GREENVILLE, South Carolina
Population: 61,397
Unemployment: 6.1 percent
Closest Port: Port of Charleston
Upstate SC Alliance, a Greenville-based economic development organization, announced this year that it would also now focus on helping local companies expand overseas. Among its ambitious plan is to cut export-related freight costs, to improve the profile of the regions engineering sector internationally, creation of a World Affairs Council for global education, advocacy and cultural awareness as well as plans to release a study on foreign direct investment in the area.