With the year close to an end, there has never been a better time to take a look at all of the rewards and accolades the Austin metro area has enjoyed throughout the year. According the Examiner, the city of Austin has been included on around 60 different lists and has enjoyed high rankings in a number of areas, including living affordability, business climate, population density, pollution, education, cost of living, weather, employment and quality of life issues. Some of the lists on which Austin has enjoyed top rankings in 2009 include:
· #1 out of the 100 largest cities in terms of job creation according to Portfolio.com
· #1 American city most likely to bounce back from the recession according to The Austin Business Journal and IHC Insight
· #2 out of 100 metro areas for metropolitan growth potential and employment potential according to Business Week and The Brookings Institute
· #9 best place to start a business according to CNN Money
· #1 least stressful city to live out of 40 cities, based on factors such as housing values, unemployment and traffic congestion, according to Forbes
· #1 city for creating jobs according to the Milken Institute
· #8 best city for entrepreneurs according to Fortune
· #5 best place for young people to live according to The Wall Street Journal
Considering the fact that Austin has managed to maintain a more stable housing market and employment rate than the rest of the country during the recession, it doesn’t come as much surprise to learn that the capital city has enjoyed the top position on so many surveys and polls. In fact, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment levels within the Austin-Round Rock area was 7.2% in October, while the state average was 8.1%. In November, unemployment rates in the Austin-Round Rock area fell to 6.9%, while the state average was 7.9%. On a national level, on the other hand, unemployment rates were 10.2% in October and 10% in November.