No. 6 national ranking for business climate should help city's continued revitalization.

All the hard work in bringing Camden back from the brink of economic disaster (or beyond, some might say) is beginning to pay off. Inc. magazine's March issue lists Camden as the No. 6 city in the nation for entrepreneurial growth, and No. 1 in the Northeast.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, ranks No. 10 in the list for worst cities.

This kind of recognition is exactly what Camden needs to prove to prospective business tenants that the city is the place to be. It's a tremendous feather in the city's cap, and everyone involved with Camden's ongoing rebound deserves considerable praise for their efforts.

And the most exciting part of all this? Camden's revitalization has barely even gotten under way. It looks as though Camden is offering entrepreneurs a chance to get in on the ground floor of something really big.

The $175 million state investment that pretty much started the entire revitalization wave, for example, was only finalized last year and has barely begun to trickle down to average citizens. Meanwhile, the grand waterfront plans - including the doubling in size of the state aquarium and the $300 million-plus in private investments in restaurants, hotels and businesses - is just starting. And the $1 billion plan to develop the Cramer Hill portion of the city also has yet to begin.

That's an unbelievable amount of money for any city, and when those projects and more are taken together, the lofty ranking Inc. magazine has given to the city makes perfect sense.

But with all this good news, it's important that city leaders maintain the focus that got them here and don't get caught up in the excitement.

That hardly seems likely, though, with officials such as State Treasurer John McCormac, chairman of the Camden Economic Recovery Board, playing a role in the planning.

"The state's focus and commitment put us in the top 10. It's as much a commitment of attitude as a commitment of money," he said.

That's exactly the type of level-headed, long-term thinking that Camden needs to continue the rebound it has begun.

The city, its leaders and its residents have done a tremendous job in recent years, and we wish them the best for the years to come.