THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 15, 1996 TAG: 9601130205
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: TALK OF THE TOWN
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
One reason the location of Hampton Roads remains a mystery outside the region: Tidewater doesn't talk loudly about itself.
That is, Tidewater as a region hasn't been lavish in its spending for economic development purposes.
Neither the seven big cities, nor the 1.6 million people living in and around them, pool cash in large sums to advertise Tidewater in the places corporate chieftains are likely to look.
There is, of course, the $9 million Virginia Waterfront Campaign, a tourism endeavor. But even though Hampton Roads ranks 26th among the nation's metro areas, there hasn't been a metropolitan initiative to spread the word about the region.
Individual cities have campaigned, and so have the Hampton-based Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Norfolk-based Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, but Tidewater as a region hasn't been touting itself in economic development circles.
``We probably don't spend $1 million'' on economic development promotion, said Ann Baldwin of Forward Hampton Roads, the economic development arm of the Hampton Roads chamber.
Count all the spending on economic development promotion in the region, Baldwin said, and ``there's probably not that much ($1 million) spent in the entire region, although I don't know that for a fact.''
Some regions spend more. For example, the Greater St. Louis Economic Development Council passed $10 million on its way to raise $12 million. The goal: Attract 100,000 jobs to the St. Louis area in four years. About 193 companies and local government agencies contributed the first $10 million.
St. Louis plans to spend $2.3 million a year on promotion. This will put it in the upper third in development spending among similar cities.
By comparison, Dallas spends $3 million, Phoenix $2.5 million and Kansas City about $1.6 million.
Speaking of taxes: Hampton Roads fared well in Money magazine's survey of tax burdens in the nation's 100 largest urban areas.
In its January issue, Money added the state income, property and sales taxes owed by a household with an annual income of $81,005. The bottom line: $7,881 in Hampton Roads, good for 26th place. No. 1 was Knoxville with the lowest state-and-local tax burden.
Tennessee has no state income tax and consequently the $81,005 household in Knoxville would have shelled out $4,641 in state and local taxes. Memphis and Nashville also placed in the Top 10 along with Sarasota, Jacksonville and Orlando.
Comparing only the cities in income-tax states, Hampton Roads ranked eighth, just behind Birmingham and Richmond.
Among the Top 100, Richmond placed 24th with $7,865 in state and local taxes. New York ($17,144) finished last. Charlotte ($8,889) was No. 42. Raleigh ($8,983) was No. 45. Atlanta ($9,794) was No. 60. Baltimore ($10,658) was No. 72. Washington ($13,325) was No. 92.
Incidentally, Phoenix ranked No.18, Dallas ranked No. 23, Kansas City No. 50, and St. Louis No. 65. by CNB