10 BEST BIG CITIES
CNN.Money.com
2006
1. Colorado Springs, CO
2. Austin, TX
3. Mesa, AZ
4. Raleigh, NC
5. San Diego, CA
6. Virginia Beach, VA
7. Omaha, NE
8. Columbus, OH
9. Wichita, KS
10. New York, NY
50 SMART PLACES TO LIVE
Kiplinger.com June
2006
1. Nashville, TN
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
3. Albuquerque, NM
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Austin, TX
6. Kansas City
7. Asheville, NC
8. Ithaca, NY
9. Pittsburgh, PA
10. Iowa City, IA
TOP 50 SMARTEST CITIES
Austin Business Journal
June 2006
1. Seattle, WA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Austin, TX
4. Colorado Springs, CO
5. Minneapolis, MN
6. Arlington, TX
7. Dallas, TX
8. Houston, Tx
9. San Antonio, TX
10. El Paso, TX
TOP 10 CITIES FOR WALKING
Prevention Magazine
April 2006
1. Portland, OR
2. Colorado Springs, CO
3. Madison, WI
4. Boise City, ID
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Austin, TX
7. Virginia Beach, VA
8. Anchorage, AK
9. Fremont, CA
10. Raleigh, NC
TOP HEALTHIEST CITIES
IN AMERICA
Sperling’s
July 2006
1. San Jose, CA
2. Washington, DC
3. San Fancisco, CA
4. Seattle-Bellevue, WA
5. Salt Lake City, UT
6. Oakland, CA
7. Sacramento, CA
8. Orange County, CA
9. Denver, CO
10. Austin, TX
TOP 10 METROS FOR FUTURE
BUSINESS LOCATIONS
Expansion Magazine 8/2006
1. Austin-Round Rock, TX
2. Minneapolis-St.Paul-
Bloomington, MN-WIS
3. Raleigh-Cary, NC
4. Dallas-Ft.Worth-Arlington,TX
5. Houston-Baytown-
Sugar Land, TX
6. Washington-Arlington-
Alexandria, DC-VA-WVA
7. Madison, WS
8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue,WA
9. Pittsburgh, PA
10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
TOP 10 CITIES USE OF
RENEWABLE ENERGY
sustainlane.com 2006-07
1. Oakland, CA
2. Sacrements/SF/San Jose
3. Portland, OR
4. Boston, MA
5. San Diego, CA
6. Austin, TX
7. Los Angeles, CA
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. Seattle, WA
10. Chicago, IL
TOP 10 PREFFERED CITIES
TO RELOCATE-BY WORKERS
Human CapitalInstitute,2007
1. San Diego, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. New York, NY
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Boston, MA
6. Austin, TX
7. Denver, CO
8. Los Angeles, CA
9. Seattle, WA
10. Portland, OR
TOP 10 CITIES IN MAYOR’S
CHALLENGE RESEARCH*
Expansion Mgmt, 2007
1. Austin, TX
2. Minneapolis, MN
3. Raleigh, NC
4. Washington, DC
5. Kansas City, MO
6. Richmond, VA
7. Pittsburgh, PA
8. Omaha, NE
9. Fargo, ND
10. Seattle, WA
*Mayor’s challenge survey based on education, infrastructure,
healthcare, taxes, spending, affordability
TOP 10 GOLF CITIES IN US
Golf Magazine/Nat’l Founda-
tion of Golf, Dec 2007
1. Austin, TX
2. Columbus, OH
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
5. Orlando, FL
6. Seattle, WA
7. San Jose, CA
8. Atlanta, GA
9. Portland, OR
10. Rochester, NY
revised Jan 2008
AUSTIN TEXAS
A GREAT PLACE
TO LIVE, LEARN,
WORK, PLAY
AND
ENJOY LIFE!
Relationships
Best Cities for Dating - Austin, TX takes home the grand prize on Sperling’s Best Cities for Dating 2007. Austin scores
relatively high in everything, from frequency of dating partners to the number of establishments to meet people.
Lifestyles - Recreation - Health
Golf.com Austin, the cultural and economic pride of Texas, is a great city. No surprise there. But the Lone Star State capital is
also a great golf city. Ranked #1, it has the nation’s best combination of weather, name designs, and affordable, accessible golf.
Golf Digest ranks Barton Creek Resort & Country Club’s Fazio Canyons course among the top 100 in the nation (May 2007)
Latina Magazine ranks Austin 10
th
among the top 25 healthiest cities. The magazine lauds the city’s many public parks, exercise
facilities and low stress factor. (April 2007)
Men’s Journal names Austin as one of the top five places to “embrace urban life.” (April 2007)
Prevention Magazine ranked Austin #2 on its list of the “top ten cities for taking a stroll.” (March 2007)
Cooking Light ranked Austin #1 in its Top 20 Healthiest Cities in America. Cities were judged on nutrition, physical health and
holistic well-being. (January/February 2007)
Travel & Leisure
National Geographic Adventure names Austin as Texas’ #1 Adventure Town in their list of “50 Best Places to Live & Play.”
(September 2007)
Sherman’s Travel lists Austin at #5 among its Top Ten Easy Spring Getaways (May 2007)
Conde Nast Traveler includes the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort & Spa on the 2007 Hot List celebrating the best and most promising
new hotels in the world. (May 2007)
Austin Aolades & Rankings
Sources of information include AustinTexas.org and Austin-Chamber.org
Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.
Business, Jobs & Technology
Moody’s Economy.com ranks Austin-Round Rock MSA #1 out of nearly 400 metropolitan areas tracked by the company business
Vitality Index (2007)
Fast Company Magazine lists Austin as a “Startup Hub” with a creative, young population and a high number of wi-fi internet
spots per capita. (July 2007)
Bizjournals.com names Austin #7 among the top job markets for young adults. Austin has added 62,100 jobs in the past five
years. (April 2007)
Families & Relocation
Austin is one of the top four cities to watch as a retirement-friendly community, according to AARP The Magazine. (July 2007)
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Austin among the top five cities in the country for young singles, as part of their “Best Cities
for Every Stage of Your Life.” (June 2007)
Austin is the fifth-best large city for relocating families. Worldwide ERC and Primacy Relocation revealed the 2007 Best Cities
for Relocating Families list (June 2007)
Environment
MSN.com gives Austin top billing among America’s Greenest Cities, citing the city’s green energy program and climate protection
plan. (June 2007)
Natural Home Magazine ranks Austin #2 among America’s Top Ten Eco-friendly Communities. These “neighborhoods you want to
live in” feature walkability, green planning and outdoor orientation. (January/February 2007)
Education
USNews ranks The University of Texas at Austin #18 on America’s Best Graduate Schools 2008(out of 100).
Newsweek lauds the University of Texas as “Hottest for Saving America’s Schools,” for excellence in education reform, in the 2007
Top 25 Universities” poll (August 2007).
The US Census Bureau reports that Austin ranks 5
th
among the most educated cities in the U.S. 45.1% of the population has a
college degree, or higher.
Contact Ellmaker Realty at 512-258-9899 when you are ready to buy in Austin!