Top 10 Places to Start Over

Top 10 Places to Start Over
Some parts of the United States have been less affected than others by the economic downturn.

"If people are looking for a job and they're in Detroit, they're in the wrong place. They need to be considering geographic mobility," says Ernie Goss, professor of economics at Creighton University in Omaha.

BusinessWeek magazine, with help from staffing firm Manpower, has examined job opportunities all across the country, ranking metropolitan areas based on the percentage of companies planning to hire in the third quarter.

Here are the top 10 places it identified as offering the best opportunities for anyone looking for a fresh start:

1. Anchorage, Alaska
2. Provo-Orem, Utah
3. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash.
4. Yakima, Wash.
5. Omaha, Neb.-Council Bluffs, Iowa
6. Richmond, Va.
7. Winston-Salem, N.C.
8. Colorado Springs
9. Amarillo, Texas
10. Washington, D.C., Arlington-Alexandria, Va., plus areas in Maryland and West Virginia

Source: BusinessWeek, Prashant Gopal (06/09/2009)