LONG BEACH, California
Population: 469,428
Unemployment: 7.3 percent
Top University: Cal State Long Beach
Home to one of the world’s great, and busiest, ports, Long Beach was one of 14 cities from around the world chosen to receive a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies to form an “Innovation Team” that will design and implement solutions in the area of economic development, advising the city on the best methods to stimulate growth, create jobs and utilize resources. The city showed it was serious about innovation, matching the $3 million grant with another $1 million of its own.