Where the jobs are
Especially now, plentiful job opportunities are key to making a great place to live. These 25 counties have experienced the most job growth over the last nine years.
13. Wake County, NC
Job growth (2000-2009): 35.3%
It's not Silicon Valley, but Wake County a high-tech and biotech hot spot.
Wake County is home to Research Triangle Park, the country's largest industrial park, where IBM has extensive operations, employing 11,000, along with GlaxoSmithKline, Cisco Systems, and SAS Institute.
Even though there are more than 160 companies in RTP, the lion's share of Wake County's jobs come from the public sector. The lion's share of local jobs are with the state government or the public school system. North Carolina State University and the county are also major players. -- F.R.
NEXT: Dona Ana County, NM
Last updated July 13 2010: 5:14 PM ET
