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2010	View Articles From:

JUL	Texas ranked Top State for Business. A CNBC study of America’s Top States for Business put Texas at No. 1 and also noted that the state achieved the highest point total in the history of the study. This fourth annual study measures the 50 states on 40 different metrics in ten key categories of competitiveness. CNBC developed these categories with the help of business groups including the National Association of Manufacturers. What separates the top states from the rest is includes offering environments that allow businesses to thrive even in a slowdown. Texas powers past the tough times on the strength of its economy—top-ranked in the Economy category four years in a row. The Texas economy is the 15th largest in the world. The Lone Star State is home to 64 Fortune 500 companies, more than any other state, in a wide variety of industries. So while the state’s last win in 2008 came with oil at a record $145 a barrel—a natural tailwind for the largest industry in Texas—the state managed to do even better this year despite the fact that oil is trading at roughly half that price. Texas has also managed to avoid the worst of the real estate crisis. (CNBC, 7/14/10)
JUL	Round Rock among 10 Best Towns for Families. Cities who made the list boasted communities with ample affordable housing, good neighbors, green spaces, strong public school systems and giving spirits. (Family Circle , 07/07/10)
JUL	Austin is ranked No. 1 on Kiplinger’s list of the Best Cities for the Next Decade. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named Austin the top city in its list of 10 best cities for the next decade, with a focus on locales that specialize in innovative thinking. According to Kipplinger’s, Austin is arguably the country's best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you’ve got a breeding ground for start-ups. And don’t discount the fun factor: In the self-proclaimed live-music capital of the world, music and business creativity riff off one another. The city’s famous South by Southwest festival, where concerts, independent film screenings and emerging technology overlap, is a prime example. Kiplinger’s ranking process was based on the work of Kevin Stolarick of the Martin Prosperity Institute. Stolarick’s formula identifies cities with current and likely future growth in high-quality jobs and income and also includes in the formula measurements of the "creative class." Creative-class workers—scientists, engineers, educators, writers, artists, entertainers and others—inject both economic and cultural vitality into a city and help make it a vibrant place to live. Kiplinger’s also weighed affordability and public-transit infrastructure—the latter being an important factor to ensure continued growth in certain metro areas. (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 7/10)
JUN	Austin cited as one of America’s Recovery Capitals. The Lone Star state's major metro areas—Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio—are all emerging from the recession better than their counterparts in many areas of the country. Forbes worked with Moody’s Economy.com to examine how major metro areas are likely to fare within the next few years. Moody’s provided analysis and annual growth prospects for employment and economic output for the period 2010-14 for the 25 largest metro areas in each of the four regions of the country—the South, the Midwest, the West and the Northeast. The 11 metros that that made the list had the best combination of job and output growth, equally weighted.Metro areas that have good growth prospects through the recovery tend to be hubs for government activity, energy, logistics, and, in some cases, technology growth. That explains why Austin, home to Dell Computer, the University of Texas and the Lone Star state's government has an annual GMP growth prospect of 6.2% and a projected annual employment growth rate of 3.3%. Construction remains sluggish in Austin, but the metro area, also a music and film industry center, is buttressed by the recovery in the tech sector. (Forbes, 6/25/10)
JUN	Austin named one of America’s Most Recession-Proof Cities. The Texas capital is among the 21 strongest-performing metropolitan areas in a CNN assessment based on The Brookings Institute’s June 2010 edition of the quarterly MetroMonitor report. In fact, Texas cities starred on the new list of recession-proof metro areas, with six of 21 spots. These metros are singled out by Brookings for keeping their labor and housing markets stable and posting robust economic activity during the past few years. All but five of the 21 leading cities have economic output levels that top records set just prior to the recession. In first quarter of 2010, Austin’s gross metropolitan product expanded by 5.3% from its pre-recession peak. Job losses have been muted in Austin, as employment in Texas's capital city dropped by 2.3% from its pre-recession peak through the first quarter of 2010. Austin’s Mayor Lee Leffingwell pointed out that Austin worked over the past decade to attract high-tech companies, and while some manufacturing jobs in the sector have since diminished, companies are still expanding their workforce, including Samsung Electronics, which recently announced a $3.6 billion project that boosts the company's payroll by 500 permanent positions. And during the last two quarters, Austin welcomed job growth, adding nearly 8,000 new jobs during the period and increasing payrolls by more than 1%. "We've worked hard to diversify our economy and are aggressively targeting companies focused on renewable energy, medical technology and digital media," Leffingwell said. Earlier this year, Texas invested $1.4 million through its Texas Enterprise Fund to lure Facebook into opening its first office outside of Palo Alto, Calif., in Austin. The social media giant opened the office last month and is actively hiring for its online sales and operations team. Facebook said it plans to hire over 200 employees in Austin over the next four years. (CNN, 6/24/10)
JUN	Austin among America’s 10 Best Cities for Young Professionals. Austin is ranked number 10 on Forbes' fourth-annual list of metros that boast affordability, good job prospects and larger-than-average incomes. Among metros with at least one million population, these offer the best chances for college graduates in a tough economy. Texas dominates this year’s list, boasting three of the top 10 spots. (Forbes, 6/17/10)
JUN	Austin named Top City Beating the Recession. On a list of 11 cities that have shown the most economic resilience, Austin ranks No. 1 after considering the changes in four economic indicators over the last three years (employment, unemployment, gross metropolitan product, and housing prices). The Huffington Post created their ranking based on The Brookings Institute’s June 2010 edition of the quarterly MetroMonitor report. (The Huffington Post, 6/16/10)
JUN	14 Austin area high schools rank in the top 6% nationally. Each year, Newsweek picks the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staffs work to challenge students with advanced-placement college-level courses and tests. Just over 1,600 schools—only 6% of all the public schools in the U.S.—made the list. In 2010, 14 Austin area high schools rank in the top 6% nationally. The schools represent 8 different school districts and 34% of total area high school enrollments. (Newsweek, 6/13/10)
JUN	The University of Texas system ranks No. 6 on Universities Patent Scorecard. On a listwhich ranks 122 universities for patent quantity, quality, science and speed, the UT system ranked 6 th for “technology strength” in patenting. UT was awarded 89 patents in the year ending June 2008. (Intellectual Property Today, 6/4/10)
JUN	Texas ranked Best State for Business by Chief Executive. Texas has been ranked the top state for job growth and business development for the sixth year in a row in a survey of CEOs. The annual survey asked 651 CEOs across the U.S. to draw upon their direct experience to rate each state in categories related to taxation and regulation, quality of workforce and living environment. CEOs most highly prize lower tax rates and perceived attitudes toward business, followed by living environment considerations, such as real estate costs and education. Texas, the second-most populous state and the world’s 12th largest economy, is where 70% of all new U.S. jobs have been created since 2008. Unsurprisingly, it scores high in all the areas CEOs value most. “You feel like state government understands the value of business and industry to create jobs and growth,” observed one CEO. Its tax credits and incentives to business choosing to locate or expand are among the most aggressive. The Texas Enterprise Fund is by far the largest deal-closing fund of any state, with grants totaling $377 million disbursed in 2008. (Chief Executive, 5-6/10)
MAY	Austin No.2 on Forbes’ list of America’s Most Innovative Cities. Silicon Valley places first the U.S. as a magnet for innovative companies and people. But in Forbes first-ever ranking of America's Most Innovative Cities, the "Silicon Hills" of Austin were close on the Valley's heels. Turns out everything really is bigger in Texas. Including the brains. Over the last year residents of Austin have patented about 2,900 inventions, the second-most per-capita of any metro area in the U.S. Forbes started with the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. and used data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine number of patents per capita. Then they combined that with venture capital investment per capita from the National Venture Capital Association, along with those cities' ratios of high-tech, science and "creative" jobs from ZoomProspector.com and Payscale.com. (Forbes, 5/24/10)
MAY	Austin among America’s Fittest Cities. Austin took the No. 10 spot on the American College of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Index. The ranking, which analyzes statistics from the U.S.'s 50 most populous cities, said Washington, D.C. was again the most healthy, taking 73.5 points out of a possible 100. Boston took the No. 2 spot, followed by St. Paul, Seattle, Portland (OR), Denver, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Hartford. The report factors in preventive health behaviors, chronic disease levels, access to health care and community resources and policies that support physical activity. The report said education levels were a large factor in top health-rated cities. Areas with high ratios of high school or higher education graduates were more likely to be physically active and have access to care through health insurance. (American College of Sports Medicine, 5/24/10)
MAY	Austin in top 10 for Best Quality of Life. Austin was ranked ninth in a study that compared the performances of the nation's 67 biggest metropolitan. The study compared the performances of the nation's 67 biggest metropolitan areas in 20 statistical categories. The highest scores went to well-rounded markets with healthy economies, moderate costs of living, light traffic, impressive housing stocks, and high-powered educational systems. An earlier study by Portfolio.com/bizjournals named Austin the best metro for young adults and that quality helped it crack the top 10 for overall quality of life, as did its strong population growth (32% since 2000).Raleigh earned first place, edging out two metros that are substantially larger, No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Minneapolis-St. Paul. (Portfolio.com, 5/24/10)
MAY	Austin No. 3 Dog-Friendly City. Austin was ranked the 3 rd most dog-friendly city according to a listing of cities with pet-accommodating transportation, parks, attractions, stores and dining. (DogFriendly.com, 5/17/10)
MAY	UT in Top 10 CEO Undergraduate Alma Maters. The University of Texas is ranked fifth among the top 10 CEO undergraduate alma maters. (Bloomberg Businessweek, 5/13/10)
MAY	Texas has one of country’s Best State Tax Systems for Entrepreneurship & Small Business. Texas is ranked as the second-best state in America for small-business development for 2010 in the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s Business Tax Index. The report analyzes and combines 16 different tax measures into one tax score for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including income, capital gains, property, death/inheritance and unemployment taxes. The report also takes into account various consumption-based taxes such as state gas and diesel levies. (Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, 5/3/10)
APR	Austin ranked among Cleanest Air Cities. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2010 report ranks metropolitan areas for risk associated with three measures: year-round particle pollution, short-term particle pollution, and ozone pollution. Austin was ranked among the cleanest U.S. cities for short term particle pollution, i.e., it had no days with unhealthful PM 2.5 levels. (American Lung Association, 4/28/10)
APR	Cyberstates: Texas 2nd-Largest in Tech Employment. Texas’ high-tech sector employment grew by 14,600 jobs between 2007 and 2008. The 2008 gain in Texas was boosted by some 9,200 jobs added in the computer systems design and related services sector followed by 4,400 jobs in the engineering services sector and 2,300 jobs in the research and development and test laboratories sector. “The fact that Texas’s tech industry was adding jobs in 2008 amidst a gathering recession is a testament to our state’s economic strength and increasing role as a high-technology center,” said Jeff Clark, executive director of TechAmerica Texas. “While it is likely Texas faced some job losses in 2009 as the full force of the recession hit our tech industry, we are well positioned to lead the sector’s recovery.” Texas remains the second-largest cyberstate by technology employment behind California and ahead of New York. Central Texas is home to many of the state's largest tech employers, including Round Rock-based Dell, which employs about 16,000 just in its headquarters. (TechAmerica, 4/28/10)
APR	Austin is the Best Big City for Jobs. Forbes’ New Geographer column’s 2010 list of the best big metros for jobs is dominated this year, as last, by Texas, with the Lone Star State producing fully half of the top 10. This year, like last, the No. 1 big metro (among 66 metros with more than 450,000 non-farm jobs) was Austin, Texas, which enjoys the benefits of being both the state capital and the home to the University of Texas, as well as a large, and growing, tech sector. (Forbes, 4/20/10 & NewGeography.com 4/20/10)
APR	Austin places in Top 10 of RelocateAmerica’s Best Places to Live. Austin scored big points on RelocateAmerica's 2010 Top 10 “breakouts.” Austin placed in the top ten in Top 10 Overall, Top 10 Recovery, Top 10 Earth Friendly, and Top 10 Large Cities. Austin is just simply not like the rest of Texas. From the quirky cast of characters that populate Congress Avenue to burnt orange-clad University of Texas students, bats to Longhorns, four-star restaurants to down-home barbecue joints, corporate CEOs to struggling musicians, Texas' capital city stands apart from the rest. Austin became a tech center, home to many large employers, in the 1990s. Today it maintains these identities and also fosters an increased prominence in the film industry. It's hip and trendy, yet in a vintage sort of way. It's high-tech and laid-back. It's politically charged and culturally rich. It's eclectic by nature and creative by design. Most of all, it's a place where people like to have a good time. The city is the cultural and economic center of a metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million. (RelocateAmerica.com, 4/20/10)
APR	Austin in Top 10 of Forbes’ annual Best Places for Business & Careers. The top of Forbes’ 12th annual list of areas with the most economic opportunity is filled with cities in so-called flyover states, areas with reasonable business costs, strong economic outlooks and a solid quality of life. The ranking looks at the 200 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S., which range in size from the New York City metro, with 11.7 million people, to Merced, Calif., home to 245,000. The metros were ranked on 12 metrics including costs (business and living), job growth (past and projected), income growth, educational attainment and projected economic growth. Also factored in were quality-of-life issues like crime, cultural and recreational opportunities, net migration patterns. Additional variables included the number of highly ranked four-year colleges in the area and the percentage of subprime mortgages handed out over the last three years. The top 10 in order are: Des Moines, Provo, Raleigh, Fort Collins, Lincoln, Denver, Omaha, Huntsville, Lexington, and Austin. (Forbes, 4/14/10)
APR	Texas No. 1 among States that are Very Friendly to Small Businesses. For entrepreneurs looking to save money, moving to a state that offers a better small business climate can be worth the big change. When it comes to measuring a state's business climate, there are several factors to consider: the level of economic growth, the amount of regulations, and the education level of the workforce. Look at all those factors, and you've got a sense of whether or not you're dealing with at a business-friendly state. American Express’ Open Forum named five of the states most friendly to businesses, with Texas as No. 1. Texas if you didn't know it, is a great place to start a global enterprise. The Lone Star State has the most internationally focused manufacturing sector in the country. In fact, the state has the highest export sales per worker than any of the 50 states. The cost of labor in Texas is another enticing charmer: it has the lowest workers' compensation costs of any state. No income or capital gains tax for individuals, either. (Open Forum, 4/6/10)
APR	Austin a Top 10 Destination in U-Haul’s National Migration Trend Report. According to moving data reflective of nationwide statistics for calendar year 2009, Houston took the No. 1 spot, followed by Las Vegas, Chicago, and San Antonio. Austin came in at 5 th, with Atlanta, Orlando, Sacramento, Kansas City and Denver rounding out the top 10. The ranking reflects destinations for movers traveling more than 50 miles, and considers every city in the country, regardless of size. However, the data is not stated as a percentage of population and is not reflective of overall growth. The 2009 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities Report was compiled from more than 1 million U-Haul truck transactions occurring during a recent 12 month period. (U-Haul, 4/2/10)
APR	Austin is in the Top Ten U.S cities for Hispanics to Live and Work . Austin is not just the capital of Texas, Austin also reigns as the self proclaimed Live Music Capital of the world. Between two major music festivals (ACL and SXSW) and over 250 music venues, the title has been well earned. The riverside city’s thriving cultural and arts community is enriched by world-class educational opportunities at the University of Texas. Especially of note, the Teresa Lozano Long Latin American Studies program, a school within the school, attracts scholars from across the globe. With a reputation for being one of the greenest and fittest cities in America, this chic town with a penchant for being a “little weird” boasts low unemployment and a comparatively moderate cost of living. The rest of the top 10 includes Houston, Miami, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Denver, and Los Angeles. (Popular Hispanics, 4/10)
MAR	Austin places 3rd among 20 Cities That Are Having An Awesome Recovery. BusinessInsider has created a ranking based on the Brookings Institution’s quarterly MetroMonitor report. MetroMonitor has been tracking economic recession and recovery in America’s 100 largest metropolitan areas and sorts metros in performance quartiles, but does not normally rank them. Based on changes in employment, gross metro product, and home prices, BusinessInsider has produced their ranking. San Antonio comes in at no. 1 and Rochester, NY at no. 2. (BusinessInsider, 3/18/10)
MAR	Austin is the No. 1 Place for Young Adults. This portfolio.com assessment (of 67 U.S. metropolitan areas with populations above 750,000) looked for regions with qualities that would appeal to workers in their 20s and early 30s and where those workers have the best chance of establishing themselves in a recessionary economy. Two qualities help Austin—the host of the annual South by Southwest music, film, and interactive conference and festival—to stand out among the nation’s largest metros: first, two-thirds of the nation’s major markets have fewer jobs now than 5 years ago, but Austin added 99,200 jobs during that span and its annual employment-growth rate of 2.8% is the fastest in America, and second, Austin has the strongest concentration of young people among the 67 metros—28% of its residents are between the ages of 18 and 34, but the median for the study group is 23.1%. The study’s 10-part formula gave the highest marks to places with strong growth rates, moderate costs of living, and substantial pools of young adults who are college-educated and employed. Austin’s attractiveness to young adults is broadly based, and it ranks among the 10 leading markets in 5 of the categories that were analyzed. (portfolio.com/bizjournals, 3/15/10)
MAR	University of Texas at Austin included in Fortune’s 5 Schools for Entrepreneurs. Fortune notes that while many schools sponsor business-plan contests—UT has the Moot Corp competition—but it has a competitive edge in a separate idea-to-product competition for students who can commercialize campus technologies. The other schools recognized are Babson College, Belmont University, Indiana University, and Saint Louis University. (Fortune, 3/10/10)
MAR	Austin selected as one of 21 Top Time-Saving Cities. To assess which places help you make the most of your precious hours, RealSimple sorted through reams of data on dozens of large American cities, ranked each on various criteria in five categories on a scale of 1 to 5, and added up those categories to get an overall score. The criteria contributing to easy living included indicators related to getting around, health and safety, information technology, green time-savers, and lifestyle. According to the findings, in addition to a short commute time, Austin residents enjoy some of the best wireless Internet coverage in the nation. And Austin’s new light-rail line boasts Wi-Fi access as well as fold-out work tables and room for bicycles. (RealSimple, 3/8/10)
MAR	Austin ties for No. 1 in Forbes’ list of Cities Where the Recession is Easing. Austin ties Washington for No. 1 on Forbes’ list of 10 metros best surviving the recession. Austin, D.C., and 8 other metros (among them: Boston, Los Angeles and a host of other metros in Texas) are best surviving the downturn in part because they specialize in industries that are relatively insulated from economic volatility. Cities where the recession's effects are lessening either never felt the full brunt of the housing crisis, or have proven resilient enough that demand is returning sooner than elsewhere in the country. These strong housing markets further enrich the local economy by feeding a host of secondary industries, like construction, lending and household services. Jobs have been lost nearly everywhere in the last three years, but between December 2007 and December 2009 the number of jobs in Austin rose by 0.98%; more than any of the other major cities Forbes looked at. And by three years from now, jobs are expected to grow by 8.09%, the second-best job outlook on the list. Forbes ranked the 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on unemployment rates, the rate of job growth (historical and projected), change in median sale price for single-family homes, and gross metropolitan product. (Forbes, 3/2/10)
FEB	Austin is the Healthiest Housing Market for 2010. Builder ’s Builder Market Health Index, compiled by Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, is a ranking of the wellbeing of the major U.S. housing markets, based on 2009 data and 2010 projections for household formations, resale values, and job and income growth. These drivers are weighted to obtain a ranking by health the top 100 housing markets (determined by permits pulled in 2009). A state capital that is home to the University of Texas and Dell Inc., Austin managed to avoid the brunt of the national recession. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, 7.5%. Moreover, nearly all its major housing metrics will be positive in 2010. The region of 1.72 million is forecast to have rising employment, household formations, and incomes. Only two markets on this list, Huntsville and Raleigh, will have higher rates of household formation this year. Austin was the second fastest growing metro area in the nation in 2008, according to Census Bureau estimates, and business relocations continued rising through the recession, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce. (Builder, 2/25/10)
FEB	Austin’s Williamson, Travis, & Hays Counties listed as the Texas’ Healthiest. The report ranks each county within the 50 states according to its health outcomes and the multiple health factors that determine a county’s health. Each county receives a summary rank for its health outcomes and health factors and also for the four different types of health factors: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment. Williamson, Travis, and Hays counties each ranked in the top 10 on both the Health Outcomes and Health Factors rankings. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2/17/10)
FEB	Austin’s is the Best Airport in North America & the 2nd Best in the World in its Size Class. Airports Council International identified the top performing airports in the annual ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey. Over 275,000 questionnaires were completed by passengers at 118 airports worldwide to capture passengers’ perception of the quality of more than 30 aspects of service. A reliable monitor of airport service, ASQ is used by many airports as one of the key performance indicators of the airport’s service. Ten factors identified as essential for high customer service ratings are, by order of importance: the ambience of the airport, cleanliness of the terminal, comfort of the waiting areas, availability of washrooms, cleanliness of washrooms, courtesy and helpfulness of the airport staff, business lounges, ease of making connections, passport / ID inspection experience and good shopping facilities. (Airports Council International, 2/16/10)
FEB	Austin ranks No. 9 among U.S. Cities with the Most Unique IP Addresses. Led by New York, the list of top 10 cities by unique IP count includes other large cities such as San Diego, Oakland, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Rochester, NY, with Austin coming in at No. 9, followed by Providence, RI. While Internet connections in these “big cities” are not quite as fast as the ones at the top of Akamai’s 4th quarter 2009 list for fastest connection speeds, the connections from all of these cities are in the high broadband range, exceeding 5 Mbps. As such, users in these cities are likely prime candidates for the consumption of high-quality digital media. (Akamai Technologies, 2/20/10)
FEB	National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2010 Distinctive Destinations includes Bastrop, TX. This annual program recognizes cities and towns that offer an authentic visitor experience by combining dynamic downtowns, cultural diversity, attractive architecture, cultural landscapes and a strong commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization. In each community, residents have joined together and taken action to protect their town’s character. Situated on the banks of the Colorado River, Bastrop features a history that dates back over 175 years when it was established as one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonies in 1832. The town offers a dynamic downtown filled with 19th and early 20th century homes and buildings, unique restaurants and shops in a Main Street community, and access to two state parks. Bastrop is lauded as one of the most historic towns in Texas and still possesses that small-town charm despite its 30-mile proximity to the thriving capital city of Austin (National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2/3/10)
FEB	Best Local Music Scene. Budget Travel’s readers choice awards places Austin ahead of Athens (GA), Memphis, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago. Austin was also picked in the survey's "best food cities" category. (Budget Travel, 2/10)
JAN	Austin ranks low for Rate of Home Foreclosures. Austin metropolitan area properties with foreclosure filings represent only 1.25% of area housing units, according RealtyTrac’s Year-End 2009 Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report . Nationally, the rate is 2.21%. No. 1 ranked Las Vegas has a foreclosure rate of 12.04%. Burlington, VT and Utica, NY report the lowest rate, 0.05%, in the ranking of metros with 200,000 or more population. (RealtyTrac, 1/28/10)
JAN	Texas Installed the Most Wind Power in 2009. Texas installed more wind power, 2,292 megawatts, than any other state last year, according to the year-end market report from the American Wind Energy Association . Indiana came in second with 905 megawatts added. Last year, the nation as a whole installed more wind-creating facilities than any other year, erecting nearly 10,000 megawatts of new generating capacity, or enough to serve more than 2.4 million homes. Texas total installed capacity now totals 9,410 megawatts and the next largest state is Iowa with 3,670. (American Wind Power Association, 1/26/10)
JAN	Texas ranks among Lowest for Debt Burden. Forbes places Texas 4 th best among the 50 states on the magazine’s “Debt Weight Scorecard.” The analysis employed a dozen or so factors, including unfunded pension liabilities, changes in tax revenue, debt as a percentage of GDP, debt per capita, growth expectations for employment and the state economy, net migrations and a ratio that compares government employees, pension burdens and Medicaid enrollees to private-sector employment. (Forbes, 1/21/10)
JAN	Austin metro rated the Most Conducive to Creation & Development of Small Businesses. The nation’s top score for small-business vitality, according to a new Portfolio.com/bizjournals study, belongs to Austin , the state's capital and the center of a thriving metro with 1.7 million residents. The highest scores, based on a six-part formula used to analyze the 100 largest metros, went to areas that have prosperous economies, are expanding rapidly, and are densely packed with small businesses. Austin emerged as the clear winner, based on its outstanding performances in statistical categories of critical importance to entrepreneurs: Austin saw population growth four times faster than the national rate of increase, impressive long term job growth, and faster small business growth than any other market. (Portfolio.com, 1/18/10)
JAN	Austin is 5th Best City to Live, Work & Make Movies. Trade publication MovieMaker’s new ranking moved Austin to the No. 5 slot from its 10th place ranking last year. The city has appeared somewhere on this top 10 list for 10 consecutive years. Others at the top of the 2010 list include: Albuquerque, No. 1; Los Angeles, No. 2; Shreveport, No. 3; New York, No. 4. (MovieMaker, 1/18/10)
JAN	Texas ranks low for Rate of Foreclosure Filings. Though 4 percent more foreclosed in 2009 than 2008, Texas came in 29 th among U.S. states for the share of housing with foreclosure filings. Slightly more than 1 percent of homes foreclosed in Texas, or about 100,045. The rate equates to about one in 94 houses. Nationally, foreclosures represent 2.21% of housing units. State foreclosure rates in 2009 ranged from 0.5% (Vermont) to 10.17% (Nevada). (RealtyTrac, 1/13/10)
JAN	Austin No. 2 among Best Places to Retire & Row in the U.S. This is a huge honor which demonstrates the exceptional live-ability and row-ability of Austin and a survey/article will be published in the 2010-2011Rower's Almanac. (RowingandSculling.com, 1/11/10)
JAN	Austin ranked Best City to Invest in Commercial Real Estate. Austin has the best prospects for commercial real estate investment this year, a Grubb & Ellis Co. forecast reported. Each year, the firm ranks the top 10 local markets in terms of long-term investment potential. In the office sector, Austin, Texas, took the top spot on Grubb & Ellis’ Investment Opportunity Monitor, a proprietary market ranking in which Grubb & Ellis annually measures 59 office markets against criteria important to the performance of real estate investments. Austin is anchored by a top-notch university and state government, and offers an advanced business base and the ability to attract young, educated workers. (Grubb & Ellis, 1/4/10)
JAN	Austin is home to the No. 3 Cleantech University. Where will the cutting edge companies that transform the industries of cleantech going to come from? Venture capital firms now keep tabs on chemical and engineering labs at some of the best U.S. universities as potential sources of new cleantech companies. This ranking from The Cleantech Group identifies the 10 U.S. academic institutions best suited take part in the pipeline of collaboration of businesses, universities, state initiatives, investors and research dollars leading to commercially viable product. The University of Texas at Austin is a historical leader in energy innovation, R&D and teaching. UT is using its leadership of the conventional energy industry as a launching pad for continued leadership in the cleantech revolution. The inventor of the lithium-ion battery, John Goodenough, is a professor of mechanical engineering at UT. The university also is a leader in algae based biofuels. UT is a part of a multimillion dollar DARPA-sponsored project to produce jet fuels from algae. UT Austin was also awarded $35 million in research on carbon sequestration by the Department of Energy. Notable cleantech spinouts include: ActaCell, Advanced Hydro, Graphene Energy, Organic Fuels, and Inspired Solar. (The Cleantech Group, 1/4/10)
JAN	Austin is 9th Easiest City to Find a Job. Job search engine Juju.com’s Job Search Difficulty Indexranks 50 major cities based on the number of unemployed in a metro area vs. the number of jobs available. According to the index, Austin has 4 unemployed individuals per advertized job. No. 1 ranked Washington has 2 unemployed per job. (Juju.com, 1/10)