OUR COUNTY
D. GARY DAVIS
COUNTY MAYOR
The Nation is Discovering Cleveland/Bradley County
Recently BusinessWeek Magazine did a story about low cost housing markets in the United States. The article, dated August 20, 2009 explained how BusinessWeek teamed up with a research firm to identify the most affordable housing markets in the country. The list was dominated by big metropolitan areas, with Detroit and Pittsburgh holding down the number one and two spots. Memphis and Atlanta were numbers four and 16 respectively with Minneapolis-St. Paul rounding out the top twenty.
It came as no surprise to me to read that BusinessWeek identified Cleveland / Bradley County as the number six most affordable housing market in America! BusinessWeek’s research shows the average annual cost of owning a home in our community is $9,934. The average annual cost to rent is $8,364. The article described our community as one of the smallest on its list with a county population of about 112, 000.
The BusinessWeek article validates what many of us in this community have known all along; we can compete with the big boys. This is evidenced by Wacker Chemie’s decision to locate here with 500 new jobs, Whirlpool’s decision to remain here and expand, creating 500 new jobs, and Johnston Coca Cola’s decision to invest $17 million dollars in upgrades and expansion while creating new jobs right here in our county. These are just a few examples that show what we already know - that Cleveland / Bradley County is a great place to live, work, play and do business.
But this type of national recognition for our community reflects more than affordable housing. It’s born of years of teamwork and cooperation between city and county governments, Chamber of Commerce initiatives, good schools, low property taxes, a favorable business climate and good civic and political leadership. Without this collaborative effort, our community would not be where it is today.
Another bright spot for our community is the lower cost of living. The Cleveland-Bradley Chamber of Commerce reports that the 1st quarter, 2009 ACCRA Cost of Living Index for our community is 91.2 percent. This places our current cost of living at 8.8 percent below the national average. We have consistently ranged from 5.9 to 10.7 percentage points below the national average since 2007.
What you won’t find in BusinessWeek is our community’s outstanding commitment to education. It’s an important part of who we are. Our good public school system is one of the reasons why Bradley County is a certified Three-Star Community. Cleveland State Community College is a model for other community colleges with its outstanding Small Business Incubator. I congratulate Dr. Carl Hite and Cleveland State for their leadership and recent recognition at the Governor’s Conference in Nashville. Lee University is consistently ranked among the top Southern liberal arts schools by US News and World Report, bringing more national recognition to our community.
These are all outstanding reasons why I like to say “Bradley County is Tennessee at its best.” Combine the list above with our good people, good neighborhoods and beautiful landscapes and you have a community filled with possibilities.
I am proud of the quality of life in our community – it makes me feel privileged to serve as County Mayor.
For more information about Bradley County log on to www.bradleyco.net