Business location decisions: the relative importance of quality of life.

The study investigated the importance of quality of life and recreation, park, and cultural opportunities relative to other attributes in the location selection processes of four types of "footloose" companies. Inputs were solicited from three sets of actors: company officials, economic development professionals, and location consultants. Relative importance of the attributes was determined by a constant-sum scale and multiple comparison tests. Results suggested that quality of life was relatively important when compared to seven other location factors. However, when recreation and parks and cultural opportunities were compared to four other dimensions of quality of life, they were generally found to be significantly less important than cost of living and education. Explanations are suggested for these findings, and suggestions are provided for future research.?