It’s no surprise that Austin continues to top the nation’s best lists. This time the city came in first as best city to live and work in for the next decade according to Kiplinger Magazine.
One of their main criteria was searching for cities coming up with innovative ways to create jobs & businesses thereby boosting the economy. We have the four main fields that are thriving in job creation: government, education, healthcare and technology. Hundreds of startups are created in Austin every year which is no surprise considering the amount of support given by the city. There are numerous community programs, multiple venture-capital funds and two dozen or so business associations which hold monthly networking events.
The other criteria was quality of life, which any Austinite can tell you, if it’s not 100 degrees outside, is excellent. I was recently asked for a television show why anyone would choose Austin to live and raise a family. My response was a long, long list. Like the outdoors? We have parks, pools, lakes, trails and gorgeous, sunny weather. Music? Pick up a Chronicle and on any given day of the week choose a type of music or venue and enjoy the best of the best. The Arts? Check out one of dozen museums, the new Long Center or the historic Paramount Theater. I can go on and on.
The point is, ten years ago ask anyone from outside of Texas if they knew anything about Austin and their response probably would have been we still ride horses to school, use outhouses and wear cowboy hats everyday. To go from that mentality to consistently ranking one of the best cities in the nation makes me proud to call Austin home. Something I’m happy to share with all the cowfolk and non-cowfolk out there.