What's The GOOD News?

Metro Atlanta ranks as Number 10 on the Brookings Institution list of metro economies. The study measures economic assets of the top 100 metro areas based on 2005 data. Atlanta had a population of 4,972,219 and 2,427,921 jobs with a gross domestic product of $99,831 per job which is 113.7 percent of the national average; 34.3% of metro Atlanta adults had a bachelor's degree and 11.6% had a graduate degree in 2005.

Site Selection Magazine named Georgia as the second best state in the nation in which to do business; our state has moved up from #4 last year.

The Standard & Poor's Case-Schiller Index of national home prices for August shows only 5 in the positive column - Atlanta is one of them. According to the index, home prices in Atlanta have appreciated by 0.8% between August 2006 and August 2007.

A recently released report by ForSaleBy Owner.com shows Atlanta with only 2% of its listings not represented by a Realtor for the six-month period ending June 30, 2007.

The metro area is forecast to be in the positive column for jobs created for the fourth year in a row with an estimated 45,000-plus new jobs added in 2007.

In a study predicting population growth through 2020, Wharton professors name the I-85 corridor between Raleigh, NC and Atlanta as having the greatest potential for future growth because of its long stretches of good weather.

The CG Post It
December 2007