RENO, Nevada
Population: 236,995
Unemployment: 6.3 percent
Key New Business: Tesla Motors
Reno would be a town to watch if only for it being named the site of Tesla Motors’ $5 billion gigafactory which is scheduled to begin producing batteries next year. The 6,500 jobs and energy the factory will bring—one local casino is already offering a “Tesla Triple Spin”—can be seen around town, as can other large companies that have been lured to the area such as Amazon, which moved into a nearby 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse.