Economy
How Places Like Columbus, Indiana, Outrank Silicon Valley
These smaller cities shine when it comes to attracting and keeping jobs.
When Pat Wilson arrived in Columbus, Indiana, in the early 1970s, it was because she'd left behind Hazard -- the small, Kentucky coal-mining town that inspired The Dukes of Hazzard. To her, Columbus was a way out, she says.
Situated about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, Columbus was also a way in. It offered Wilson things she couldn’t find in Hazard: access to a small but growing population, plenty to do around town, and, most importantly, a good job with benefits.