100 best places to live and launch

Population: 64,267
Pro: Great transportation access
Cons: Frigid winters, high commercial tax

St. Cloud is particularly good at attracting businesses in the service industries and in manufacturing and wholesale distribution, according to Gail Ivers, vice president of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce. Top employers include Electrolux Home Products, an appliance manufacturer, and Gold'n' Plump Poultry, a business that processes and sells chicken. For distribution purposes, the town sits in an advantageous position at the heart of Minnesota: several major highways, bus routes, and rails lines pass through the city, which has its own regional airport.

For business conventions, St. Cloud's downtown boasts the 100,000 square foot St. Cloud Civic Center overlooking the Mississippi River. The city's name is an expression of its French heritage, but its most aristocratic attraction, the Munsinger and Clemens gardens, are modeled after English counterparts. -Mina Kimes

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