* Not counting the 190 metro areas ahead of us, that is.
A new report by the Brookings Institution ranks the Richmond metro region 191{+s}{+t} in economic growth. The poor showing has largely to do with the concentration of government jobs. Government offers stability. Unlike a private company — Best Products or Circuit City, for instance — neither Washington nor the commonwealth is going to close its doors. But neither will either of them be the next Google or Facebook.
The Brookings study notes that only two major metro areas in the United States rank in the 40 fastest-growing regions worldwide. The leading metropolitan areas for economic growth fall mostly in the Asian-Pacific region.
These results follow closely the release of a Heritage Foundation report on economic freedom. The United States has slipped in the rankings, which are now topped by Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. America has fallen to 10th place, behind Ireland and Chile.
Which two metro areas in the U.S. made it into the top 40 fastest-growing regions, according to Brookings? Houston and Dallas — i.e. , the two major localities in Texas, a state more hospitable to free enterprise than just about any other. Virginia, too, gets high marks as a good place to do business. But for the Richmond region, state government is an anchor — in the bad sense as well as the good.
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