Hot cities for the '90s. (in Ohio)

Hot Cities for the '90s

Ohio's economic growth apparently will center around suburban cities in the 1990s. Most of the state's major cities face an uphill struggle.

The future looks uncommonly bright in many of Ohio's smaller cities. An analysis done for Ohio Business shows that places such as Mentor, Kettering, and Huber Heights have the potential to make great strides in the 1990s. Each boasts a promising combination of well-educated citizens, high incomes, and plenty of room to grow.

Among the state's 25 largest cities, Mentor, a suburb east of Cleveland, ranked as the community with the best prospects for the coming decade. Kettering, a suburb south of Dayton, was a close second, while Huber Heights, a suburb north of Dayton, tied for third.

Large cities--with the exception of Columbus, tied for third place--generally have much bleaker outlooks.

This Ohio Business research project studied the latest statistics in 12 …