list is featured in the June issue of Alberta Venture, and profiles of the 30 communities considered in compiling the list will be available online on June 1, 2009.