“First Data was looking at opportunities in several states, and the main reason we are the winner is because of the new Opportunity Zones we created late in 2009,” city manager Bill Bruton said.

Opportunity Zones are a Georgia Department of Community Affairs economic development program that encourages new businesses to locate in the city or expand existing businesses here. When two or more jobs are created, businesses may be eligible to receive $3,500 in employee state tax credits for each new job through October 2019. Marietta’s opportunity zones include portions of Fairground Street, Roswell Street, Powder Springs Street, the South Loop, Franklin Road, and industrial and heavy commercial locations throughout Marietta.

“We are excited that First Data is the first business to relocate in one of Marietta’s new opportunity zones that will help the city’s economy and provide new jobs for our community,” Mayor Steve Tumlin said. “With help from the Georgia departments of Economic Development and Community Affairs, Marietta was one of the leaders in the state to take advantage of the program that encourages companies to create jobs by providing state tax credits. This is a great announcement for Marietta and Georgia.”

For more information, contact the city’s Economic Development division at 770-794-5717.

Yet the economic hit to the Atlanta area might not be as bad as initially expected. The Pentagon also announced Monday that it’s ramping up production of another jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, that is slated to be partly assembled in Cobb County.

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) wasn’t mollified.

“It is unacceptable that this administration wants to eliminate 2,000 jobs in Marietta and potentially 95,000 jobs nationwide at a time when unemployment rates are rising across the country,” he said.

The Pentagon has contracted to buy 183 F-22s built by the Lockheed Martin Corp. More than 140 have been built.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended Monday that money authorized in a fiscal 2009 supplemental budget request for four additional F-22s go forward, bringing the total to 187. If approved, the Marietta assembly line would remain running until late 2011.

Each F-22 costs a minimum of $150 million, but adding in research and development expenses over 20 years can more than double the price.

Despite the defense secretary’s budgetary wishes, Bob Shaw isn’t convinced the F-22 is history in Marietta.