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DENVER — Forbes magazine says Denver is the best city in America for business and careers. It’s the first time the Mile High City has ranked No. 1 during the 17 years Forbes has put together the list.

Fort Collins made it onto the list at No. 10.

“The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area, home to 2.8 million people, is attractive for its diverse economy, highly educated labor force and outdoor recreational opportunities. Companies are increasingly choosing Denver as the site for new operations or to relocate,” Forbes reporter Kurt Badenhausen wrote.

Forbes used Panasonic Enterprise Solutions’ decision to locate its primary innovation and sales hub in Denver as well as Lockheed Martin’s decision to relocate the commercial space operations headquarters to its Denver campus as examples of the booming business climate in the city.

The magazine looked at the 200 largest metro areas by population in the U.S. and rated them on a dozen factors related to the following:

  • Employment
  • Costs (business and living)
  • Income growth
  • Quality of life
  • Education of the labor force

Three other Colorado cities made it into the top 40: Boulder at 26, Greeley at 33 and Colorado Springs at 37.

Raleigh, N.C., comes in at No. 2 after Denver, then Portland, Ore., Provo, Utah, and Atlanta finish up the top five.