Irvine Selected as Best Small City for its Talent Pool

IRVINE, Calif., May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In its annual ranking of the leading American cities for the future, FDi Magazine ranked Irvine #1 in Human Resources, and among the top 10 in 3 other categories. "We are very pleased to receive this recognition from FDi Magazine, which underscores that Irvine is one of the innovation centers of this nation," says Chris Lynch, VP of Economic Development for the Irvine Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Launched in 2001, FDi Magazine is firmly established as the leading title for the business of globalization, and is a division of Financial Times Ltd. publication. The annual American Cities of the Future ranking highlights the major, large, small, and micro cities in the United States, Canada, and Latin America that are performing exceptionally well based on factors such as cost effectiveness, business friendliness, and foreign direct investment strategy.

Human Resources – Ranked #1

Irvine's #1 ranking is not a surprise, especially for its residents-Irvine is nationally ranked as having some of the best schools in the nation—from the Irvine Unified School District, to the University of California, Irvine (UCI). UCI is a major research university, with a $350 million research budget and ranked #11 among public universities. With 64.1% of the population having college degrees, Irvine is proud to have one of the most educated and diverse pools of talent in the world.

Business Friendliness – Ranked #6

Since the recession, the city recently adopted new business initiatives, many of which were proposed by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce. The ICC have made economic development a priority and assumed a more active role by developing new programs, working collaboratively with community stakeholders and building relationships with the business community.

"These new business initiatives will have a positive impact on Irvine's business community," says Tallia Hart, President & CEO of the ICC. She adds, "We have worked closely with the City to ease the burden on the companies who choose to call Irvine home."

Quality of Life and Economic Potential – Ranked #9 & #4 respectively

In 2008, CNNMoney.com declared Irvine the fourth best place to live in the United States. Few cities have been built with the vision and precision that has shaped Irvine.

It's one of the largest and earliest master planned communities—a community that is now a large city of over 200,000. Irvine was designed with a clear intention to create an environment that would be ideal to live and work in. That intention has been realized through many details, from extra wide streets to accommodate traffic flow and growth, extensive citywide landscaping, numerous parks and outdoor shopping areas.

Known for the presence of corporations such as Broadcom and Blizzard Entertainment, Irvine's economic potential derives from its championing of well-established and emerging businesses. It focuses on building cutting-edge clusters in clean technology, digital media and life sciences, as well as a leading choice for international business. Irvine's thriving business clusters are poised to do exceed the national economic growth average during this period of economic recovery.

About The Irvine Chamber of Commerce

The Irvine Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential Chambers in Orange County, representing approximately 800 local businesses. The Irvine Chamber is one of only 250 Chambers in the U.S. who meet the requirements for accreditation by the U.S. Chamber. For more information, please call 949-660-9112, or visit www.irvinechamber.com.

SOURCE Irvine Chamber of Commerce