List of business friendly cities released

There's a new list of business friendly cities in Alabama, and east Alabama cities do not fare well.  The list from the Alabama Policy Institute, a Birmingham-based conservative think tank, is based on a broad set of criteria that aim to even the playing field among major metros and small towns.  The organization took the state's 50 largest cities and ranked them on economic vitality, business tax burden, community allure and transportation infrastructure. Those key factors both promote business success and encourage the entrepreneurial spirit.  The result is a measure of a city's business friendliness when it comes to a wide range of enterprises. 

In east Alabama,  Fort Payne was ranked at 41,  Anniston came in at 43,

Gadsden,at 44,  and Albertville,at 45