Rural Regions of the Western South Show Diversity

I'll admit that I have checked out more locations in the South east of the Mississippi River than I have west of that majestic body of water for you corporate and industrial site searchers. There are reasons behind that, not necessarily first and foremost the fact that my office is in Alabama. When this magazine was first launched in 1992, we covered just two of the states (Louisiana and Mississippi) that are being profiled in this special edition focusing on rural sites in the Western South. Back then we were small and I was not about to add states to our coverage area that could not be visited personally. As we grew more prosperous, we added Texas and Arkansas in 1995 and Oklahoma in 1997. Then, in 2000, through an alliance we formed with the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), we added Kansas and Missouri (those two states, many times considered "midwestern," are members of SEDC, which tells me economic development leaders there would rather be considered "southern" than "midwestern").

Many states in the Eastern South are mirror images of each other, both in geographic appearance and the way they practice recruiting you and your company to their borders. The latter centers around the fact that those states have practiced economic development longer and consequently, intense competition has developed among them. In other words, parachute blindfolded on Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia and you may choose any of those states when asked, "Where are you?" Only Florida, and even then only south of Gainesville, will you immediately know where you are as you gather up your chute.

On the other hand, the Western Southern states are much more diverse in their geography and topography and in their practice of enticing your business to their borders. Of the states profiled in this rural issue, most of Arkansas, northern Louisiana, Mississippi, eastern Oklahoma and east Texas, you will find, look, smell and feel much like their bretheren to the east. Outside of that, the Western South has a different feel altogether.

In Kansas, I discovered a state that leads the entire South in education attainment, even surpassing Virginia. Who would have known? Did you? Like Virginia, you can tell by simply talking to Kansas' people, including their economic development practitioners. They stand out. In Missouri I drove through miles and miles of undeveloped land, more than I have ever seen in any state in the South (for you, that's a plus).

Recently I spent several days in Arkansas. Leaders there want so much to please you and make your project profitable. If there is a state in the entire South that is underestimated, it's Arkansas. Politicos and economic development officials in Arkansas don't realize what a jewel they are selling to prospective industry. But they will soon. Arkansas is primed for most deals that are out there.

Like Arkansas, officials in Louisiana work so hard for your business and they don't realize how far they have come in making their state more attractive to industry. Just six years ago, the largest deal we recorded in Louisiana was a 200-employee supermarket. That's changed dramatically over the last four years. In fact, Louisiana has become the South's comeback state each and every year for the past three. We've tracked with great delight that state and its comeback. Per capita, Louisiana has been near the top the last three years in significant deals. Their biggest problem? They don't know it. Like Arkansas, officials there haven't learned to walk with a swagger as of yet.

There are rural locations in Oklahoma, especially those within easy access to Dallas/Fort Worth, that are as dynamic as any in the entire South. And finally, the state of Texas. How do you describe a state with 21 million people, has more land than five or six Southern states combined, yet more than 14 million of the state's residents are located in just six markets. I'll tell you. Texas better start selling their rural regions better.

You will find many outstanding rural western South locations profiled in this edition beginning on page 45. We hope the information presented will give you an alternative view towards locating in one of the South's major markets. Rural locations aren't for every business, but then again, neither are major markets. Simply put, the right manufacturer, distribution or service company will thrive in a rural South location.