Montgomery, AL – A business magazine has honored Alabama's economic development activity again.
Southern Business and Development magazine has named Alabama its ``State of the Year'' for the fifth time in the last six years.
The magazine covers economic development in 17 states and uses a point system to determine its award. Alabama has been the ``State of the Year'' in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and now 2007.
Gov. Bob Riley and the state's chief industrial recruiter, Neal Wade, celebrated the honor Wednesday by visiting companies in Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery.
Alabama had 473 new and expanding industries announced in 2007. Those projects are supposed to produce 24,000 jobs.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)