When it comes to starting a business, a national business magazine ranks the Magic City first in the nation.

Fortune Small Business magazine and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation have announced the 2009 list of the 50 best places in the United States to launch a business. In the small cities category, Billings came in #1.     

One of the businesses featured in the magazine was "MyTopo," a Billings-based company that sells customized topographic maps. The company originated in Red Lodge in 1999, then moved to Billings in 2005. Company Founder, Kevin Toohill, says being recognized in the magazine was honor.

"They thought we had kind of a neat story as a small business, but more importantly it was about Billings being one of the best places to start and run a small business," Toohill states. "So, for us it's great, but I think it's a much bigger honor for Billings as a whole and for the whole business community here."

Missoula was ranked #10 on the small cities list. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma came in first for large cities and Huntsville, Alabama was ranked #1 for medium cities.