Posted on 05/12/2009 2:30:54 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Few places have received more accolades in recent years than Austin, the city that ranked first on our list of the best big cities for jobs. Understanding what makes this attractive, fast-growing city tick can tell us much about what urban growth will look like in the coming decades.
Austin's success is not surprising since, in many ways, it starts on third base. Two of its greatest assets result from the luck of the draw; it's both a state capital and home to a major research university.
Our ranking of the best cities for job growth includes many college towns--from Fargo, N.D., (home to North Dakota State) to Athens, Ga., (University of Georgia), Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., (Duke and University of North Carolina) and College Station, Texas (Texas A&M).
Being a state capital also helps. Baton Rouge, La., home to both state government and Louisiana State University, ranked seventh on our list of the best medium-sized cities for employment. This confluence of institutions also accounts in large part for the relatively decent rankings of two Midwestern cities, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, in spite of the generally sad situation in that region.
That's because colleges and state governments offer stable employment--since they cannot or will not outsource jobs to India or China. These places also tend to be inhabited by reasonably well-educated people whose stable incomes makes them less vulnerable to contractions in competitive industries like finance, manufacturing, construction or information.
"We're pretty close to recession-proof," suggest Chris Bradford, a local attorney and blogger in Austin. "It's almost anti-cyclical. In bad times, the students want to stay here."
There is a third factor, however, that adds to Austin's special sauce: the fact that it is located in Texas, the one fast-growing mega-state. With low taxes and low regulation at the state level,
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Perhaps so but Austin is still probably better off than almost all the major cities in the United States.
Good. Come on down and help us offset the liberal hippie trash that infests the place.
“pretentious, faux-community that is overcrowded and very much over-impressed with itself”
Well stated. They like to use the “Don’t mess with Texas” slogan, but they’re using it for the wrong reasons. Ex-Californians who want Texas to be more like home.
Is that your Charlotte up there in post two?
No, Raleigh’s the state capital, and the big university branches are in other parts of the state. UNC-Charlotte is a pretty big commuter campus, but nothing comparable to UT-Austin or the “flagship” UNC branches.
It used to be banking, retail, and communications headquarters in Charlotte; I don’t know what’s left functioning since the downturn hit!
OH, that post. I’m sure it must be, but note the date 2004-06 ... before the banking crash.
Yep. I was born and raised in Austin and it definitely was better before being "discovered" by the national media and every other dot com in the country. Of course it catches flack for being so liberal and goofy, but it will always be home to me and I love it more than any place on the planet.
Good point. Back then, even 0bama looked good.
.
Well. To some, I think.
Unless it was all an Acorn plot.
It’s all some kind of plot. Commies, I expect.
It comes and goes. Back in ‘97, I got laid off from a job in Austin and could not find anything. I searched for months and ended up in the Dallas area. I kept on looking for a job back in Austin but I gave up after a year. At that time, the Dallas area was the hot spot.
hey - sending you freepmail...
JG
bttt
Cloning Marin County isn't something I'd imagine would cause reg'lar Texan chests to swell with pride.
Of course, if anyone here in the Austin area has any knowledge of jobs available, I will be more than happy to change my tune on this town... ;-) I am going to be attending the Austin Tech Republicans gathering this Thursday in hopes of making some connections. Hope to see everyone there.
I grew up in Austin in the 60s and I know that it was a much better place to live in then now.
I used to regularly take the bus to the Paramount and State Theaters to watch movies on Congress Ave., hike up and down the rugged Barton Creek(no paths then), and could drive around without the traffic and toll roads.
Thanks, I prefer better places.
True, we are in reasonably good economic shape considering what is happening in other big cities. I don’t have any plans to move :)
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