Locations

San Francisco, CA

Tourism, the city’s largest private-sector employer, is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. Its frequent portrayal in music, film, and popular culture has made the city and its landmarks recognizable worldwide. Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and self-employed firms make up 85% of city establishments as lately, it has been particularly popular with entrepreneurs establishing “start-up” companies. Many large financial institutions, multinational banks and venture capital firms are based in or have regional headquarters in the city. With over 30 international financial institutions, seven Fortune 500 companies, and a large support infrastructure of professional services – including law, public relations, architecture and design. San Francisco’s economy has increasingly become tied to San Jose and Silicon Valley, its neighbors to the south, sharing the need for highly educated workers with specialized skills. San Francisco has been positioning itself as a biotechnology and biomedical hub and research center. The Mission Bay neighborhood, site of a second campus of UCSF, fosters a budding industry and serves as headquarters of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the public agency funding stem cell research programs state-wide.

San Jose, CA

The large concentration of high-technology engineering, computer, and microprocessor companies around San Jose has led the area to be known as Silicon Valley. As the largest city in the valley, San Jose has billed itself “the capital of Silicon Valley.” Area schools such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Cruz, San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, California State University, East Bay, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University pump thousands of engineering and computer science graduates into the local economy every year. San Jose lists many companies with 1,000 employees or more, including the headquarters of Adobe, Altera, Brocade Communications Systems, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, eBay, Lee’s Sandwiches, Sanmina-SCI, and Xilinx, as well as major facilities for Becton Dickinson, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, KLA Tencor and Qualcomm. The North American headquarters of Samsung are located in San Jose.Other large companies based in San Jose include Altera, Atmel, CEVA, Cypress Semiconductor, Echelon, Integrated Device Technology, Micrel, Netgear, Novellus Systems, Oclaro, Online Trading Academy, Quantum, SunPower, Supermicro, Tessera Technologies, TiVo, Ultratech, and VeriFone. Sizable government employers include the city government, Santa Clara County, and San Jose State University. Acer’s United States division has its offices in San Jose. Prior to its closing, Netcom had its headquarters in San Jose.

San Jose, Costa Rica

San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and center of political and economic activity of the country. It is also the main transportation hub and center of the largest working area of the country. The country has been very active attracting foreign investment behind tax incentives, high levels of education, a very good base of skilled workers and a great climate. Economy is driven by the services industry financial and call centers, as well as pharmaceutical, ecotourism and crops (coffee, banana, pineapple). The country is also known for supporting environmental policies focused on sustainability. While not official, the economy is partially dollarized, being a common practice to be charged either in Colones or US dollars, which leads to a confusing market dynamic of speculation. With a well-thought long term growth plan, the country could become one of the most competitive centers in Central America for services and/or flow of goods within the Americas and across continents. Costa Rica has a privileged location and an excellent educational system that ensures availability of talented workers for all types of tasks. On the flip side, the city still lacks investment in infrastructure and maintenance. In addition, the country has been losing competitiveness, especially with neighboring Panama, with increased cost of living indexes and excessive commute times. Ensuring a long term growth master plan is crucial to unleash the country’s potential. An important portion of the transportation extra costs are behind the poor quality and availability of roads; while the workforce spends a significant amount of time commuting which adds up to an significant amount of idle work force reducing overall productivity.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico. Located in the Caribbean, the country has been able to prosper behind its political status highly dependent on US support. The economy is fully dollarized and is based on manufacturing (mainly pharmaceutical) and services (financial and insurance). The country as a whole has been struggling to attract foreign investment. Since the expiration of the tax exemption (section 936), where companies were exempted of federal tax on corporate income, the island has become less attractive for the industry in general. Another deterring aspect is the fact that US regulations are enforced and there is a high cost for doing business. Cost of living is also higher than the average in the US and Latin America. This discourages foreign countries or investors to place an operation on the island. Future perspective growth is at risk as the island is currently unable to self-sustain. The country is completely dependent on imports of food, oil, chemicals, machinery and equipment. Puerto Rico must undergo a strict and well thought vision change in order to maintain its current privileged status. Given the scarcity of natural resources, a look into service oriented industries; IT, software development, banking and insurance, or becoming the Caribbean transportation hub could enable economic growth continuity versus its current US dependence which is being reduced year after year. Logistics management is central to the islands survival given the need of imported goods (food, chemicals, machinery, petroleum and clothing) and the necessity to make exported goods more competitive in order to maintain a positive surplus balance.

São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo is considered the “financial capital of Brazil”, as it is the location for the headquarters of many major corporations and the country’s most renowned banks and financial institutions. São Paulo is Brazil’s highest GDP city and the 10th largest in the world, using Purchasing power parity. According to data of IBGE, its gross domestic product (GDP) is R$ 450 billion, approximately US$220 billion, 12.26% of Brazilian GDP and 36% of all production of goods and services of the State of São Paulo. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers average annual economic growth of the city is 4.2%. São Paulo also has a large “informal” economy. The city of São Paulo collects R$ 90 billion in taxes and the city budget is R$ 15 billion. The city has 1,500 bank branches and 70 shopping malls. The São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) is Brazil’s official stock and bond exchange. It is the largest stock exchange in Latin America, trading about R$ 6 billion (US$ 3.5 billion) every day. São Paulo’s economy is going through a deep transformation. Once a city with a h2 industrial character, São Paulo’s economy has followed the global trend of shifting to the tertiary sector of the economy, focusing on services. The city is unique among Brazilian cities for its large number of foreign corporations. 63% of all the international companies with business in Brazil have their head offices in São Paulo. São Paulo has the largest concentration of German businesses worldwide and is the largest Swedish industrial hub alongside Gothenburg. São Paulo ranked second after New York in FDi magazine’s bi-annual ranking of Cities of the Future in the Americas, and was named the Latin American City of the Future, overtaking Santiago de Chile, the first city in the previous ranking. Santiago now ranks second, followed by Rio de Janeiro. The city of São Paulo is home to research and development facilities and attracts companies due to the presence of several regionally renowned universities. Science, technology and innovation is leveraged by the allocation of funds from the state government, mainly carried out by means of the Foundation to Research Support in the State of São Paulo (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP), one of the main agencies promoting scientific and technological research.

Seattle, WA

Seattle’s economy is driven by a mix of older industrial companies, and “new economy” Internet and technology companies, service, design and clean technology companies. The Port of Seattle, which also operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is a major gateway for trade with Asia and cruises to Alaska, and is the 8th largest port in the United States in terms of container capacity. Four companies on the Fortune 500 list of the United States’ largest companies, based on total revenue, are headquartered in Seattle: Internet retailer Amazon.com, coffee chain Starbucks, department store Nordstrom, and freight forwarder Expeditors International of Washington. Other Fortune 500 companies popularly associated with Seattle are based in nearby Puget Sound cities. Warehouse club chain Costco, the largest retail company in Washington, is based in Issaquah. Microsoft is located in Redmond. Weyerhaeuser, the forest products company, is based in Federal Way. Finally, Bellevue is home to truck manufacturer Paccar. Other major companies in the area include Nintendo of America in Redmond, T-Mobile US in Bellevue, Expedia Inc. in Bellevue and Providence Health & Services – the state’s largest health care system and fifth largest employer – in Renton. The city has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and Tully’s.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai is the commercial and financial center of mainland China, and ranks fifth in the Global Financial Centres Index published by the City of London. ShanghaiIt was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and rapid re-development began in 1990s. This is exemplified by the Pudong District, which became a pilot area for integrated economic reforms. There are now 787 financial institutions, of which 170 are foreign-invested. The Shanghai Stock Exchange ranks third among worldwide stock exchanges in terms of trading volume and sixth in terms of the total capitalization of listed companies, and the trading volume of six key commodities including rubber, copper and zinc on the Shanghai Futures Exchange all ranked first in the world. In the last two decades Shanghai has been one of the fastest developing cities in the world. Shanghai has recorded double-digit growth almost every year except during the global recession, Shanghai’s total GDP grew to 1.92 trillion yuan (US$297 billion) with GDP per capita of 82,560 yuan (US $12,784). The three largest service industries are financial services, retail, and real estate. The manufacturing and agricultural sectors accounted for 39.9 percent and 0.7 percent of the total output respectively. Shanghai is one of the main industrial centers of China, playing a key role in China’s heavy industries. Heavy industries accounted for 78% of the gross industrial output. China’s largest steelmaker Baosteel Group, China’s largest shipbuilding base – Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group, and the Jiangnan Shipyard, one of China’s oldest shipbuilders are all located in Shanghai. Auto manufacture is another important industry. The Shanghai-based SAIC Motor is one of the three largest automotive corporations in China, and has strategic partnerships with Volkswagen and General Motors.

Singapore

Singapore is the 14th largest exporter and the 15th largest importer in the world. The country has the highest trade-to-GDP ratio in the world at 407.9 percent, signifying the importance of trade to its economy. The country is currently the only Asian country to have AAA credit ratings from all three major credit rating agencies; Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. Singapore attracts a large amount of foreign direct investment as a result of its location, corruption-free environment, skilled workforce, low tax rates and advanced infrastructure. There are more than 7,000 multinational corporations from the United States, Japan, and Europe in Singapore. There are also 1,500 companies from China and 1,500 from India. Foreign firms are found in almost all sectors of the economy. Singapore is also the second-largest foreign investor in India. Roughly 44 percent of the Singaporean workforce is made up of non-Singaporeans. Over ten free-trade agreements have been signed with other countries and regions. Singapore also possesses the world’s eleventh largest foreign reserves, and has one of the highest net international investment position per capita. The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It is interchangeable with the Brunei dollar. In recent years, the country has been identified as an increasingly popular tax haven for the wealthy due to the low tax rate on personal income, a full tax exemption on income that is generated outside of Singapore and legislation that means that capital gains are also tax exempt.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia is the economic heart of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in the country, as well as the Bulgarian National Bank and the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. The city and its surrounding Yugozapaden NUTS II planning region is the most developed region in the country. Increasingly, Sofia is becoming an outsourcing destination for multinational companies, among them IBM, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Siemens, Software AG. Bulgaria Air, PPD, the national airline of Bulgaria, has its head office on the grounds of Sofia Airport. The city has now attracted a cumulative total of $11,6 billion in foreign direct investment.

St. Louis, MO

St. Louis is home to dozens of companies listed on various stock exchanges in the U.S., with market capitalizations ranging from over $500 thousand to more than $40 billion. Among these public companies, Greater St. Louis is home to 19 Fortune 1000 headquarters, of which 9 are Fortune 500. Greater St. Louis is also home to some of the nation’s largest private companies, several listed among Forbes’ America’s Largest Private Companies such as: 16-Enterprise Holdings; 59-World Wide Technology; 65-Edward Jones; 66-Graybar Electric; 72-Apex Oil; 141-McCarthy Holdings; and at 180-Schnuck Markets. According to data compiled by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2014, St. Louis’s 25 largest international companies had international sales of over $129 billion in 2013. St. Louis companies are also ranked nationally as best places to work, most innovative, and Inc. magazine’s list of America’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies 2015 ranks include 41 companies based in the St. Louis metropolitan area; 20 St. Louis-based firms ranked in the top 2,000: St. Louis is also home to many aerospace and aviation companies including Gateway Jets, Advanced Aerospace Technologies, Aeronavdata, Bickel Air, Ellason Weather Radar, Fregata Systems, GKNAerospace North America, Saberliner Services, Valent Aerostructures, Northrop Grumman Systems, and Summit Air. The State of Missouri is a top 10 state for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness according to a 2015 report by PwC, and it is home to major companies such as GKN Aerospace, LMI Aerospace and PAS Technologies. On the defense side two major facilities of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security including their military aircraft headquarters, numerous logistics contractors supporting the Defense Logistics Agency, and Scott Air Force base is located just across the Mississippi River in Illinois. Access to both coasts, major international and domestic airport access, a highly skilled workforce and attractive tax structures make St Louis a very strong candidate for future growth in virtually all manufacturing and industry sectors. The fuel for this growth will come from a highly trained and motivated work force, heavily dependent on leadership to sustain growth into the future.

Stockholm, Sweden

The vast majority of Stockholm residents work in the service industry, which accounts for roughly 85% of jobs in Stockholm. The almost total absence of heavy industry (and fossil fuel power plants) makes Stockholm one of the world’s cleanest metropolises. The last decade has seen a significant number of jobs created in high technology companies. Large employers include IBM, Ericsson, and Electrolux. A major IT centre is located in Kista, in northern Stockholm. Stockholm is Sweden’s financial centre. Major Swedish banks, such as Nordea, Swedbank, Handelsbanken, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, are headquartered in Stockholm, as are the major insurance companies Skandia, Folksam and Trygg-Hansa. Additionally, about 45% of Swedish companies with more than 200 employees are headquartered in Stockholm. Famous clothes retailer H&M is also headquartered in the city. In recent years, tourism has played an important part in the city’s economy. Stockholm County is ranked as the 10th largest visitor destination in Europe, with over 10 million commercial overnight stays per year.

Surabaya, Indonesia

Surabaya as the second biggest city in Indonesia for business service and manufacturing will always attract investors, start-up or establish company to show their presence and operate in Surabaya. Surabaya is also the hub to connect to eastern and outer island part of Indonesia. The diversity of people compares to Jakarta and therefore makes Surabaya a very important city whether you deal in manufacturing, FMCG business, heavy equipment, construction and any other service including hospitality and tourism. If you have establish your business in Jakarta and want to expand it to bigger coverage then Surabaya is the perfect choice for it.

Sydney, Australia

As the financial, manufacturing and economic hub of Australia, Sydney has grown to become a wealthy and prosperous city and its residents enjoy the world’s second highest earnings when measured using domestic purchasing power, among world cities. The largest economic sectors in Sydney, as measured by the number of people employed, include property and business services, retail, manufacturing, and health and community services. Sydney provides approximately 25 percent of the country’s total GDP. The Australian Securities Exchange and the Reserve Bank of Australia are located in Sydney, as are the headquarters of 90 banks and more than half of Australia’s top companies, and the regional headquarters for around 500 multinational corporations. Of the ten largest corporations in Australia by revenue, four have headquarters in Sydney: Caltex Australia, the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and Woolworths. Of the 54 authorised deposit-taking banks in Australia, 44 are based in Sydney including nine of the 11 foreign subsidiary banks in Australia and all of the 29 local branches of foreign banks. Major authorised foreign banks in Sydney include Citigroup, UBS Australia, Mizuho Corporate Bank, HSBC Bank Australia and Deutsche Bank.

Tampa FL

The City of Tampa strives to serve the business interests of both small and large businesses across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. A favorable tax structure, quality infrastructure, development incentives, and a strong labor force are just a few of the features that make Tampa a top choice for business innovation and development. Over the past few years, Tampa has welcomed a number of new and expanding businesses to our community and the Department of Economic and Urban Development stands ready to assist you and your business endeavors: Infrastructure and Utilities; Transportation of Goods & Services; Financial Incentives and Small, Women and Minority-Owned Businesses. Tampa is one of the major business hubs in Florida. It is the home to technical companies such as Tech Data, Jabil Circuit, Well Care Health Plans and Publix. Twenty percent of Florida larges companies are located in the Tampa Bay Area. While Tampa may not be as big as some other major Unites States cities it is among one the most divers economies. The city and state government are very business focused and supportive. A large number of local universities provide a stable and well education workforce.

Tel Aviv, Isreal

Tel Aviv has been described as a “flourishing technological center” by Newsweek and a “miniature Los Angeles” by The Economist. In 1998, the city was described by Newsweek as one of the 10 most technologically influential cities in the world. Since then, high-tech industry in the Tel Aviv area has continued to develop. The Tel Aviv metropolitan area (including satellite cities such as Herzliya andPetah Tikva) is Israel’s center of high-tech, sometimes referred to as Silicon Wadi. Tel Aviv is home to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), Israel’s only stock exchange, which has reached record heights since the 1990s. The Tel Aviv Stock exchange has also gained attention for its resilience and ability to recover from war and disasters. For example, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was higher on the last day of both the 2006 Lebanon war and the 2009 Operation in Gaza than on the first day of fighting. Many international venture-capital firms, scientific research institutes and high-tech companies are headquartered in the city. Industries in Tel Aviv include chemical processing, textile plants and food manufacturers.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world. According to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Tokyo urban area (35.2 million people) has a total GDP of US$2.91 trillion. 51 of the companies listed on the Global 500 are based in Tokyo, almost twice that of the second-placed city (Paris). Tokyo is a major international finance center, houses the headquarters of several of the world’s largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan’s transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. Tokyo was rated by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most expensive (highest cost-of-living) city in the world for 14 years in a row. This analysis is for living a corporate executive lifestyle, with items like a detached house and several automobiles. Tokyo has been described as one of the three “command centers” for the world economy, along with New York City and London. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is Japan’s largest stock exchange, and third largest in the world by market capitalization and fourth largest by share turnover. At the end of the Japanese asset price bubble, it accounted for more than 60% of the world stock market value.

Toronto

Toronto is an international centre for business and finance. Generally considered the financial capital of Canada, Toronto has a high concentration of banks and brokerage firms on Bay Street, in the Financial District. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the world’s seventh-largest stock exchange by market capitalization. The five largest financial institutions of Canada, collectively known as the Big Five, have national offices in Toronto. The city is an important centre for the media, publishing, telecommunication, information technology and film production industries; it is home to Bell Media, Rogers Communications, and Torstar. Other prominent Canadian corporations in the Greater Toronto Area include Magna International, Celestica, Manulife Financial, Sun Life Financial, the Hudson’s Bay Company, and major hotel companies and operators, such as Four Seasons Hotels and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Although much of the region’s manufacturing activities take place outside the city limits, Toronto continues to be a wholesale and distribution point for the industrial sector. The city’s strategic position along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor and its road and rail connections help support the nearby production of motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, machinery, chemicals and paper. The completion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway gave ships access to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean.

Trenton, NJ

Trenton was a major manufacturing center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One relic of that era is the slogan “Trenton Makes, The World Takes”, which is displayed on the Lower Free Bridge (just north of the Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge). The city adopted the slogan in 1917 to represent Trenton’s then-leading role as a major manufacturing center for rubber, wire rope, ceramics and cigars. Along with many other United States cities in the 1970s, Trenton fell on hard times when manufacturing and industrial jobs declined. Concurrently, state government agencies began leasing office space in the surrounding suburbs. State government leaders (particularly governors William Cahill and Brendan Byrne) attempted to revitalize the downtown area by making it the center of state government. Between 1982 and 1992, more than a dozen office buildings were constructed primarily by the state to house state offices. Today, Trenton’s biggest employer is still the state of New Jersey. Each weekday, 20,000 state workers flood into the city from the surrounding suburbs. Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was briefly the capital of the United States. The city’s metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area by the United States Census Bureau, but directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission’s Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913, making it the state’s 10th-largest municipality. The Census Bureau estimated that the city’s population was 84,034 in 2014.

Tucson, AZ

Copper mining has traditionally been a vital part of the city’s economy; in 1976, for instance, one of every twenty Tucson residents was a copper miner. Seven years later, a combination of foreign competition and depressed copper prices forced a dramatic downturn in mining industries nationwide, with the result that only four-tenths of a percent of the working population was employed in mining by the mid-1980s. The early 1990s saw an upturn in the mining industry again. In Arizona, the mining industry continues to contribute to the economy, although locally and globally the industry has shown signs recently indicating a slowdown. At the time of the mining crisis, Tucson and southern Arizona looked to economic diversity. In the 1980s the area experienced economic growth from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base with more than 9,200 employees and the University of Arizona with more than 11,000 employees as well as growth in the high-tech and service industries, particularly in banking. Today the Tucson economy is based on the arts, tourism, manufacturing and high-tech industries. Unique because of Tucson’s relatively small size is the fact that a ballet, symphony, live theater, and opera call Tucson home. Tucson’s dependably dry and sunny climate assures continuing growth in tourism, an industry that employs about 1 in 10 workers in the metropolitan area labor force and brings in well over 1.5 billion dollars annually. Manufacturing activity has doubled in the last 10 years and includes such companies as AlliedSignal, Weiser Lock, 3M, Burr-Brown, Environmental Air Products, Inc., Krueger Industries, Inc., and Raytheon Missile Systems Company. Marked changes have come about elsewhere in Tucson’s economic base, however, with copper mining being most deeply affected. Tucson has actively promoted expansion in the high-technology industry. The Milkin Institute ranked Tucson the seventh Best Performing City out of 200 Metropolitan Areas in large part because of job growth in the high-tech arena. More than 300 local companies are directly involved in information technology. Other growing high-technology areas are bio industry, aerospace, environmental technology, plastics and advanced composite materials, and teleservices. It is hoped that these industries will continue to be a catalyst, drawing companies to Tucson. Another factor in the renewed strength of Tucson’s economic base is the building or relocation of major corporations in the area. Industry leaders include Raytheon Missile Systems, IBM, Honeywell, Texas Instruments, Intuit, America Online, and Bombardier Aerospace. Tucson has become more involved in international trade and has developed close partnerships with Mexico. One development asset in Tucson is the city’s proximity to the Mexican border. The city actively encourages the growth of twin-plant or “maquiladora” industries locating part of their operations in Tucson. Increased expansion is predicted in the manufacture of electronics, aerospace, and computer component products. Items and goods produced: aircraft and aircraft parts, electronic equipment, steel castings and fabrications, flour, boxes, agricultural chemicals, aluminium products, radios, mobile homes, air conditioning machinery, creamery products, beer, liquor, saddles and leather goods, apparel, native American and Mexican novelties.

Vancouver

With its location on the Pacific Rim and at the western terminus of Canada’s transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is one of the nation’s largest industrial centres. The Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest and most diversified, does more than C$75 billion in trade with over 130 different economies annually. Port activities generate $10.5 billion in gross domestic product and $22 billion in economic output. Vancouver is also the headquarters of forest product and mining companies. In recent years, Vancouver has become an increasingly important centre for software development, biotechnology, aerospace, video game development, animation studios and a vibrant television production and film industry. Vancouver’s scenic location makes it a major tourist destination. Many visit to see the city’s gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden and the mountains, ocean, forest and parklands which surround the city. Each year over a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ship vacations, often bound for Alaska.

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world for its celebrated art and architecture. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day. It is the world’s 28th most internationally visited city, and is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Today, there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark’s Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities, and mainly people in the cinematic industry. The city also relies heavily on the cruise business. However, Venice’s popularity as a major worldwide tourist destination has caused several problems, including the fact that the city can be very overcrowded at some points of the year. It is regarded by some as a tourist trap, and by others as a”living museum”. Unlike most other places in Western Europe, and the world, Venice has become widely known for its element of elegant decay. The competition for foreigners to buy homes in Venice has made prices rise so high that numerous inhabitants are forced to move to more affordable areas of Veneto and Italy, the most notable being Mestre.

Vienna, Austria

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first (in a tie with Vancouver, Canada) for the world’s most livable cities. For four consecutive years, the human-resource-consulting firm Mercer ranked Vienna first in its annual”Quality of Living” survey of hundreds of cities around the world. The city was ranked 1st globally for its culture of innovation, and fifth globally in the Innovation Cities Index, which analyzed 162 indicators in covering three areas: culture, infrastructure and markets. Vienna regularly hosts urban planning conferences and is often used as a case study by urban planners. Each year Vienna has been the world’s number one destination for international congresses and conventions. It attracts about five million tourists a year.

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw, especially its city centre (Sródmiescie), is home not only to many national institutions and government agencies, but also to many domestic and international companies. Warsaw’s ever-growing business community has been noticed globally, regionally, and nationally. MasterCard Emerging Market Index has noted Warsaw’s economic strength and commercial center. Moreover, Warsaw was ranked as the 7th greatest emerging market. Warsaw leads the region of Central Europe in foreign investment . It also has one of the fastest growing economies, with GDP growth at 6.5 percent. The number of state-owned enterprises continues to decrease while the number of companies operating with foreign capital is on the rise, reflecting the continued shift towards a modern market-based economy. The largest foreign investors are Coca-Cola Amatil and Metro AG. Warsaw has the biggest concentration of electronics and high-tech industry in Poland, while the growing consumer market perfectly fosters the development of the food-processing industry

Washington, DC

Washington has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs. The gross product of the Washington Metropolitan Area makes it the fourth-largest metropolitan economy in the United States. The federal government accounted for about 29% of the jobs in Washington, D.C. This is thought to immunize Washington to national economic downturns because the federal government continues operations even during recessions. Many organizations such as law firms, independent contractors (both defense and civilian), non-profit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups, and professional associations have their headquarters in or near D.C. to be close to the federal government. Tourism is Washington’s second largest industry. Approximately 18.9 million visitors contributes to the local economy every year. The District also hosts nearly 200 foreign embassies and international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization. The District has growing industries not directly related to government, especially in the areas of education, finance, public policy, and scientific research. Georgetown University, George Washington University, Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center and Howard University are the top five non-government-related employers in the city. Four of the largest 500 companies in the country are also headquartered in the District.

Winston-Salem, NC

Winston-Salem, located in Forsyth, County, North Carolina, also known as the “twin city” is a part of the Piedmont (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point) Metropolitan area and has a population of about 240,000 people. Winston-Salem’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP) in fiscal year 2013 was close to $30 billion out of the state’s combined metro GDP that was closer to $410 billion. It is home to market leading companies – R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR), Lowes Foods., Branch Bank and Trust (BB&T), and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Winston-Salem, is an educational, and research and development market home to Wake Forest University its largest employer. The nation’s largest propane company, Blue Rhino is also based in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem’s Key Location Objectives (KLO), are healthcare, and retirement and has been listed as a key place to retire in the United States by CBS MoneyWatch. There is strong growth in healthcare, trade, business and professional services sectors of the Winston-Salem marketplace. The city is transforming itself from a textiles and tobacco industry into the high technology sector of high nanotechnology.