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Business and Industry

Put together a diversified business base, a central U.S. location with excellent transportation access, the availability of top-rate educational and training options, a highly skilled workforce, and a low unemployment rate of 3.0 percent (2007), and you have the epitome of Manhattan commerce. In addition, the area’s overall high quality of life, distinguished by unparalleled amenities and resources, perseveres in drawing in and maintaining employees and employers.

Manhattan has long been recognized as a regional hub for retail and it is no wonder, with such prosperous districts as Aggieville, the historic downtown district, the Westloop Shopping Center, and Manhattan Town Center. All of these areas, plus supplemental retail centers throughout the city, provide outstanding opportunities for retail businesses, and have played large roles in Manhattan’s continuous surge in retail growth over the last several years. But retail is not the only prominent economic force in Manhattan. Industrial, commercial, and professional service industries are all significant in the success of the area as well.

K-State, equipped with more than 5,500 employees, stands as the Manhattan area’s largest employer, while Fort Riley follows closely behind with more than 4,100 civilian personnel. Fort Riley has quite a close relationship with the greater Manhattan area, making a total economic impact on the state of more than $1.3 billion—with much of that centered in the immediate area.

Over the last decade or so, the city of Manhattan has remained committed to well founded, forward-thinking planning and development. Major additions to the landscape include the 190-acre Manhattan Corporate Technology Park, which was established adjacent to the Manhattan Regional Airport, and the new university-based, 25-acre K-State Research Park. Additionally, the city is making strides on its new major downtown redevelopment initiative, which aims to enhance the north and south sides of Manhattan Town Center.