Barton Creek flows into Town Lake. Barton Springs Pool is a natural swimming hole fed from under ground springs - a cool 68 degrees year round. It is popular year round.

 

 

 

 

Austin is one of the nation's "Best Cities for Relocating Families"

A collaborative study by Worldwide ERC (Employee Relocation Council), Primacy Relocation and Sperlings’s Best Places focused on the ease with which a family can move and settle into a new city. This year’s study put more emphasis on the real estate market of the destination city.

How did Austin do in 2007? Here’s the score:

Ranked #1

• Greenest city in America- MSN.COM
• Job growth - Forbes Magazine
• Best city for growing businesses - Expansion Management's "2007 Mayor's Challenge Rankings
• Overall economic vitality - Moody's Economy.com, "Business Vitality Index"
• One of top four cities to watch - AARP's The Magazine's "Great Places to Live"

Ranked #2

• Overall characteristics - Travel + Leisure's " America's Favorite Cities"
• Best eco-neighborhood (SoCo took the honors) - Natural Home magazine
• Best walking city - Prevention Magazine
• Fastest-growing wine region (Hill Country) - Orbitz.com

Ranked #3

• Best adventure city - National Geographic Adventure's "50 Best Places to Live and Play"
• Best city for young singles - Kiplinger's Personal Finance
• Top city for making movies - MovieMaker Magazine

Ranked #5

• Luxury housing market - Unique Homes

Ranked #7

• Hottest job market for young adults - Bizjournals

Ranked #10

• Healthiest city in America - Sperling's Best Places

Ranked #16

• Hottest entrepreneurial city - Inc . Magazine - "Boomtowns 2007"

Austin Named #5 in "Best Cities for Relocating Families"

A collaborative study by Worldwide ERC (Employee Relocation Council), Primacy Relocation and Sperlings’s Best Places focused on the ease with which a family can move and settle into a new city. This year’s study put more emphasis on the real estate market of the destination city.

Real estate criteria included:

• Home prices
• Home affordability in comparison with other cities
• Appreciation rates
• Property taxes
• Rent costs

These factors are considered critical in the success of the relocation for employees and their families:

• Economic climate
• Educational quality
• Climate
• Recreation and leisure
• Arts and culture
• Air quality
• Water quality
• Sales tax
• Unemployment rates
• Job growth
• Area educational levels
• School expenditures per student
• Students in public schools
• SAT/ACT percentile
• Population growth
• Overall quality of life

The final rankings are the result of in-depth comparative research by these three organizations on how the destination city affects the success of a family relocation. Austin is proud to be #5 in the category of large markets (metro areas with populations over 1,250,000) for 2007.

Sites that Compare Cities:

CNN Money - How far will your salary go in another city?

Sperlings Best Places - Has comparisons between cities. Austin is listed as a popular "best place."

Housing Cost Comparison - A Coldwell Banker tool that compares housing costs across the nation.
Compare cost of living - A tool for comparing cost of living between cities.

What people say about Austin:

• Austin metro named #1 in nation for golf. “At day’s end, we decided that America’s best golf cities should be first and foremost about quality courses you can play, and afford to play, in reasonable weather.”  Golf Magazine & National Golf Foundation - 2007

• “Some say Austin marches to the beat of a different drummer. We’re convinced the city broke off long ago to start its own band.” Austin’s greatest appeal lies in its ability to balance its trendy scene with an inclusive attitude. The cowboy, the politician, the punk rocker, and the soccer mom all groove at the same music clubs and palm tortillas at the same Tex-Mex joints. No matter who you are, you’ll fit in. Snugly.” – Southern Living magazine, April 2007.

• “If you are looking for a cosmopolitan Southwestern city with soul and style, look no further than the capital city in the heart of Texas.  Live music makes for a vibrant nightlife, and the college town combines quirkiness, braininess and rugged individuality.” (Where to Retire - April 2007)
  
• Round Rock was the only Texas city to break the top 25 on Forbes’ top 100 list of best cities for jobs. The city moved up 28 spots from last year to land at number 23.
  
• Austin scored fifth of the 25 luxury markets to watch in the coming year. The recent issue of Unique Homes cited last year’s record home sales gains, the University of Texas, two lakes, and the bragging rights to the "music capitol of the world" as reasons to watch Austin’s luxury home market this year.

• "Austin is known as the nation's mecca of live music. But after soaking up the nightlife – and discovering other attributes of this funky state capital – I'd go further: Austin, I'm here to say, is the best little city in America .” (National Geographic Traveler - 2006)
  
• Austin is the only city in the United States that ranked in the Top Five in all the stages of life – singles , couples , families , empty nesters and retirees.
  
• Austin ranked #4 in the nation as "best tech towns in the US'. (Silicon Valley Leadership Group - 2006)
  
• Austin ranked #2 in Top Ten Big Cities - 2006 ( Based on quality of life, housing, health, education, financials, leisure activities, weather and neighbors - Money Magazine)
  
• Austin ranked third in "Most Perfect" Place to Live in America (Fine Living TV Network - 2002)
  
• Austin was named "One of the top 25 places in the US to raise a family. (Mothering Magazine 2001)
  
• Austin has the 5th highest ratio of patents to population among US cities. (Austin Business Journal, 2001)
  
• Austin is the third best city for mountain biking in the US, behind Boise, ID and Asheville, NC. (Mountain Bike Magazine, 2001)
  
• Local swimming hole Barton Springs was named one of America's 60 Best Public Places. (Utne Reader - 2002)
  
• " Austin residents enjoy the best of both worlds: a stylish, exciting urban life, but without a lot of the hassles big cities are known for." (MONEY Magazine - 2002)
  
• Austin ranked the 4th Best City in North American for independent moviemakers. "Austin boasts a young, vibrant and ever-growing scene that includes top-flight, big-budget film and indie work alike. The city itself is a great place to live, incredibly rich in music and the arts, and enviable in the richness and variety of its natural beauty." (Movie Maker Magazine - 2003)
  
• Austin ranked #1 among large metro areas in the first annual Best Cities for Relocating Families. (Primacy Relocation - 2003)
  
• Austin, San Francisco, Portland, Jersey City and Seattle are the top five Best Cities for Relocating Singles. (Primacy Relocation 2004)
  
• "The moonlights, the magic, the exuberance always grabbed me..." (Antoine Predock - design architect for the new Austin City Hall) Predock designed the building, not as a suit and tie city hall, but rather as a reflection of the warm informality that characterizes Austin. (2004)
  
• Austin ranks in the "top 10 cities for best sleep". For the best-ranked cities for sleep, the study found higher scores for overall happiness and low unemployment, which highly correlated to number of nights with good sleep.

Valued visitors, With an eclectic and educated population and a bright, sunny environment, Austin has grown from a sleepy college town to a thriving technology center. It is home to established players like Motorola, Dell, IBM, and AMD. Austin is a great place to grow your skills and enjoy a family-friendly, high-tech work life. Jim and I have been Austinites since 1968, arriving in Austin to attend U.T., and staying here to raise our four children. We would love to share our knowledge of Austin with you! Give us a call! Send an email! Roselind