Winston-Salem ranks seventh on BusinessWeek.com’s list of the 20 best U.S. metropolitan areas to start over, based on “where companies are hiring and the quality of life is high.”

Areas were ranked based on the percentage of companies planning to hire in the third quarter, according to a Manpower Inc. survey of 28,348 U.S. employers that was conducted Apr. 6-29.

Manpower found that 22 percent of employers surveyed in the Winston-Salem metropolitan statistical area reported that they plan to hire during the third quarter. On its Web page about the rankings, BusinessWeek.com described Winston-Salem as “a hub for high-tech business including biomedical life sciences, design, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing. The Piedmont Triad Research Park is in downtown Winston-Salem.”

Anchorage, Alaska, where 28 percent of businesses reported plans to hire, ranked first, followed by Provo-Orem Utah; Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash.; Yakima, Wash.; Omaha, Neb.-Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Winston-Salem. Completing the top ten were Colorado Springs, Colo.; Amarillo, Texas; and Washington, D.C.

Best Places to Start Over on BusinessWeek.com

Winston-Salem skyline