Over the last five years, Austin has raised the bar and we’re taking our city to a whole new level. If you feel like you’ve been hearing a lot about Austin in the news lately, you have and things are just getting started! Being one of the top cities leading the country out of this recession, there’s a lot happening in Austin. Here’s a video that the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau put together to show how our little capitol here in Texas has grown over the last 159 years. And incase you need a few more hard facts as to why Austin is one of the best places to live in the country, I’ve included a few of Austin’s rankings over the last seven years. Interested how your city compares? Use Travel + Leisure’s interactive map to compare America’s favorite cities.
Austin’s Rankings…
2012
Top U.S. Cities for New Home Construction (The Atlantic Cities, May 2012)
Texas Added Most Government Jobs Over Past Decade (Houston Business Journal, May 2012)
Texas #1 for Private Sector Job Growth (Austin Business Journal, May 2012)
#1 Best State for Doing Business 8th Year in a Row (Chief Executive, May 2012)
America’s Fastest Growing City (TM Daily Post, May 2012)
#7 Best City for Hipsters (Travel and Leisure, April 2012)
Austin – #2 City To Buy A Home In Right Now (Forbes, April 2012)
2nd Most Businesses That IPO (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
#10 Cleanest Energy (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
#2 Best Business Tax State for Entrepreneurs (Portfolio.com, April 2012)
#1 US City for Small Business (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
14th Largest US Population (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
#1 Healthiest Small Business Climate in South (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
2nd Fastest Growing Metro (KUT News, April 2012)
Austin ISD – One of the Top Performing Districts in the US (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
UT Austin – #1 on Colleges & Universities List (Austin Business Journal, April 2012)
2nd Fastest Urban Population Growth (Austin Business Journal, March 2012)
Best Private Sector Job Growth (The Business Journals On Numbers, March 2012)
Best Government Job Growth (Austin Business Journal, March 2012)
3rd Best Income Growth (Bureau of Economic Analysis, March 2012)
3rd Hottest City in the World for Music (The Atlantic, March 2012)
3rd Best State to Make a Living (Money Rates, March 2012)
38th Least Stressful City (Sperling’s Best Places, March 2012)
#3 for Women-owned Business Growth (Open Forum, March 2012)
2nd Best Investment Market in US (Austin Business Journal, March 2012)
Top 10 Best Places to Retire (CBS News, February 2012)
#4 Healthiest American City for Women (Women’s Health Magazine, February 2012)
#1 in Job Creation since 2004 (Austin-American Statesman, March 2012)
#1 for Exports (10th year in a row) (KXAN, February 2012)
5th Best BBQ City in America (Travel – US News, February 2012)
#1 Intelligent Community of the Year (Intelligent Community, January 2012)
America’s Clean-Tech Hub (Time, January 2012)
2nd Best US Vacation Destination (Trip Advisor Inc., January 2012)
World’s Best Cities for Street Food (The Atlantic, January 2012)
4th Best City To Find A Date In 2012 (The Daily Beast, January 2012)
Biggest 5-Year Job Gains in US (Austin Business Journal, January 2012)
Top 10 ‘Fittest of the Fit’ Cities (Map My Fitness, January 2012)
World’s Top Intelligent Communities (Culture Map Austin, January 2012)
Top 50 for Manufacturing Jobs (PR Newswire, January 2012)
3rd City with Most Job Gain Since Recession (OnNumbers, January 2012)
1st City in the US with Charging Station Network Powered Completely by Renewable Energy(EDTA, January 2012)
Best Cities for Men in 2012 (Men’s Health, December 2011)
#6 Best Affordable U.S. Destination (Travel, 2012)
#10 Best Nightlife Scene in the US (Travel, 2012)
#6 Lowest Crime Rate in the Nation (CQ Press, 2012)
#3 Best City for Business Investment (Grubb & Ellis, 2012)
2011
Austin is 2nd Best Place to Find a Job (Ajilon Professional Staffing, March 2011)
Austin is 4th Most Social Media Savvy City (NetProspex, March 2011)
Austin is the only large metro in US to have college graduate migration gains of more than 2 percent from 2007-2009 (Brookings Institute, January 12, 2011)
Austin is the #1 Most Popular City for College Graduates (Yahoo Finance, January 2011)
Austin is the #3 Best Job Market in America (Forbes, January 2011)
2010
The Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics rank Austin #2 in gob growth among the top 50 major metropolitan areas. (February 2010)
TopRetirements.com ranked Austin the #5 city in America on its annual “100 Best Retirement Towns.” (February 2010)
The Austin-Round Rock area tied for first on Forbes’ list of large metros where the recession is easing. (March 2010)
Due to Austin’s great local economy, its hosting duties for South by Southwest, its high concentration of those aged 18 to 34 and its thriving entertainment scene, Porfolio.com ranked Austin #1 in the nation for young adults. (March 2010)
According to many analysts, Austin may be a national leader in economic recovery as shown in this recent CNN clip. (March 2010)
Austin was ranked the third best city to move to in the United States, according to a recently released RelocateAmerica.comreport. (April 2010)
Austin ranks towards the top on a recent study conducted by Portfolio/Bizjournals with regards to quality of life. (May 2010)
Austin makes the Top 10 on Forbes’ “Best Cities for Young Professionals” list. The publication picked metros where recent college graduates are most apt to start a strong high-powered career. (June 2010)
Kiplinger’s personal finance magazine placed Austin in the number one spot on its “10 Best Cities for the Next Decade list.” (July 2010)
Texas has knocked California off the top spot on Relocation.com’s newest survey. In June, 50 percent more people said they wanted to move to the Lone Star State than in its previous survey in February. I wonder how many of those wanted to move to Austin!! (July 2010)
Monster.com recently ranked Austin #1 above all other cities for being the best US city for jobs in 2010. (July 2010)
The release of July 2010 payroll jobs numbers by the Texas Workforce Commission and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sawAustin again improve on the return to year-over-year job growth begun in April. (July 2010)
The American Institute for Economic Research ranked the Texas state capital the second best place for students in mid-sized cities, out of more than 222 considered in the index. (September 2010)
Good health and relatively-low unemployment has placed Austin the fourth least stressed city in the U.S., according to a Portfolio.com study. (September 2010)
U.S. News ranked Austin #1 for affordable housing and being able to buy a home with a monthly payment less than $800! In Austin, your dollars can get you more! (September 2010)
A quarterly report released by Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program listed Austin in the top 20 strongest performing metropolitan areas. (September 2010)
Austin was among the top 10 fastest growing cities in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009, according to revised U.S. Census Bureau population figures. (September 2010)
According to Travelocity.com, Austin is among the most increasingly popular destinations for travelers. (September 2010)
Austin ranks 4th for most business users of of social networks in a recent Netprospex report. (September 2010)
2009
The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The Austin-Round Rock area comes in at #4 as one of the nation’s top economic performers! (January 2009)
The Austin area added 6,200 private-sector jobs in the 12-month period between November 2007 and November 2008—the 10th biggest gain in metro employment in the country—according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (January 2009)
Famous for Tex-Mex food and an eclectic music scene, MSN Travel features Austin in it’s “15 Coolest North American Cities” list. (January 2009)
Forbes worked with Moody’s Economy.com to compile a list of the country’s real estate markets that are nearest to recoveryand placed Austin in it’s yearly “America’s 25 Strongest Housing Markets” list. (January 2009)
Austin, Texas rounds out the top 30 in Forbes.com’s “Top 30 Most-Wired American Cities” list. (January 2009)
U.S. News and World Report says Texas is one of the best places to start a business and Austin is surely partly to blame. (January 2009)
MSNBC.com took five of the leading “best places” lists and merged their results while naming Austin #8 in it’s “Top 10 Places To Live In The U.S.” list. (January 2009)
According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Austin will see a 24.4% increase in employment between 2006 and 2016. (January 2009)
A report from the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate ranks members’ top cities for U.S. and global investments in 2009. Austin ties for 11th place in the new survey, up from 16th place in 2008. (January 2009)
Builder Magazine, in conjunction with Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, rates Austin #2 in the nation on its “Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009” list. (February 2009)
Austin ranks #8 on Forbes’ yearly “Best Place for Businesses and Careers” list. This was a great improvement over last year when we were ranked 47th! (March 2009)
Forbes.com gave the Austin-Round Rock area top billing on it’s “Best Big Cities For Jobs” list. (April 2009)
Austin continues to win praise for it’s healthy job market. NewGeography.com ranked Austin #1 on it’s “Best Cities For Job Growth” list. (April 2009)
With a high-tech workforce of more than 54,000, Austin ranks seventh on the “Nation’s Biggest Tech Cities” list fromBizjournals.com. (May 2009)
On Forbes’ “America’s Best Bargain Cities” list, Austin ranked #1 out of the country’s top 50 major metropolitan areas. (May 2009)
Relocation.com awarded Austin the top spot in it’s “Top Cities for a Fresh Start” list. (May 2009)
Austin takes the 8th spot on Housing Predictor’s report on the ”Hottest Buyers Markets for 2009.” (June 2009)
According to Bizjournals.com, Austin is expected to be the 5th fastest growing city from 2005-2025. The Austin-Round Rock area is expected to reach 2.7 million people. (June 2009)
US News ranked Austin #3 on it’s detailed report for the Best Places To Live. (June 2009)
On Forbes’ recent “Best and Worst Cities for Recession Recovery” list, Austin was ranked #1 as the top major city expected to bounce back from these challenging times. (June 2009)
Round Rock has been named the second fastest-growing city in the nation from 2007 to 2008 with an 8.16 percent rise in population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 population estimates. (July 2009)
From July 2007 to July 2008, Austin added 18,461 residents, a growth rate of 2.5 percent, and moved past Columbus, Ohio, to become the 15th-largest city in the country. (July 2009)
Zillow places Austin in the top 5 for it’s “Top 10 Places to Buy a Home” list. (August 2009)
Austin will be one of the first cities to recover from the recession, according to a new national forecast from IHS Global Insight. (September 2009)
Austin is named one of the 20 best performing metropolitan areas in the second quarter of 2009, according to a study by theBrookings Institution. (September 2009)
According to the latest Adversity Index from Moody’s Economy.com and msnbc.com, the recession has ended in the Austin area. (October 2009)
Builder Magazine places Austin #1 on it’s “Healthiest Housing Markets” Fall update report. (October 2009)
The Austin-Round Rock area was named the best performing city on the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index. (November 2009)
2008
By measuring the unemployment rate, job growth, income growth, median household income and cost of living, Forbes.comranks Austin #3 in it’s “Top 10 Cities for Jobs” list. (January 2008)
Yahoo Finance and Entrepreneur.com ranks Austin as the #1 Place in America to Buy a Home, as an owner or as an investor, in 2008! (January 2008)
Austin, Texas is the big winner of Forbes.com’s “America’s Fastest-Growing Metros” list, with an estimated 32% gross metropolitan product (GMP) growth from 2007-2012 (February 2008)
Forbes.com also ranked Austin as the 5th best city in America for couples. Austin was among three different Texas cities to make the top ten. (February 2008)
According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Austin-Round Rock area is the nation’s 5th fastest growing metro area. 65,880 new people now call Austin home in only one year’s time, which is an increase of 4.3% from the prior year. (March 2008)
On the “Top 10 Best Cities for Home Sellers” list, Forbes magazine ranks Austin #4 due to the affordability of homes and the nation’s top city for job growth at 4.1%. (April 2008)
Austin is recession proof! Forbes ranks the city of Austin #3 on its list of “Top 10 Recession Proof Cities” list. The Austin Real Estate market continues to stay strong! (May 2008)
The city of Austin ranks sixth on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s newest list of top 10 cities in which to live, work and play. (May 2008)
Three Texas cities rounded out the top 3 in Forbes‘ Best Cities For Recent College Graduates list, with Austin coming in at #3! (June 2008)
PMI Mortgage Insurance Company ranked the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas according to the risk that home prices will decline in the next two years. PMI identified the Austin – Round Rock area as one of the top real estate markets due to having a less than one percent risk of declining home prices. (July 2008)
Austin added 18,000 new residents from July 2006 to July 2007, making it the eighth fastest growing city in the nationduring that period according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (July 2008)
Due to thriving commerce, job growth, and a healthy real estate market, Money magazine ranked Round Rock #7 on its “America’s Best Places To Live 2008” list. (July 2008)
Austin ranked #2 on Forbes Magazine’s “Top 10 Cities To Buy A Home” list. Austin ranks high because its homes cost less to buy than to rent, tax incentives are attractive and there is a lot of opportunity to build equity. (July 2008)
Austin was ranked #10 on Forbes‘ yearly Best Cities For Young Professionals list, which ranks the country’s 40 biggest metros on economic opportunity for up-and-coming young professionals. (July 2008)
For the 2008 America’s Favorite Cities survey, Travel and Leisure teamed up with CNN and asked travelers to rank 25 top U.S. cities in 45 different categories! Austin was in the top 5 for many of those categories. Those top 5 categories included Culture, Food/Dining, Nightlife, People, Shopping, Quality Of Life and Visitor Experience! (August 2008)
Business Week and Yahoo Finance rank the Austin Real Estate Market as being the second fastest-selling housing market in the United States! (September 2008)
According to bizjournals.com, Austin has the second hottest job market out of the nation’s top 100 largest metropolitan areas. (September 2008)
Austin received TOP billing in Forbes‘ “America’s Best Bang For The Buck Cities” list! (October 2008)
Austin was one of the top 10 cities that were named “The Markets Best Positioned to Weather the Current Economic Downturn” by MSNBC. (November 2008)
The local housing market continues to serve as a font of good news for the Central Texas economy. According to Housing Predictor, which offers housing forecasts for 250 markets, Austin ranks sixth among the 10 Most Promising Housing Markets. (December 2008)
Austin saw 14,700 net new jobs created during the last 12 months, or an average of 1,225 new jobs monthly! This performance places the Austin metro area as the third fastest growing in the nation! (December 2008)
2007
Austin is one of the hottest entrepreneurial regions in the country, according to Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 500 ranking, which spotlights companies with the biggest revenue growth from 2003 to 2006. (September 2007)
Money Magazine lists Austin as the third fastest growing large city in the nation. (June 2007)
Austin ranks #2 in the Best Cities for Walking by Prevention magazine. (March 2007)
National Geographic Adventure names Austin as Texas’ #1 Adventure Town in their list of “50 Best Places to Live & Play.” (September 2007)
Moody’s Economy.com rates Austin as the best place for business in the U.S. (August 2007)
Newsweek lauds the University of Texas as “Hottest for Saving America’s Schools,” for excellence in education reform, in the 2007 “Top 25 Universities” poll. (August 2007)
Austin is one of the top four cities to watch as a retirement-friendly community, according to AARP The Magazine. (July 2007)
Fast Company Magazine lists Austin as a “Startup Hub” with a creative, young population and a high number of wi-fi internet spots per capita. (July 2007)
MSN.com gives Austin top billing among America’s Greenest Cities, citing the city’s green energy program and climate protection plan. (June 2007)
Sherman’s Travel lists Austin at #5 among its Top Ten Easy Spring Getaways (May 2007)
Conde Nast Traveler includes the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort & Spa on the 2007 Hot List celebrating the best and most promising new hotels in the world. (May 2007)
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance rates Austin among the top five cities in the country for young singles, as part of their “Best Cities for Every Stage of Your Life.” (June 2007)
Golf Digest ranks Barton Creek Resort & Country Club’s Fazio Canyons course among the top 100 in the nation (May 2007).
Bizjournals.com names Austin #7 among the top job markets for young adults. Austin has added 62,100 jobs in the past five years. (April 2007)
Austin is ranked sixth on a list of the 10 U.S. cities that have integrated renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and hydro electricity into daily life, according to SustainLane.com. (April 2007)
Latina Magazine ranks Austin 10th among the top 25 healthiest cities. The magazine lauds the city’s many public parks, exercise facilities and low stress factor. (April 2007)
Men’s Journal names Austin as one of the top five places to “embrace urban life.” (April 2007)
Austin ranks #2 on Prevention Magazine’s list of the “top ten cities for taking a stroll.” (March 2007)
Austin is the #3 city in America for independent filmmaking, according to a recent list released at the Sundance Film Festivalby Movie Maker Magazine.
Austin is ranked #17 among Cooking Light’s Top 20 Healthiest Cities in America. Cities were judged on nutrition, physical health and holistic well-being. (January/February 2007)
Natural Home Magazine ranks Austin #2 among America’s Top Ten Eco-friendly Communities. These “neighborhoods you want to live in” feature walkability, green planning and outdoor orientation. (January/February 2007)
Paste Magazine’s “The Best 24 Hours on Television” issue names PBS show and Austin original Austin City Limits as the best place for music on television.
The US Census Bureau reports that Austin ranks 5th among the most educated cities in the U.S. 45.1% of the population has a college degree, or higher.
Expansion Management Magazine puts the Austin area first among U.S. cities in the magazine’s fourth annual Mayors Challenge rankings of the best cities for future business locations.
A report and survey conducted by The Human Capital Institute showed respondents ranked Austin as one of the Top 10 Areas in the Nation for Job Relocation. (December 2007)
On Forbes.com’s seventh annual “Best Cities for Singles” list, Austin ranked #12 in the nation and is climbing. (August 2007)
Austin ranks in the “10 Best Places to Live and Boat” by Boating Life Magazine. (July/August 2007)
Family Circle Magazine named nearby city Cedar Park as one of “America’s Top 10 Cities for Families.” (August 2007)
Georgetown ranks 1st among the “Best Places to Retire,” by US News World Report. (October 2007)
Round Rock was selected in a national competition as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People,” in the nation byAmerica’s Promise. (January 2007)
Cedar Park is ranked #11 among the “Top 20 Fastest Growing U.S. Suburbs” by Forbes Magazine. (July 2007)
2006
Each year, Intel ranks the Top 100 U.S. Cities and Regions with the Greatest Number of
Sperling’s ranks Austin 10th in the Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America. (July 2006)
Commercial and Public Wireless Internet Access Points and Austin ranks 3rd. (October 2006)
Austin ranks as the 4th Best City in Overall Standard of Living by Expansion Management. (June 2006)
Money magazine lists Austin as #2 among the 10 best places to live, judging on financial, educational and quality of life criteria, among others. (July 2006)
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was named Best Domestic Airport at the 2006 Airports Council International AirportService Quality Awards held in Dubai.
Austin ranks 2nd among the Top 10 Best Big Cities in the country by cnn.money.com. (June 2006)
National Geographic Traveler dubs Austin “The Best Little City in America” in a feature article published in the November/December 2006 issue.
Continental Magazine names Austin “Sports Center: The Most Sports-Crazed City in the World” (due to the avid fanaticism of UT sports supporters!) (September 2006)
Austin ranked 28th in Best Places for Business and Careers by Forbes. (May 2006)
Kiplinger’s ranks Austin #5 among their list of 50 Smart Places to Live. (June 2006)
Pollstar names Austin City Limits Music Festival the “Festival of the Year” during it’s annual Concert Industry Awards. (February 2006)
Sperling’s BestPlacesand msn.com rate Austin among “8 Cheap Places You’d Want to Live.” The survey highlights citywide economic prospects and cultural atmosphere. (July 2006)
In the “Best Cities for Singles” list provided by Forbes.com, Austin ranked #8 in the United States compared to other large metro areas. (June 2006)
Men’s Journal ranks Austin #2 among America’s Heart Healthy Cities (August 2006)
Expansion Magazine marks Austin as the #1 metropolitan location for future businesses. (August 2006)
Austin ranks 6th in the Top 10 Cities for Walking by Prevention magazine. (August 2006)
Sperling’s BestPlaces named Austin #9 among the Top Ten “Chill” Cities. The survey created a “chill index” based on the behavior of the city’s residents and social opportunities the city provided. (July 2006)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) places Austin at #8 among America’s top 10 vegetarian/vegan-friendly large cities. (April 2006)
Men’s Journal ranks Austin number two among the “50 Best Places to Live” based on potential for adventure, attractiveness, and affordability. (April 2006)
Austin ranks as the 3rd Smartest City in the country by Bizjournals.com. (June 2006)
2005
Austin ranks as the 2nd Best Place to live for Moviemakers by Moviemaker Magazine. (December 2005)
Hispanic magazine, for the second year in a row, ranks Austin as the Best Place to Live in America for Hispanics. (August 2005)
Austin is ranked the 3rd Best Wireless Place to Live in America by Livescience.com. (June 2005)
Austin ranks 3rd in a list of America’s Most Innovative Cities by the Wall Street Journal. (October 2005)
Entrepreneur.com ranks Austin 9th in the Top 10 Hot Cities for Entrepreneurs. (September 2005)
According to Dog Fancy magazine, Austin is one of the Top 10 Cities to Be a Dog. (November 2005)
Austin ranks 8th of America’s Cleanest Cities by Reader’s Digest. (July 2005)
Runner’s World ranks Austin 11th in the 25 Best Running Cities in America poll. (July 2005)
Austin makes the cut as one of the 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live by Gregory A. Kompes. (December 2005)
American Way magazine features “The Top 10 Lists of Great American Music” and Austin appears on three of the lists including “great music towns,” “great bigger-is-better music festivals” for the Austin City Limits Music Festival and “sacred ground” for Threadgill’s restaurant. (June 2005)
According to Forbes.com’s annual “Best Cities for Singles” list, Austin ranks #11 in the nation for singles looking to mingle. (July 2005)
Vegetarian Times rates Austin 2nd on the Ten Greenest Cities list. (July/August 2005)
Austin ranks 6th in a study by Silicon Valley naming the nation’s Top Tech Hubs. The study compared business and quality-of-life issues, claiming Austin has affordable housing, electricity and state taxes. (September 2005)
According to Kiplinger.com, Austin is among the Coolest Cities for Young Professionals. (September 2005)
