VIRGINIA NOTEBOOK: Economy Gets Strong Report
Fairfax CountyÛªs economy was in solid shape last year, as unemployment was low, office vacancies were down and more than 100 businesses relocated, expanded or started up in the county, according to an economic report card issued this week.</br></br>"Fairfax County is truly one of the worldÛªs premier business locations,Û said Patricia M. Woolsey, chairman of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.</br></br>In the last fiscal year, the office space vacancy rate dropped to 6.9 percent, down from more than 18 percent in 1990 and the lowest since 1983.</br></br>Among the more than 100 new or expanding companies was Nextel Communications Inc., which moved to McLean last year with 300 employees. Raytheon expanded its operations in Springfield, adding 100 employees, as did Hughes Information Technology and Hughes Training, adding a combined 190 See NOTEBOOK, Page 7, CoL 4</br></br>Reproduced with permission of the copyri^it owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.