Verizon has ranked Sarasota No. 2 on its list of "Best Small Cities to Start a Small Business." The company gathered data from nearly 300 cities across the country, focusing on factors that would categorize them as “small” without dipping into “town” status. These elements also indicated the financial climate of each city and an overview of its demographics, including population, education, travel time to work, income per capita, broadband access, loans per capita and tax scores. Sarasota beat out other Florida cities like Coral Gables and Doral; Logan, Utah, took the top spot; Verizon cited Sarasota's "rich, tourist-fueled economy," "thriving cultural arts scene" and "idyllic beaches," concluding that "Sarasota is riding the upward trend like a boss."