Buckhead, and by extension Atlanta, is home to more than 138,000 businesses and has become one of the top job producers in the nation. Much of this job creation can likely be attributed to the fact that the metro has the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation—Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta and The Home Depot, to name a few. Major businesses continue to choose Atlanta, and it’s no surprise. Atlanta has long been recognized by reputable companies as one of the best business cities. In 2006, consulting firm KPMG concluded that Atlanta was the least costly large U.S. city for doing business. In addition, in 2007, The Boyd Company, the New Jersey-based management consulting firm, named Atlanta the second-least-expensive major city in which to operate a corporate headquarters. Atlanta is expected to add about 34,000 jobs in 2009. Global technology company NCR will contribute to this job creation, adding 916 jobs in the next 26 months at its Peachtree City and Duluth locations.
The city is also well known for hospitals and medical facilities boasting first-rate technology and care. The area is home to world-renowned U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, American Cancer Society, Arthritis Foundation and top research medical universities, including Emory University and the Morehouse School of Medicine. Grady Memorial Hospital has one of the top trauma and burn centers in the nation, while Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is renowned for its exceptional care for children. North Fulton Regional Hospital, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. Atlanta is also home to The Shepherd Center, one of the nation’s largest catastrophic care hospitals treating patients with spinal cord injury and disease, brain injury and degenerative, neuromuscular and urological disorders. Both The Shepherd Center and Emory University Hospital were among the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2008. The Shepherd Center was ranked 9th among the top 25 for rehabilitation. Emory University Hospital was ranked in seven categories, including 13th among the top 50 in the country for heart and heart surgery, as well as 9th in ophthalmology; 11th in psychiatry and in geriatric care; 13th in neurology and neurosurgery; 19th in ear, nose and throat; and 20th in kidney disease.