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Thursday, November 20, 2008

10 best and worst Mass. towns and cities for high-tech companies

By Mass High Tech Staff

The Massachusetts High Technology Council has released its annual list ranking the 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth by their friendliness to high-tech companies.

North Reading topped the list. The top 10 included a few others that might raise an eyebrow, such as Douglas, Gill and Uxbridge.

The high-tech centers of Waltham and Cambridge came in at numbers 239 and 213, respectively.

“This is less about where the tech hot spots are and more about how municipalities are making themselves attractive,” said Chris Anderson, president of the Waltham-based nonprofit lobbying organization. “Our primary mission is public policy that helps the entire state become more competitive in the tech economy. At the community level, what things cities and towns are doing to help advance or thwart economic policy initiatives is equally important.”

Anderson said the key differentiating factor that pushed many communities higher on the rankings was adoption of the state’s Chapter 43d expedited permitting law, which streamlines state and local permitting for companies.

Factors that hurt municipalities included high property taxes, low MCAS scores and lack of college-educated workforce located nearby. Not everything is in the control of city or town government, Anderson said.

However, as Massachusetts’ tech industry expands into the state’s western and central regions, communities that adopt business-friendly policy will be at the head of the line.

Factors used in the rankings have been gleaned from a focus group comprising site selectors, legislators, local officials and technology CEOs, said council vice president Wyndham Lewis.

The best

1    North Reading
2    Shrewsbury
3    Groton
4    Grafton
5    Medway
6    Douglas
7    Boylston
8    Leominster
9    Gill
10    Uxbridge

The worst

341    Tisbury
342    North Adams
343    Swampscott
344    Nantucket
345    Auburn
346    West Springfield
347    Holbrook
348    New Ashford
349    Swansea
350    Seekonk
351    Florida

 

For the complete list of rankings, please visit the Mass High Tech Council's MassTrack site.

 

 

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