CNNMoney.com
Companies Economy International Corrections Pre-market Trading After-hours Trading Winners/Losers/Actives Bonds Currencies Commodities World Markets Money Magazine Real Estate Taxes Jobs Ask the Expert Money 101 Autos Mutual Funds The Help Desk Loan Center Best Places to Live Ask the Expert Ultimate Guide to Retirement Retirement Calculators Best Funds Best Places to Retire Fortune Brainstorm Tech Apple 2.0 Blog Big Tech Blog Sectors and Stocks Tech Talk Resource Guide Small Business Makeovers Questions & Answers Small Business Video 100 Best Places to Launch FSB 100 Fortune Small Business Fortune 500 Brainstorm Tech Investing Management C-Suite Rankings Main Create Portfolio Edit Portfolio Create Alerts Edit Alerts
53 of 100
BACK NEXT
53. Rochester, Minn.
Population: 94,583
Pro: Heaven for biotech startups
Con: Cold winters

Information technology and medical research converge in Rochester. The city is a major biotech hub, hosting a University of Minnesota campus, a branch of the Mayo Clinic that employs more than 25,000 area residents, and IBM Rochester's genetics supercomputer, BlueGene.

Rochester is also making a concerted effort to attract entrepreneurs and venture capital firms. Current initiatives include the BioBusiness Center, a 150,000-square-foot office and laboratory complex due to be completed by early 2009. Local startups enjoy the patronage of Rochester Area Economic Development, a private-public partnership that focuses on the bioinformatics, biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. The city also boasts two orchestras, three theaters and 60 miles of paved running paths. -Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Peter McDougall

Interactive map: Rochester, Minn.
Homes for sale Find homes for sale in Rochester, Minn.


NEXT: 54. Reno

Last updated July 02 2008: 11:16 AM ET
More Galleries
Detroit: The Innovators The Motor City needs new industries. These 7 entrepreneurs are bringing tech, medical research and design jobs to the Detroit metro area. More
Freebies for the jobless From free dry cleaning to a no-cost vacation, these 5 businesses have come up with creative ways to help out unemployed residents in their communities. More
Ghost among the machines Detroit's derelict Packard Plant is the country's largest abandoned industrial site. One last small company still calls the complex home. More

Special Offer
© 2009 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2009 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.