Leading Question

Fort Myers and Cape Coral recently were ranked by Inc. among the "Top 25 Cities for Doing Business in America" for medium-size cities. What do these types of listings mean to the communities?

That depends on where a city finishes in a ranking. Typically, officials in Southwest Florida love these lists because our region generally winds up in a favorable position. And when that happens, it is sure to go in the marketing materials.

"We are obviously very excited when we see ourselves in rankings in these business publications," says Jennifer Dunn, communications manager for the Lee County Economic Development Office. "We will tout some of these rankings."

And there are plenty to brag about, just in Lee County alone.

. In 2003 the Milken Institute named Fort Myers-Cape Coral as the third best-performing city in the nation for job growth.

. Forbes ranked Fort Myers-Cape Coral fifth among the top 150 cities for job growth.

. Inc. named Lee County one of the country's top 50 entrepreneurial hot spots.

. Fort Myers High School was ranked 32nd in Newsweek's list of the 100 best high schools in the nation.

. Self magazine ranked the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metropolitan area number one in the nation for working women.

. Fort Myers ranks fifth in the nation for golfer-to-holes ratios, according to the National Golf Foundation.

Collier County also tops many lists.

. Naples metropolitan statistical area (MSA) ranks first in job growth for "small places" in the United States, according to Forbes.

. Southern Business and Development lists the Naples MSA as the sixth best business climate in the South.

. The Naples MSA is ranked by Expansion Management as the third-best metro area for standard of living in the country.

"I think these rankings set us apart," says Debi DeBenedetto, tourism sales and marketing manager for the Greater Naples Marco Island Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It makes us very special. What's a better place to visit [than Southwest Florida]?"

These lists do have their critics, like Matthew Felling, a spokesman for the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. "One of the errors in these polls is the frame of reference. You always have to ask, 'Compared to what?'" says Felling of the various cities considered in the rankings. "It's really tough to get at one ultimate truth. These polls are asking 200 people with different standards. [The rankings have] more holes than Swiss cheese."

But don't look for the listings to go away anytime soon, Felling says. "The media love lists," he says. "They speak to our inner CliffsNotes as a reader."

Around these parts, the positive listings remain popular, and worth flaunting. Mike Jackson, Cape Coral's economic development director, says that good rankings translate into more prospects and good feelings. "They put us on the radar screen," Jackson says. "These rankings validate all of the economic data. It's important for outsiders to look at and it's important for local residents."

-Phil Borchmann