From The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2010: 

...

...Gallup states that the cities with the highest levels of resident love and passion for their community, or resident attachment, also had the highest rates of GDP growth over time.

The cities surveyed vary in terms of population size and how urban or rural they are. Gallup randomly surveyed 43,000 adults by phone in cities including Akron, Ohio, Tallahassee, Fla., and Detroit.

Paula Ellis, a spokesperson for the Knight Foundation, said the findings point to a new trend when it comes to choosing a city to live in. “It’s especially valuable as we aim to strengthen our communities during this tough economic time,” Ellis said. The survey — conducted from 2008 to 2010 — was consistent despite declines in the economy.

Clifton said the study offers “new approaches for communities to organize themselves to attract business, keep residents and holistically improve their local economic vitality.”

More from LATimesBlogs.com: 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/11/gallup-community-emotional-economic-growth.html