Austin
Austin used to be the big surprise awaiting prospective students. Today, the secret is pretty much out, but even long-time residents are surprised by the scope of the city's economic transformation—from laid-back university town to the technopolis Forbes now ranks as the #1 city in the U.S. for businesses and careers.
Demographers call Austin a "City of Ideas," one of a handful of American regions where a new creative class of entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists and visionaries are reshaping the model for American prosperity. Through its economic changes, Austin remains a city of lakes, hills, live music, and cosmopolitan culture. "On earth as it is in Austin" is a favorite local bumper sticker. Live here a while and you will understand why.
"As a Rhode Island native, my first time in Austin was when I visited McCombs. I immediately fell in love with the city and knew it would be a great place to spend two years. It offers all of the advantages of a big city: culture, nightlife, museums, great food, and, of course, live music—with the beauty of a small town: lakes, state parks, and hiking and biking trails."
- Mandy Forry, MBA '05
Austin Is:
#1 Greenest City in America, MSN City Guides (2007)
#2 Friendliest People in "America's Favorite Cities," Travel+Leisure (2008)
#2 Best Place to Live, Men’s Journal (2006)
#2 for Live Music/Bands in "America’s Favorite Cities," Travel + Leisure (2008)
#2 Eco-Friendly Community, Natural Home Magazine (2007)
#2 Best Place to Live, Money Magazine (2006)
#3 Best City for Recent College Graduates, Forbes (2008)
#3 Cleanliness "America's Favorite Cities," Travel+Leisure (2008)
#3 Best Looking People in "America's Favorite Cities," Travel+Leisure (2008)
#5 Safest Big City, Morgan Quitno's 10th Annual Safest/Most Dangerous City Awards (2006)
#5 Best City in America for Couples, Forbes (2008)
#6 Best City to Live, Work and Play, Kiplinger's Personal Finance (2008)
Top 5 City for Young Singles, Kiplinger's Personal Finance (2007)
Top 10 City for Hispanics, Hispanic Magazine (2008)
Top 10 Best City for Young Professionals, Forbes (2008)
Among Hottest Entrepreneurial Regions in the Country, Inc. Magazine (2007)
Austin Has:
Business
Dell, Motorola, IBM, AMD, National Instruments, Tivoli, Samsung, Applied Materials, 3M
#1 Metropolitan Location for Future Businesses, Expansion Magazine (2006)
#3 Recession Proof City, Forbes (2008)
#3 in Top Ten Cities for Jobs, Forbes (2008)
Top 10 City for Job Relocation, The Human Capital Institute (2007)
Best Place for Business, Moody’s Economy.com (2007)
#3 city for patenting activity Forbes (2003)
People
715,000 residents
1,300,000 metro area
Fastest Growing Metro, Forbes (2008)
#5 most educated metro area in the U.S., U.S. Census Bureau (2007)
Outdoors
172 city parks
30 miles of urban hike-and-bike trails along scenic Town Lake and Barton Springs
9 wilderness areas
26 golf courses
#1 golf city in America, CNN's Golf.com (2007)
150-mile long chain of lakes
11,800 acres of greenbelt for recreation
300 annual days of sunshine
Mild winter climate and year-round outdoor recreation
North America's largest urban bat population—1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats
Arts & Culture
Professional symphony, ballet, and opera company
More than 35 art galleries and museums
1,200 musical acts annually
Live Music Capital of the World
Nearly 200 live music venues
South by Southwest annual music, film and interactive festival
