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Reasons to Live in Austin, Texas – The Ultimate List

by Brandon Cornett, an Austinite | © 2011, All rights reserved

Are you considering a move to Austin, Texas? Wondering if it’s the right place for you to live? Well, this is a life decision you have to make for yourself. But as long-time Austin residents, we feel there are plenty of reasons to support such a decision. Here’s our list of reasons to live in Austin — enjoy!

  1. In October 2011, Forbes magazine published a list of the top-ten cities in the U.S. for weekend vacations. Austin made the list. The authors mentioned the live music scene, among other local attractions. According to the article, Austin has more live music performances per capita than any other city in the United States. Click the link to read the rest of the article. It had good things to say about the food scene in Austin too. A weekend trip to Austin is nice. But living there is even better!
  2. In April 2010, a website called RelocateAmerica.com published a list of best cities to live. Austin was ranked #3 on their list. Among other factors, the authors cited the city’s strong economy and cultural diversity. The downtown music scene certainly didn’t hurt either.
  3. In 2009, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of “Best Cities for Recession Recovery.” This is a testament to the city’s affordable housing, growing economy, and well-educated workforce. The authors said that “from now to the end of 2010, the economy of Austin is projected to grow by $5 billion, and unemployment has stayed relatively subdued.”
  4. A few months earlier, Forbes also listed Austin as one of the top-ten cities where Americans are relocating. They said it has a lot to do with “the metro area’s thriving music, film and fine arts scenes, but it’s also about the employers, which include University of Texas, Advanced Micro Devices and Dell.”
  5. Also in 2009, Austin showed up on Yahoo Finance’s list of best places to live in 2009. According to the author: “If you’re a free spirit, music junkie, or barbecue lover–or if you simply have what it takes to ‘keep Austin weird’–Texas’s state capital is for you. The city’s warm climate offers plenty of sunshine, while the open green spaces don’t provide any excuse for staying indoors.”
  6. Again in 2009, Austin appeared on U.S. News & World Report‘s list of best places to live. You will soon see a trend with these lists.
  7. Yet again in 2009, MSNBC took a stab at the “best places” list by compiling the results of several other publications. Austin ranked #8 on this list.
  8. Forbes magazine listed Austin as #1 on its 2009 list of best cities for jobs, in the big cities category. According to the author: “Job growth between 2004 and 2008 was a whopping 14.8%–and even between 2007 and 2008, overall growth remained in the black.”
  9. Austin also appeared at the top of Cooking Light magazine’s list of best cities. This particular list focused on healthy living and eating. According to the author: “Austin has an abundance of vegetarian restaurants that make creative use of produce from the city’s 10 farmers’ markets.”
  10. In 2008, Austin ranked #6 on Kiplinger’s annual ranking of best cities in the United States. The authors said: “Austin and the surrounding region offer a strong economy, a solid, moderately priced housing market, a growing population and enough natural beauty to justify staying outside even if the weather weren't great — which, by the way, it is.”
  11. Also in 2008, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of cities that were the “Best Bang for the Buck.” This particular list ranked cities based on affordable housing, job growth, and other economic factors. According to the author: “Residents [of Austin] enjoy affordable housing and promising prospects for job growth in coming years.”
  12. Again in 2008, Austin showed up in Smart Money magazine’s list of five best cities for job hunting. The authors stated that: “Overall, this metropolitan area registered the fourth largest job growth — 2.89% — between March 2007 and March 2008 of all the cities Milken surveyed.”
  13. In 2006, Austin ranked #2 on Money magazine’s list of best places to live (in the big cities category).
  14. Also in 2006, the city tied for 3rd place in a list of the smartest cities, published by BizJournals.com. Actually, this list merely ranked cities with the highest percentage of college graduates. And let’s face it — you don’t have to be a genius to get a bachelor’s degree in this country. So perhaps it’s better to say that is Austin is a well-educated city, relatively speaking.
  15. Again in 2006, Austin showed up in the top five cities that Kiplinger’s considered smart places to live. The authors referred to the city as a “sophisticated salsa of culture, history and politics.” Nice.
  16. In 2003, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s best cities for singles. According to the author: “Picture a place where thousands of young people run along the riverbank to tone their bodies, the days are filled with sunshine, and the supply of high-paying jobs is as endless as Texas itself. That place is Austin, Texas

Our Own Reasons to Live in Austin

Okay. So a lot of people have good things to say about Austin, Texas, as a place to live and work. But that’s just what they say. We have a few of our reasons for living in Austin, and here’s the top ten…

What Are Your Reasons for Living in Austin, Texas?

We want to hear from you! What do you like about living in Austin? If you have something to add to this list — some quality or characteristic that’s not listed above — let us know. Click here to send me an email. We will add your comments to this section of the list.

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