The 5-town CoolTown tour

Over the next five weeks, CoolTown Studios will be visiting five of the coolest towns in the North and Midwest in order to help shape the vision of future towns in the same area.  Which ones should they be?

Cambridge, Massachusetts - The 23rd largest economy in the world and host to Harvard and MIT, this direct neighbor to Boston has long been a mecca of nightlife, culture and entrepreneurship.

Athens, Georgia - The near legendary destination often described as the

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Silicorn Valley - What makes Fairfield, Iowa so cool for entrepreneurs?

They know entrepreneurs.  Period.  Here’s proof:

A true economic gardening environment
- 20% State Tax Credits for Iowa Investments
- $60 million available locally; $1.3 billion statewide
- State of Iowa and City of Fairfield - Pro-Economic Development
- Over $200 Million Invested in Fairfield Companies since 1990
- Headquarters City for 50 Companies

Culture and Amenities - CoolTown Entertainment
- Lively Music, Dance

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Passing through Niagara-on-the-Lake

I happened upon the quaint little town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada today, and understood why the locals talked it up so much.

While it’s not necessarily a CoolTown per se since it’s not very affordable, there’s some very cool things happening there.  I didn’t notice a single national chain on the entire main street, as all the merchants were unique Mom & Pops. 

The town was very walkable.  There seemed to be a fair amount of offices and

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The Next Small Town Boom Towns

The other side to The Next Boom Towns? story is the focus on small towns (

<1 million population).

Because of their size, they have to be much more innovative than the big cities that already have a headstart, and it shows:

#1 on the list is

Boulder, CO.  Not only does it have some of the greatest recreational amenities anywhere, but it boasts one of the best-looking (at night), most-active small town downtowns in the U.S.

#2 is Fort Collins, CO.  I’ve never been there (comments

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The Next Boom Towns?

Coincidentally enough, the magazine closest in content to Fast Company is Business 2.0 (though not nearly as innovation-focused), and their cover story this month is The Next Boom Towns?.

It has the usual high-tech big cities at the top in terms of job and population growth and median salary increase:  Raleigh-Durham, NC; San Jose, CA; Washington, DC; Austin, TX, Atlanta, GA… but of course you already knew this

What’s not factored in is, are people actually happy? 

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It’s good to be back from my place-making tour of Italy’s finest cities, and it was great to stroll through some of the most inspiring piazzas, streets and third places in the world.

Here are some of the highlights:

- Venice (Venezia) is a must-see.  Not only is the entire historic city on an island (a medieval Manhattan if you will), but there are absolutely no cars.  There were dozens upon dozens of piazzas in Venice, and despite freezing temperatures, it

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Urban Warfare: DC’s Unfulfilled Potential: Leadership, Tax Issues Hamper Growth (Washington Post cover story)
By D’Vera Cohn, Nov. 10, 2003 (link expires Nov. 24)
Second of two articles:  While most cities have to scratch and scheme to attract out-of-town talent, the nation’s capital is among a handful of magnet cities that many young people feel they simply must experience…

A curious thing is happening in Washington D.C. - its

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CoolTowns have two unlikely sources of inspiration.  One is Italy, home of the Renaissance and whose language is based on poetry.  The other is the resort, where people escape to live in a place as close to utopia as they can find.  Think of road rage, full schedules and late-night worries, then wake up from your nightmare and think of…

Portofino, regarded as Italy’s most beautiful, picturesque and romantic town.  No cars, outdoor dining with artistic views,

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Iowa City?!  Ever heard of it?  You should.  Not only did the acclaimed Milken Institute name it as the best small city in economic performance and job creation in the country in their annual report, but here are a few other accolades:

• One of the ten most enlightened towns in the U.S. - Utne Reader
• Listed in the book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America
• Number-one place to live in the nation by Editor

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The Creative Index: San Francisco #1

First of all, it’s important to realize that creativity produces jobs, attracts people and increases income.

The Creativity Index, pioneered by the Richard Florida Creativity Group, is measured via creative workforce (science, engineering, architecture, design, education, arts, music, entertainment), innovations (patents per capita), high-tech industry and diversity.

#1 on the Creative Index is the San Francisco Bay Area (Austin is #2).  It’s also #1 in

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Best Places for Business and Careers: Austin #1

Forbes ranks Austin as the Best Place for Business and Careers in their annual report.  What are the key ingredients for its success?

Entertainment:  As mentioned on this site previously, Austin is indeed the live music capital of the world.  The proof is in asking just about anyone who’s been to Austin - “It’s so cool.  There’s always something going on and the people are so nice.“

Affordability:  The second annual Affordability Index from

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