Free Web space and hosting from freehomepage.com
Search the Web

Other interesting facts about this year's top picks:

• Seven out of 10 are below the Mason-Dixon Line.
• Two are in Tennessee. Texas claims another two cities.
• Five out of 10 have a black mayor.
• All have a black population of at least 25%.
• Half have a black city population that is more than 50%.
• Eight out of 10 have a cost of living index that is less than the national average.

The percentage of blacks holding high school diplomas, at 72.9%, lags behind other top cities. "We are reforming our high schools by making them smaller and focusing on industry sectors (e.g., science, finance, and business) … a new phenomenon here in the city," says Dixon, noting considerable changes since the state took control in 1997.

Respondents are dissatisfied with black entrepreneurship. In spite of boasting 1.3 million African American inhabitants, the region's density of black residents per black-owned business is low. Baltimore also received low marks for crime and relations between the black community and the police department.

Since taking the helm, the city's police commissioner, Kevin Clark, has been tough on violent crime, which is down 14%. Property crime is down 10%. Clark has increased policing of notorious neighborhoods as part of his war on the drug trade. He has arranged sensitivity and interpersonal skills training for patrol officers and has made the department more accessible to black civic leaders. –C.M.B.

''It has always been my focus to [live] in Baltimore," says 39-year-old Carlos Latney. "I have had opportunities to go to other places … but I know the city and what it can be as far as [career] opportunities for African Americans," adds the Baltimore native. Staying in Baltimore also allows Latney to patronize local black businesses, though he says, "Not as many are in this area as I would like to see."

After serving a three-year stint in the Army and earning a B.S. from Morgan State University, Latney took a job with FedEx Corp. in 1997. A year later, he was transferred to New Jersey but returned to Baltimore the following year. A corporate securities specialist bringing home more than $70,000 a year, Latney handles crime investigations involving FedEx packages, fraud, workplace violence, and embezzlement.

He is keen on the city's booming real estate market and ongoing neighborhood revitalization. "There are still a lot of fantastic deals in the city." In 2000, through a first-time home buyers program, he purchased a house for $130,000 that is valued today at $172,000. "In a lot of the surrounding counties, real estate values are going through the roof. You can't get a single-family home for less than $400,000," says Latney.

Though he may be single and childless, the Baltimorean takes issue with public education, which "could use some work." The crime rate, fueled by drugs, is another major concern. "There are still a lot of outlying areas that are coming under siege by drugs and violence. There needs to be a more concentrated effort to clean up those communities so that the property values in those areas can also go up," he adds, giving credit to Police Commissioner Kevin Clark and his crime reduction plan. "It is going to take community involvement, not just the police department."

9: COLUMBUS, OH
A newcomer to the top 10 list, Columbus is set apart by its location. It is bucking the trend of population decline suffered by other Midwestern cities. Since 1990, the city's population has increased 12.4%, according to 2000 Census figures.

In spite of a black city population of 25.8% of some 700,000 residents, an African American holds the position of mayor. Nonetheless, survey respondents were dissatisfied with the level of power and influence of African Americans in their community.

"We are a city where our best days are ahead of us, not behind us," says Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who, now in his fourth year, is not alone in his optimism. Respondents gave Columbus high marks for its low cost of living, housing prices, healthcare, and earnings potential.

Indeed, the city's cost of living and medical cost indices are below the national averages, and the number of doctors per capita is above the national average. Future job growth is a respectable 15.3% for a city with diverse economic sectors ranging from technology to education.

Columbus' average new home price of $252,665 is the second highest after Washington, D.C. Although its overall unemployment rate is lower than other major cities, Columbus has the highest black unemployment rate at 13.4%, which is well above the national average.

Coleman points to initiatives developed under the Columbus Urban Growth Corp. to drive joint public -- private development deals. One such deal, the city's West Edge Business Center project, has garnered more than $60 million in private investment for a new office/light industrial park. It is expected to bring approximately 1,000 jobs to an economically challenged neighborhood. "I have tried to persuade [private investors] that it's good business to do business in an inner-city neighborhood," says Coleman.

Respondents expressed dissatisfaction with public services from schools to transit. Columbus graduates 15.4% of its black students from four-year colleges. Its rate of students graduating high school, at 78.1%, is the fourth highest on BE's list. A near $1 billion bond-levy is paving the way for renovations and new construction of school buildings. –C.M.

Main Industries Distribution, electronics, manufacturing, and high technology

Landmarks The King Arts Complex

Annual Events The Heritage Concert Series

Top Black Officials Michael B. Coleman, mayor; James G. Jackson, chief of police; Ned Pettus Jr., fire chief; Gene T. Harris, school superintendent

Websites www.ci,columbus.oh.us; www.gc-aacc.org

Hill and his wife, Joan, have two college-age children. Zachary Jamaal, 21, is a student at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Leslie, 19, is enrolled at Wellesley College in Boston. Also a Cleveland native, Joan, 45, is the principal of a private elementary school. "I think it's a very good city for families," says Hill, noting that Columbus may be particularly attractive to young black families because of its strong housing market.

"The real estate market is more wide open; African Americans have a lot more choices," says Hill, who bought a home for around $250,000 in 1998. "It's not as segregated. African Americans can move anywhere they feel." He does admit to missing the cultural diversity found in Cleveland but says Columbus is quickly becoming more cosmopolitan. "The city is becoming more diverse and has a lot more activities that are multicultural," he notes.

The fact that Columbus has several high-profile African Americans in local government is also a draw for black residents, Hill believes. Columbus, a city in which African Americans only constitute about 25% of the total population, has a black mayor, police chief, fire chief, and city schools superintendent. "I think it's definitely a symbol of the potential opportunities that exist here," surmises Hill.
–Christina Morgan


8: MEMPHIS, TN
Situated on the Lower Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi river, Memphis is home to the blues, the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, and 397,702 African Americans who make up 61% of the total population–the third highest black percentage of the top 10.

"Memphis evolved from a racially segregated city to an urban metropolis with an African American majority," says Mayor Willie W. Herenton. In 1991, the Memphis native made history as the city's first elected black mayor. Last October, he attained another historical triumph by becoming the city's first mayor elected to a fourth consecutive term. African Americans occupy local government, including seven of 13 city council posts.

"Bluff City" is best known as a manufacturer of textiles, heating equipment, and automobile and truck parts. It's also a major transportation center, serving as FedEx's headquarters and a Northwest Airlines hub. These features, Herenton says, help create employment opportunities. Unfortunately, they're not enough.

Although future job growth looks bright–19.2%–recent job growth appears bleak at -0.8%. The black unemployment rate–11.3%–is above the national average for African Americans and the total U.S. population. Memphis is near the bottom of BE's list with a median black household income of $31,417 and just 24.3% of black households earning above $50,000.

What makes Memphis appealing? Affordable housing. Black homeownership at 57% is above the national average, and second only to Birmingham, Alabama. The average price for a new home is $183,095, the lowest next to Houston. Memphis' cost of living is the lowest among the top 10 and its medical cost index is well below the national average.

Of note, Memphis and Atlanta were the only cities where respondents reported positive African American community/local law enforcement relationships. However, Memphians were dissatisfied with public safety given an exceedingly high violent crime rate.

Although Memphis has the lowest pupil/teacher ratio of the top 10 at 14.2, it has the worst record for African Americans holding high school diplomas at 69.6%. Not surprisingly, respondents are dissatisfied with the quality of public schools. Having worked in the city school system as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools, Herenton reiterates his commitment to improving the education system. –A.I.J.

Cleveland native Henry Burns Jr. planned to live in Memphis for only two years when his job transferred him there in 1989. "That's how much I ended up liking it," says Burns 15 years later. A divorced father of two adult children (a son, 28, and daughter, 25), Burns has worked in the restaurant business for close to 30 years. He has managed to do well for himself in Memphis. The 54-year-old restaurant manager for Cracker Barrel earns an annual income of $65,000–more than twice the average annual pay for African Americans in Memphis.

Three years after moving to Memphis, Burns purchased his home for $62,000. The three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom dwelling is located in Memphis' middle-class Whitehaven community. Once a predominantly white neighborhood, notes Burns, Whitehaven's demographics–60% African American and 40% white–are representative of Memphis today.

Memphis is growing, says Burns, and with a new basketball team (the Memphis Grizzlies), construction of a $250 million sports arena, and a riverfront development project, Memphis is on its way to becoming the belle of the South. "Memphis is sort of the hub of the South," Burns says, pointing out that it has attracted more businesses over the past 10 years.

The city's educational system continues to be a bone of contention for Burns and other residents. Both of his children graduated from Memphis' public school system, which has been through three superintendents since he moved there. "Everybody comes in with a dynamic plan to fix the system, fix the learning process; so we end up spending a lot of money, they end up leaving, and we're back to square one again," says Burns, noting neither of his children are college graduates.

The grandfather of three has concerns about the quality of education for the next generation. When the time comes, Burns says he may consider sending them to private school.
–Aisha I. Jefferson


7: BIRMINGHAM, AL
American Idol Reuben Studdard is not the only Birmingham native singing "Sweet Home Alabama." A newcomer to the list, Birmingham is the least populous city among the top 10, but it has a city population that is nearly 75% African American. A city historically known as one of the major front lines in the civil rights movement, Birmingham continues to have a relatively high black/white residential segregation rate. It's no surprise respondents were less than satisfied with race relations in their city.

Main Industries Medical research, banking, music, technology, engineering, and higher education

Landmarks Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (site of infamous bombing of four little girls), George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum, Booker T. Washington Home

Annual Events Heritage Festival

 Top Black Officials Bernard Kincaid, mayor; Annetta W. Nunn, police chief; Lee Wendell Loder, president, city council; Artur Davis, U.S. Rep.; Carole C. Smitherman, president, pro tem, city council

Websites www.informationbirmingham.com

Even though the city still evokes haunting memories as one of the explosive epicenters of the civil rights movement ("I am in Birmingham because injustice is here," wrote Dr. King in his famous letter from a Birmingham jail), Lewis believes education will help newcomers understand the city's past and future potential.

If Lewis has a bone to pick with the city, it's not with the cost of living or the nightlife. "We do have active church ministries, jazz clubs, salsa classes, and theater. … I've met eligible men [here]," she says. However, as a young, single woman anticipating marriage and children in the future, Lewis hesitates at the thought of sending her kids to Birmingham's public schools. "I am a product of [that] school system. I turned out OK, [so] I know they have the capability, [but] I think we need new leadership. … Citywide there is a change, but not in the school system," she says.

Among other changes she would like to see is a more aggressive urban renewal plan in conjunction with real estate development. "[Birmingham] is a great place to live and raise a family, and there are a lot of black professionals here. [When I have] children, I want them to see blacks leading the city."
–Anthony Calypso


6: CHARLOTTE, NC
The "Queen City" appears again on the top 10 as one of the few cities without an African American mayor. Survey respondents were not satisfied with the performance of elected officials but were satisfied with the overall power and influence of Charlotte's black community.

The metropolitan area earned high marks for cost of living, diversity, and economic growth. Respondents also were satisfied with the quality of healthcare, even though Charlotte's number of physicians per capita is the lowest among the top 10 and well below the national average.

Charlotte residents were disappointed with the dearth of black-owned businesses. The city's density of residents per black business is significantly less than that of top contenders Washington, D.C., and Houston. African Americans own only 6.2% of the area's businesses. Charlotte residents have high hopes that BET founder Robert L. Johnson's ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA basketball franchise–a major-league sports team first–will influence other African American entrepreneurs.

Charlotte is a youthful, mobile hub for professionals (the median age of Charlotte-Mecklenburg's population is 32.8). Residents expressed satisfaction with earnings potential and career opportunities. Future job growth is fairly strong at 18.7%. Nearly 76,000 jobs were created by $8.6 billion invested in new business development over the past decade. Black unemployment in Charlotte is 8.2%, which is the fourth lowest of the top 10.

Income disparities in Charlotte are not atypical. The median black household income of $38,604 is the fourth highest among the top 10, and 29.6% of black households earn more than $50,000 a year. Charlotte places third in terms of black homeownership at 55.5%.

The city and 15 nearby counties boast four universities, 11 liberal arts colleges, and 10 community colleges. However, only 16.5% of black adults have bachelor's degrees, number six out of the top 10. Slightly better is the city's 74.7% rate for blacks attaining high school diplomas.

One-third of Charlotte's population is African American. The dissimilarity index is 55.2. This relatively low number indicates substantial racial interaction compared to cities with a higher index of say 87.2, which are more segregated. Not surprising, survey respondents expressed general satisfaction with race relations in Charlotte.

Gregory and Robyn Massey can't imagine anything that could lure them away from Charlotte, which they say represents the best of urban life. For the Masseys, it has provided a rich environment for growing their careers. Greg, 45, is an accounting manager with Duke Energy Corp., where he's worked for more than 20 years. Robyn, 44, is a 20-year veteran and project executive at IBM.

A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Greg attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a B.S. in accounting. Robyn, who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, also attended UNC Charlotte, earning a B.A. in mathematics. Recognizing the impending economic boom, Greg stayed in Charlotte after graduation. Robyn moved to Atlanta but returned to marry Greg in 1987. Since then, the couple has lived in the University Area, metropolitan Charlotte's most diverse neighborhood.

People from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds have migrated to Charlotte from all over the North and South. The city attracts folks "looking for a big-city atmosphere but not a lot of the big-city problems," says Robyn. Charlotte embraces diversity in business, culture, and politics, notes Greg. They have no children, but the Masseys believe that Charlotte's good schools and low crime rate are positives for raising a family.

The couple, whose total household income exceeds $150,000, is looking to take advantage of the city's entrepreneurial prospects. This past spring, they researched the pros and cons of opening a designer shoe store in a mall versus in a shopping strip.

The Masseys have found local business owners open to sharing information. "The supportive nature of the African American community here has made it very easy for us to network," says Robyn, who has an M.B.A. from Wake Forest, "and get input on what we should be looking for as aspiring entrepreneurs." –Cliff Hocker


5: HOUSTON
"Rocket City's" fall from grace as be's best city for African Americans in 2001 can be tied to a soaring black unemployment rate, high violent crime rate, above average medical cost index, and moderate future job growth, compared to other top 10 finalists. Five other top cities fared better than Houston in terms of its median black household income ($35,562), percentage of black households earning more than $50,000 annually (29.1%), and number of black homeowners (51.8%).

Main Industries Energy, petroleum, aerospace, manufacturing, technology, tourism, and conventions

Landmarks Buffalo Soldiers National Museum; Ensemble Theatre

Annual Events Juneteenth Celebration, "Independence Day" for Texans of African descent

B.E. Industrial/Service 100 Companies CAMAC International Inc., Total Premier Services Inc., ChaseCom L.P.

Top Black Officials Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Rep.; Harold L. Hurt, police chief; El Franco Lee, county commissioner

Websites www.cityofhouston.gov; www.blackhouston.com

In 1994, Lowe purchased 22 shotgun-style row houses for $122,000, with help from a private foundation, in the heart of Houston's predominantly black Third Ward. He renovated 10 of them for artists to use as studios and exhibition spaces on a six-month basis. Renovations cost around $80,000, with much of the work done by volunteers. It was a way to unite artists and the communities they served.

"Our stance was that low-income African Americans deserve quality cultural experiences," Lowe says. He called his site Project Row Houses. In the following years, he renovated the remaining houses, offering several on a yearly basis to single mothers who were in transition.

Project Row Houses has drawn artisans from across the city, the country, and the world–from as far away as Brazil, Taiwan, China, and Nigeria. What the Houston artist likes best about his town is the "sense of optimism that resonates throughout the entire city. People believe in the possibility of things happening here." –T.R. Witcher


4: NASHVILLE, TN
"Music City U.S.A." is a new entry to the top 10 with low cost of living as the biggest draw. Only Houston and Memphis had lower cost of living indices than Nashville. "The cost of living compared to other large cities is amazingly low," says Vice Mayor Howard C. Gentry Jr. That "provides an opportunity for a person to take a medium-level job and live comfortably, or start a career here and be able to grow and advance and not be so overly concerned about income."

This is key, given the median black household income is $33,630 and just a little more than one-fourth earn beyond $50,000. Despite overall and black unemployment rates that are well below national averages and future job growth at 20.7% –second to Atlanta–respondents were unenthusiastic about their job prospects.

Home to Fisk University, Tennessee State University, and Meharry Medical College, Nashville is a black education center. It's also home to the Citizens Savings Bank & Trust of Nashville (No. 24 on the BE BANKS list with $54.8 million in assets), the oldest minority-owned bank in the country. Nashville places fourth among the top 10 in terms of number of black residents for every black business.

The city's medical cost index is below the national average. This corresponds with respondents' satisfaction with the quality of healthcare. The middle Tennessee area, which includes Nashville, is home to more than 290 healthcare companies, reports the Nashville Health Care Council. Of note, Nashville had the highest score relating to the quality and availability of childcare facilities, an area that garnered low scores in every other city polled except Houston.

Even though Nashville's violent crime rate is more than double the national average, respondents were only slightly dissatisfied with overall crime in their city and community relationships between African Americans and local law enforcement.

Nashville is one of five cities among the top 10 without a black mayor. Respondents were satisfied with the performance of their elected officials, but less than satisfied with the level of power and influence of African Americans in the community. Gentry says that his position as the city's first black vice mayor is a step in the right direction.

Back in the 1970s, when Nashville native Betty Hardy Hines was in her 20s, she left her hometown to move to nearby Memphis, Tennessee, and then on to the big city of Philadelphia. "I had graduated from school, and I'd never been away from home. When I got to Philadelphia, I fell in love with the city."

Fast-forward to 1997. After the death of her husband, Dudley, Hines left the "City of Brotherly Love." Nashville welcomed a native daughter home. "It's like you're coming back as a stranger in your own hometown," says Hines, of returning to Nashville after having lived away for so long. "I fell back in love with my city."

One of the first things she appreciated was the cost of living. She notes that a four-bedroom home in Philadelphia costs around $500,000, compared to $150,000 to $200,000 in Nashville. A part-time dental hygienist, Hines is the sole proprietor of image consultant firm New Attitude Inc., which has taught entertainers and corporate executives style and social graces. The fiftysomething maven also found Nashville to be ripe with opportunities for both entrepreneurs and professionals in her field.

Dental hygienists right out of school can make $185 to $200 per day. For experienced hygienists, the pay is around $250 to $300 per day. As a business owner, Hines likes the city's centralized location, making it a magnet for people across the country. "Nashville affords everyone opportunities to fulfill their dreams in fields like music, sports, and art," she says. And educational institutions such as Meharry Medical College, of which Hines is an alumna, attract ambitious people.

Hines points to gains African Americans have made since she was a child. "When I was growing up in Nashville, it was 8% black," she says. Today, it's about 27%. "We have more blacks in city council; we have a vice mayor that's black."

Judging from Hines' experience, natives who migrated should give the "Athens of the South"–named for Nashville's classical architecture–another look. –Tamara Holmes


3: DALLAS
Dallas returns to the best cities list at no. 3, up from no. 8 in 2001. Dallas placed third among the top 10 cities in median household income for black families, future job growth, and black high school graduation rate. Survey respondents had mixed reactions about this Sun Belt city. They were pleased with Dallas' cost of living and the quality of medical care. Although the city's cost of living index is below the national average, its medical cost index is well above it and there are relatively low numbers of doctors per capita.

Main Industries Technology, telecommunications, banking, financial services, and healthcare

Landmarks Fair Park/African American Museum

Annual Events Black Invitational Rodeo; Grambling vs. Prairie View A&M State Fair Classic

B.E. Industrial/Service 100 Companies Facility Interiors Inc.

Top Black Officials Donald W. Hill, deputy mayor pro tem, city council; Eddie Bernice Johnson, U.S. Rep.; Charles W. Daniels, assistant city mayor; John Wiley Rice, county commissioner

Websites www.dallascityhall.com; www.dallasblack.com

"We realized there was a high concentration of corporate retirement plans," says Michael, one of the first African American managing directors in the institutional asset management division. "We were looking to build a franchise here. … The city has changed a lot since I grew up. It is much more eclectic," adds the graduate of the University of Texas and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Since the couple was trying to start a family, cost of living was a major concern. "We wanted to be in a position where we would have the luxury of my staying home with a baby or going to work based on what was convenient, so we wouldn't be under any financial pressure," explains Carol, who studied engineering as an undergraduate at Princeton and earned her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Indeed, she took care of their daughter during her first 15 months from the comfort of their single-family home. Today, Carol works part time as an independent consultant in healthcare management.

The thirtysomething couple, who have a household income over $100,000, opted for in-home childcare, but they have identified good preschool programs for their 2-year-old. "I've been involved in the local preschool association in our neighborhood, the east part of Dallas," says Carol, noting the availability of various resources, including those for stay-at-home moms. –Carolyn M. Brown


2: WASHINGTON, D.C.
A city that once earned a reputation as the "murder capital," Washington, D.C., is enjoying a renaissance of sorts under Mayor Anthony A. Williams. The violent crime rate for the nation's capital is well below the average for other top 10 cities. Still, survey respondents expressed overall dissatisfaction with public safety.

"We don't have the same community policing focus other cities have. Even in well-to-do neighborhoods, there are a lot of complaints about the police department and its lack of visibility and ability to focus on a particular problem area," says City Councilman Adrian Fenty. "A lot of it is long-time perceptions and some of it is the need for continued management improvement."

The district maintains its No. 2 spot with respondents optimistic about career and business opportunities. It has the second lowest black unemployment rate, at 7.6%, of the top 10–well below the national average of 10.2%.

African Americans, who constitute 60% of Washington's total population, are among the nation's best educated and highest paid. The city tops the list with 81.3% of African Americans holding high school diplomas and places first with 24.1% earning bachelor's degrees. The metropolitan area boasts the highest black household incomes among the top 10 and 45.7% of black families earn $50,000-plus.

Respondents expressed concern over the high cost of living, and rightly so. Washington's cost of living index, which is 125.4%, places it well above the national average and is the highest of all the cities on BE's list. Many of the city's 120 neighborhoods are experiencing gentrification. As a result, property values are off the charts. While a little more than 50% of African American residents own homes, the average home price is $354,663, compared to $178,851 for Houston and $236,567 for the national average. Even the average apartment rents for almost twice that of other cities.

Main Industries Government, professional associations, financial services, healthcare, media, and tourism

Landmarks Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, African American Civil War Memorial, Black Fashion Museum, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

Annual Events Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Conference

Top Black Officials Anthony A. Williams, mayor; Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Rep.; Charles H. Ramsey, chief of police; Adrian H. Thompson, fire chief

Websites www.dc.gov; www.NationalBCC.org

African American professionals can build prosperous careers in the capital city, especially those hoping to play a role in national politics. "There's a mentality here that there's enough for everyone; you're not competing for what feels like a limited number of opportunities," says 29-year-old Muthoni Wambu.

Like most Washingtonians, Wambu is a transplant. She left New York City's Upper West Side to study journalism at Howard University and then networked her way into a political fundraising job with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. This was a new aspect of politics for Wambu, who soon discovered that it "brought together my strengths in a way that I'd never anticipated."

In 2000, Wambu and Vera Baker, another Howard alum, started Baker-Wambu & Associates. The firm has raised over $3 million for the campaigns of members of Congress and other politicians. "Washington is the best place for our firm to blossom and grow, and one of the only cities where two 24-year-old African American women [could have built a successful business] with pennies and a dream," she says.

Wambu moved to her neighborhood a few years back, when it was on the cusp of change, and has watched its value multiply over a relatively short period of time. She currently rents an apartment, but in the next year she plans to buy a house and is looking to spend around $400,000. During her 12 years in Washington, D.C., Wambu says that she also has seen the cost of living escalate.

Wambu's job provides many opportunities to socialize– often with the nation's most influential business and political leaders. "It is unique to find the number of African Americans that you see at these power restaurants, and [it's] also extremely encouraging," she says.
–Joyce Jones


1: ATLANTA

"Hotlanta" continues its legendary draw in business, housing, and education. Atlanta moved to the top of the list, driven primarily by respondents' high level of satisfaction with entrepreneurial opportunities, earnings potential, and cultural activities. Future job growth is strong at 23%–the highest of the entire 10 finalists. Atlanta is home to a high number of black-owned businesses.

African Americans make up 61% of Atlanta's population. U.S. Census data reveals that the metropolitan area's black population increased by more than 38% between 1990 and 2000. "Most cities would die to have that problem," counters Atlanta's first woman and first black female mayor, Shirley Franklin. Stepping up to the challenge of addressing the city's infrastructure needs brought on by the population boom, City Hall approved $3.3 billion for water and sewer system expansion, $73 billion for transportation upgrades, and a $5.5 billion expansion of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Main Industries Banking, financial services, publishing, electronics, and government services

Landmarks The King Center; The AU (Atlanta University) Center

Annual Events National Black Arts Festival; Fall (Football) Classics

B.E. Industrial/Service 100 Companies Herman J. Russell & Co., The Gourmet Companies, Sanderson Industries, Inc.

Top Black Officials Shirley Franklin, mayor; Richard Pennington, police chief; Beverly L. Hall, school superintendent; John Lewis, U.S. Rep.; Brad Hubbert, chairman, board of transportation

Websites www.atlantaga,gov; www.ebonypages.com

When visitors come to town, Marsha and Willie Middleton II do the rudimentary run by the World of Coca-Cola, Lenox Square mall, and the MLK Historic Site. The thirtysomething couple also loves showing off high-end neighborhood houses. "When friends come, we try to convince them to move here," says Marsha, a London native and a graduate of Florida A&M University.

With a household income around $120,000, the couple was able to buy a home–three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a full basement, and a backyard for their small dog, Chico–in the 'burbs for $144,000 three years ago. "Friends are normally amazed," says Marsha, a public relations manager at the Four Seasons Hotel. "People think Atlanta's cost of living is comparable to New York or Washington, D.C., but when you move to the outskirts, you get more value for your dollar."

The Middletons plan to move to Fayette County, part of the 16-county metro Atlanta area, in the next few years to be closer to Willie's parents. The parents of a newborn son want to take advantage of the public school system there.

Willie also looks forward to building their next home from scratch–typical for Atlantans. "With me building, I'll save 30% to 40%," says the University of Georgia graduate and former city field engineer. Currently self-employed, Willie, along with other investors, buys and renovates homes.