The not-so Golden State

A new study by CBS Marketwatch shows the widening gap between the haves and have nots among California municipalities. 

Five cities within the state’s Central Valley – Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield – are big enough to be included among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas.  That’s the good news. 

The bad news:  all five also appear in the bottom 10 of Marketwatch’s Top Cities for Business Growth in 2012.   Also on that list, the city of Riverside, making California a dominant force in lack of business growth last year.  

Of course, San Jose (#4) and San Francisco (#7) counterbalance this somewhat by appearing in the top 10 (with Los Angeles and San Diego just outside).  But, still, six cities in the bottom 10?  What does that say about our state?

One thing the study does say is that cities that tend to do well in the overall analysis attract and retain people.  One thing that makes cities like San Francisco, San Jose and others on the top 10 list able to attract and retain population is having the infrastructure in place to create jobs and adequately support industries as they grow.  If our Central Valley cities are to make it out of the bottom 10 and provide the opportunity for business growth, they clearly need more resources for infrastructure building.