Reasons why businesses relocate to a coastal region (Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia)

This paper describes the findings of a research project that investigated the reasons why businesses relocated to the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The region is characterised by one of the highest levels of unemployment in Australia, one of the lowest average incomes and a high dependency on social security infrastructure. It also has a climate which has been described as the best in Australia. It is an attractive location and not surprisingly ‘lifestyle’ was the main reason cited by small business proprietors for relocating or commencing operations in the region. Data used in the preparation of the paper was gathered initially in 1996 and again in 1999 via an extensive survey of businesses conducted jointly by Southern Cross University and the four Business Enterprise Centres in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. The data was collated and entered into a database for regional research called the Business Enterprise Register (BER) that has subsequently been renamed the Business Mid North Coast (BMNC) Register.