Coming into our own – Idaho Falls ID. gets top 10 ’emerging cities’ listing

Idaho Falls made it onto the top 10 "emerging cities" list of "Cities Ranked and Rated," a book that looks at the quality of life in 400 North American communities. The authors evaluated 45 newly named Metropolitan Statistical Areas, a designation Idaho Falls received in 2003. Idaho Falls got points for being close to Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons but was described as a town without "much to do."

Memo to Idaho Falls: Start working on your "descript."

By PAUL MENSER Post Register

(Many thanks to Bill Sellers, the new TechConnect http://www.idoc.state.id.us/business/science/ East director out of Idaho Falls for passing this along.)

Our fair city by the Snake has made the big time – sort of – making it onto the top 10 "emerging cities" list of "Cities Ranked and Rated," a book that looks at the quality of life in 400 North American communities.

Before you pop the champagne, however, consider the thumbnail description offered in a book review that ran Tuesday in USA Today: "Gateway to Yellowstone Park and Grand Tetons, but town is ‘nondescript’ without ‘much to do.’"

OK, who told these guys that home has repeatedly been named the "hottest nightspot" in the Post Register’s Readers Choice Awards?

All kidding aside, the ranking is likely to put Idaho Falls’ name and statistics in front of more real estate, relocation and job-search professionals.

In evaluating emerging cities, authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander took stock of 45 newly named Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Idaho Falls gained this designation in 2003.

Sperling started doing his annual "Best Places to Live" study 17 years ago for Money Magazine and has gained a reputation as an objective number cruncher, looking at such data as housing prices, pupil-teacher ratios, commute times and crime rates.
Scott Holmes, a recent transplant from the Silicon Valley in California, said he was "taken aback" by the nondescript tag, but added that a superficial study of the town might leave one thinking that way.

"It doesn’t have a uniqueness in its initial impression," he said.

Still, he and his wife, Mary, have found Idaho Falls to be everything they were seeking when they made the decision to leave California.

"We wanted to find a slower lifestyle with higher community values," he said. "We found a lot of things that appealed to us."

They enjoy the outdoors, but Holmes, 47, who came to work for Chesbro Music, said he was amazed by the city’s cultural offerings. "The culture here is outstanding for a city of this size," he said.

As for community values, "You can actually establish relationships with people here," he said.

Steve Jorde, a bus driver for Idaho Falls School District 91, said Idaho Falls’ name jumped right off the page when he was reading the USA Today story.

He sees it as an opening for more positive growth and more opportunities for youths.

"I’m already seeing that, and the people who are coming here are starting to see it," he said.

If there’s one thing he would like to see with new people arriving, it would be a greater variety of restaurants. "Less meat and potatoes," he said.

As president of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, Rob Chiles said he expects the article to generate some calls.
"It’s good that we were mentioned," he said. "It’ll draw attention to us, and people will call and say, ‘I heard there’s not much to do,’ and we’ll have to tell them, ‘Here’s what there is to do.’ We do have a lot of things that a lot of communities this size don’t have."

Read all about it

"Cities Ranked and Rated: More Than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada" by Peter Sander and Bert Sperling (John Wiley & Sons, 832 pages, $24.99)

The top 10

Here is the complete list of Top 10 Emerging Cities:
1. Ithaca, NY. "The town is attractive, activities are plentiful and education attainment is high," but lots of snow and precipitation.

2. Bend, Ore. "Artsy resort community in the high Oregon desert" but high cost-of-living.

3. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Wash. "Area of uncommon beauty" but weak economy and high housing costs.

4. Logan, Utah. "Attractive college town" and center of LDS culture and history.

5. Coeur d’Alene. "Beautiful mountain setting" but "growth and crowding are having an impact."

6. Prescott, Ariz. "Clean, quiet city with an Old West feel."

7. Vero Beach, Fla. "Upscale beach community" but with a high cost-of-living by Florida standards.

8. Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Va. "Small-town feel and college-town amenities in mountain setting."

9. Brunswick, Ga. Historic port town, retirement favorite but expensive.

10. Idaho Falls. Gateway to Yellowstone Park and the Tetons, but town is "nondescript" without "much to do."