Amid a sluggish economy and housing market, there was quite a lot of business activity in the Fredericksburg region in 2010.

Below are summaries of 10 top business stories from last year in the region. The choices are based partly on reader feedback and partly on our own opinions. The items aren't listed in any particular order. Feel free to let me know if you think certain items have been omitted that should have appeared.

Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
Email: bfreehling@freelancestar.com

DISTRIBUTION CENTER

McKesson Corp. decides on the Carmel Church area of Caroline County to build a 340,000-square-foot state-of-the-art pharmaceutical distribution center. Meanwhile, Harris Teeter drops its plans to build a grocery distribution center in King George County.

BANK MERGER

Union Bank & Trust merges with First Market Bank, creating Union First Market Bank. That helps keep the company as the second-largest bank in the Fredericksburg region by customer deposits, trailing only BB&T.

A THIRD HOSPITAL OPENS

HCA Inc.'s Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center opens, giving the area three hospitals and leading to offshoot development in the Cosner's Corner area. MediCorp changes its name to Mary Washington Healthcare and prepares to sell $30 million worth of bonds to fund two cancer centers in the region.

RETAIL, RESTAURANT GROWTH

On the retail front, the Spotsylvania Towne Centre, Spotsylvania Courthouse Village and Town Center at Aquia all advance, while a spate of restaurants come to the market. The Ukrop's store in Spotsylvania County closes after the Richmond-based company is sold.

WALMART VS. HISTORIANS

Walmart's plans to build a store near the Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County continue to be met with protests and legal action from preservationists trying to block the project.

COLD WATER ON RESORT

Kalahari Resorts again delays its plans for a massive waterpark resort in Fredericksburg's Celebrate Virginia complex after being unable to find affordable financing. Construction of the Haven apartment complex starts near the planned resort.

AUTO LANDSCAPE CHANGES