This Georgia city was named one of the best in the US to start a business

Credit: AJC

Studies show that business and engineering students want a well-balanced lifestyle between work and personal time. These are the companies in Georgia that best meet those needs Google Apple Ernst & Young PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Deloitte Microsoft JPMorgan Chase & Co McKinsey & Company

Need a place to launch your start-up dreams? You may want to head an hour south of Atlanta.

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The city of LaGrange in Troup County was recently recognized as one of the top small cities in the country to start a business by personal finance site WalletHub.

For the company's "2018 Best & Worst Small Cities to Start a Business" ranking, analysts compared 1,261 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 residents across three key dimensions: business environment, access to resources and business costs.

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Researchers evaluated the three dimension using 18 relevant metrics, such as average commute time, startups per capita, average revenue, job growth and labor costs.

Of the small cities on the list, Holland, Michigan earned top honors followed by St. George, Utah. Utah had six cities in the top 20 overall.

LaGrange, home to a population of approximately 31,000, came in at No. 18, ranking 64th in business costs, 165th in access to resources and 614th in business environment.

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The top 20 small cities to start a business, according to WalletHub:

1. Holland, Michigan

2. St. George, Utah

3. Aberdeen, South Dakota

4. Wilson, North Carolina

5. Cheyenne, Wyoming

6. Clearfield, Utah

7. Ogden, Utah

8. Bismarck, North Dakota

9. Bozeman, Montana

10. Fort Myers, Florida

11. Enid, Oklahoma

12. Bountiful, Utah

13. Salisbury, North Carolina

14. Springville, Utah

15. Sanford, North Carolina

16. Brighton, New York

17. Shawnee, Oklahoma

18. LaGrange

19. Midvale, Utah

20. Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Though LaGrange was the only Georgia city to make the top 20, other Georgia cities were recognized in WalletHub’s research.

Statesboro ranked fourth for lowest labor costs and Warner Robins tied for first for highest average growth in number of small businesses.

How did your small Georgia city rank?

LaGrange: 18

Statesboro: 23

Gainesville: 50

Warner Robins: 117

Tucker: 133

East Point: 141

Valdosta: 144

Newnan: 148

Alpharetta: 190

Kennesaw: 237

Rome: 314

Duluth: 362

Smyrna: 367

Marietta: 368

Lawrenceville: 369

Stockbridge: 372

Sandy Springs: 383

Douglasville: 404

Roswell: 457

Dalton: 493

Mableton: 517

Albany: 536

Milton: 564

Peachtree City: 616

Evans: 679

Hinesville: 709

Martinez: 836

Johns Creek: 937

Explore the full list at WalletHub.com.