What do Kobe, Japan, Wismar, Germany and Omaha, Neb., have in common? They are three of just seven cities worldwide recently highlighted in a Wall Street Journal special report on economic development. The report was published Monday, July 28 with the headline, "Success Stories - A look at seven places that took different approaches to economic development and came out ahead."

The article opened its Omaha editorial by stating, "Clear it, and they will build. That's part of the formula that has made Omaha, Neb., one of the nation's biggest success stories." The article went on to say, "Omaha remains a striking success story. Among the dozens of U.S. cities with faded downtowns, few can match Omaha's effort to remake itself."

Other commentary highlighted how Omaha's success includes a combination of outward suburban expansion while also organizing and funding a successful downtown renewal. This, "outward and inward...one-two punch," was cited as playing an integral role in Omaha's metropolitan resurgence.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that generous support of private contributors coupled with strong civic leadership has made a significant impact in Omaha by, "pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into arts and entertainment." The specific funds and venues cited were $291 million for the Qwest Center Omaha, the $92 million Holland Performing Arts Center and the upcoming $140 million baseball stadium. Also noted was the attraction of smaller, chic venues including Film Streams and Saddle Creek Records, "the trendy independent record-company offices."

The article further pointed to the strong business climate in downtown Omaha with the new Gallup headquarters, the ConAgra Foods campus and new corporate homes for Union Pacific, First National Bank and the Omaha World Herald.

"As companies have moved into the city, so have lots of new residents," the report read. "The downtown area has added about 2,300 households since 1990 - a huge total for a city of Omaha's size."

In addition to the Wall Street Journal article, Omaha and the state of Nebraska have been listed in more than 20 national rankings since January 2008. These include such lists as Forbes magazine's "Best Cities for Jobs in 2008", the Kiplinger's Personal Finance "Top 10 Best Cities of 2008" and TODAY.msnbc.com's "Top 20 Places to Raise a Family".

To see a complete list of national rankings and other information about Greater Omaha's dynamic growth, visit www.SelectGreaterOmaha.com.