Economic Highlights

 INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED…

• "One of the World's Top 7 Intelligent Communities" 2009 & 2008 (Intelligent Community Forum)
• "Cultural Capital of Canada" 2009 (Government of Canada)
• "Top Five Renovator-Friendly Cities in Canada" 2009 (Canadian Contractor Magazine)
• "Fourth Best City for Families in Canada" 2009 (Who's Your City - Richard Florida)
• "One of Canada's Best Places to Live" 2010, 2009, 2008 & 2007 (MoneySense)
• “Fredericton Employers Among Most Optimistic in Canada” 2009 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
• "City of Fredericton National Leader in the Partners for Climate Protection Program” 2009 FCM
• "Second Best Walking City in Canada" 2008 (Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine)
• "One of the Smart 21 Communities in the World" 2006 (Intelligent Community Forum)
• "One of the North American Cities of the Future" 2007 (Financial Times of London)
• 'Fred-eZone', Fredericton's Free Wi-Fi network, 2004 Canadian Information Productivity (CIPA) Judge's Innovation Award
• "Best City for Business" (Canadian Business)
• "One of the Top Five New Technology Boomtowns" (Globe & Mail Report on Business Magazine)
• "One of the Best Cities for Export" (Globe & Mail Report on Business Magazine)

• Best Value - Fredericton is one of the most cost competitive places to do business on the Eastern Seaboard (KPMG Competitive Alternatives Study). 
• More Businesses Per Capita - One business for every fourteen people.
• Family Income -  Estimated at $84,841 in 2010.
• Retail Sales - Estimated at $1,302,401,666 for 2010 - 11% above the national average.
• Affordable Housing - The cost of housing is well below the national average,
• Value of Construction - $122 million in 2009.
• Lowest Property Tax Rates - Compared to all New Brunswick cities. 

A SMART & SUSTAINABLE City … 

• Canada’s 1st Free Wireless City – With Fred-eZone, the municipally-owned wi-fi network, part of the City’s fibre optic network, e-Novations.  Fred-eZone was the winner of a Canadian Information Productivity Award in 2004.
• Smart City – Recognized twice as "One of the World’s Top 7 Intelligent Communities" (Intelligent Community Forum), Fredericton is home to over 70% of the province’s knowledge industry, as well as Canada’s largest per capita engineering cluster.  The City offers an innovative and synergistic environment for industry with its state-of-the-art facilities like Knowledge Park.
• A Rich and Diverse Research Cluster - With impressive expertise in the fields of technology, forestry, and agriculture, local businesses have access to more than 60 research organizations including the National Research Council (NRC) Institute for Information Technology (IIT)'s E-Business Research Centre.  Recognized globally for research and innovation, NRC is a leader in the development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy for Canada through science and technology.  
• A Centre for Higher Education - Fredericton is home to five universities plus a variety of training colleges and institutes.  Fredericton also has the 4th highest university-educated population in the entire country at 31%. 
• Sustainable – Behind the face of Fredericton’s lush, green spaces and tree-adorned streets, there is a green revolution going on!  The City has a growing environmental technology cluster, and is earning international attention for initiatives like Green Shops, a business-oriented greenhouse gas reduction program, geared towards reducing the City’s ecological footprint.  Sustainability is by design in Fredericton!

BALANCED LIFESTYLE… 

• A Short Commute - The City Centre is minutes away, whether you reside in the downtown core within a five-minute walk to work, or in the country within a ten-minute drive -- traffic jams are non-existent!
• Centrally Located - Within an hour's drive to the U.S. Interstate 95 - the major American north-south corridor; within a day's drive of Halifax, Toronto and New York; less than an hour away from Saint John - the region's busiest seaport; and just a 15 minute drive from the Airport.
• Safe Place to Live & Work - With a low rate of crime.
• Booming Tourism - $212.1 million injected into the local economy during 2009.  Source:  Fredericton Tourism
• Abundant Recreational Activities - including over 85 km of trails for biking, walking, running and cross country skiing, plus seven local golf courses.
• Mecca of Art, Culture & History - with numerous galleries, festivals, and attractions.
• Clean, Safe Drinking Water - The City is proud of its excellent water quality  - delivered by a well maintained distribution system.  

And there is more...!

• Economic Drivers - CFB Gagetown, the largest military training base in the commonwealth, infuses over $600 million dollars annually into the New Brunswick economy and $200 million into the local economy.  The base employs over 5,000 permanent military personnel, 1,300 civilian staff, and has approximately 7,000 transient personnel in a given year.  Source CFB
• Population – There are 85,688 people within Fredericton’s CA (census agglomeration area), 124,172 people within the Greater Fredericton Region, and over 322,670 people residing within a 100 km radius of the city.
• Young, Skilled, Bilingual Work Force - The City's population is younger than both the provincial and national averages.  22% have knowledge of both French and English (Source: Statistics Canada)  Graduates of five universities continue to grow the City's skilled workforce - particularly with respect to knowledge-based, research & development and customer contact centre employees.