Morgantown named no1smallcity.com

LOCAL DEVELOPERS and officials say No. 1 rating will pay big dividends. Page 7-A.

BY JOHN WILFONG

The Dominion Post

Being named the best small city in the country is a welcome accomplishment, but the distinction is not nearly the final prize.

Many Morgantown community leaders beamed with Morgantown's No. 1 posting on bizjournals.com's Demographics Daily list of America's best small cities, but were not surprised with the city's performance.

The Web site rated the quality of life in 632 cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000, with Morgantown topping out of the list of "dreamtowns."

Mayor Frank Scafella said the "extremely gratifying" designation was more sweet considering the amount of work the area has put forth over the past several years.

"We didn't really do all of this to simply be named the No. 1 small city," Scafella said. "It was done to increase the quality of life for the people in Morgantown. It's a certification that comes by the way, and those are always the best. This didn't ha ppen by accident."

Bizjournals.com statistically reviewed life in the small cities, grading each against a set of criteria. Demographics Daily is one of 48 online newspapers and newsletters produced under bizjournals.com, the Internet service of American City Business Journals Inc. of Charlotte, N.C.

Forbes magazine named bizjournals.com as one of its "Best of the Web," placing it among one of the Internet's top 300 sites.

"Life in metro areas often is hectic and confused, and many people fear it's getting worse," said G. Scott Thomas, of Demographics Daily. "Millions who live in big cities or suburbs dream of getting out. Our goal was to provide them a list of small cities that offer relief from metropolitan hassles, and the list of dreamtowns definitely fill the bill."

Each city was rated in eight categories including; vitality, supply of good jobs, freedom from stress, connection to the cultural mainstream, support for schools, access to health care, low cost of living, and small-town character.

Joining Morgantown in the list's top five were Owatonna, Minn., Bozeman, Mont., Columbus, Ind., and Oxford, Miss. Uniontown, Pa., was rated 582nd.

"I may be prejudiced, but it's very deserving," City Manager Dan Boroff said of Morgantown's ranking. "It's wonderful to know that the work we're doing here has attracted national attention."

He said cooperation throughout the Morgantown area was the key to gaining the title.

"Some folks think it's a cliche," he said. "But there are so many other places that it doesn't occur. All the different aspects of the community need to pull together to make it happen."

Local government, WVU, local developers, the Chamber of Commerce, the convention and visitors bureau and other civic groups all play a role in making the town what it is, community leaders agree. But Deputy Mayor Ron Justice said the area's success goes beyond that.

"The people that live here should be proud," Justice said. "It's the people that make the town."

Morgantown is in a growing stage, Justice said, and the distinction can serve only to bolster those attempts.

"The more that happens, the more we get our name out, the more people will look at Morgantown," he said.

Thomas said the Web site looked at several cities, scoring them on a 100-point scale. Morgantown, boasting 100 points, was used as the benchmark to which the other cities were compared. The top 141 cities were marked as "dreamtowns," scoring at least 80.

"We found many types of dreamtowns around the country, ranging from resorts and state capitals to college communities and good, old-fashioned small towns," Thomas said. "All 141 have two things in common; their quality of life is excellent and they are s afe, low-stress alternatives to congested big cities and sprawling suburbs."

Terry Jones, Morgantown Chamber of Commerce president, while relishing the distinction, urged the area to use it as a tool -- and a powerful tool at that.

"Though these things are nice, they're not useful unless they are utilized," Jones said. "This gives us a great opportunity for a selling tool."

He said the title, combined with other attractions, such as the rail-trail and burgeoning development, can serve as a strong attraction to the area. But business and economic development doesn't stand alone in the limelight.

The No. 1 rating also can help attract retirees, building on the area's designation as a retirement community from the state, which stems from the chamber's Vision 2000 plan. Jones said as the community now works toward Vision 2020, the various designati ons only help.

In 1997, Morgantown was named the third best small city in the nation and the best in the east in "Life in America's Small Cities," a Prometheus publication. At the beginning of this month, "Offspring," a national parenting magazine, named Monongalia County School District as one of the 100 best in the country.

Titles such as these go a long way in achieving the first step of strong development, Jones said.

"You have to get them here physically," he said. "Then they'll find that they really like it and generally will stay.

Boroff agrees, saying the area's united vision, and its concerted effort to fulfill that vision makes the achievements possible.

"Everybody has a lasting vision of what Morgantown can be," he said. "And, everyone is working toward that goal."

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