Thompson finds that education and health centers have fought back ferociously. "The eds and meds have outpaced the private sector in growth through the downturn, into the recovery, and they will continue to cast a long shadow over job creation in the next decade."
Similar Federal spending has allowed military cities to maintain a flowing economy through tech contracts and base spending. Cities such as Washington, Virginia Beach and Augusta have found this factor lucrative.
State capitals, cheap cost of living and Texas and the central time zone also feature heavily on the top 20 list, published by Brookings'.