Austin News

General Austin Area News

Found 110 blog entries about Austin News.

According to the State Entrepreneurship Index, which measures entrepreneurial activity on a state-by-state basis, Texas ranks number 9 in the nation in terms of entrepreneurial activity. As such, the state moved up an impressive 25 spots when comparing 2010 to 2008.

The index, which was developed by economists from the Bureau of Business Research and Department of Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, evaluates several different components. These include:

•    The percentage growth and per capita growth in the state’s business establishments
•    The state’s business formation rate
•    The number of patents held per thousand residents in the state
•    The gross receipts of sole proprietorships throughout the state
•    The number of

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Marriott Hotels and Resorts has announced its plans to open a new Marriott Marquis hotel, which will be part of Marriott International’s signature Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand, in the downtown Austin area. The new hotel, which is scheduled to break ground in mid-2012 after having faced some initial difficulties with getting off the ground, should be open sometime in 2015 if all goes as planned. Offering more than 110,000 square feet of meeting space along with 1,003 rooms, the hotel will offer ample living space while also creating hundreds of jobs in the area.

Owned and operated by White Lodging Services Corp., the Austin Marriott Marquis is projected to generate more than 545 full-time construction jobs over the course of its development. After it

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According to Newsweek magazine, the “Texaplex” of Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston is among the top ten regions in the country in terms of being poised for an economic recovery. This is largely due to the fact that the Texas metros have a strong energy sector as well as a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

In addition to having a strong energy sector, the Newsweek article found that the state of Texas is also an attractive market for those businesses that are looking for a place to relocate. This was largely due to the fact that the state has a “pro-business attitude” as well as a business tax rate that is relatively low when compared to other states. For these reasons and more, Texas now has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state in the

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A recent report issued by BBVA Compass bank has determined that Texas is poised to lead the country to its economic recovery.

There are many reasons why the Lone Star State is in position to lead the country toward recovery, with oil prices being among them. Other reasons include the fact that the state has enjoyed a relatively stable housing market as well as limited fiscal challenges. The state has also continued to add private jobs to its market while its exports, particularly coal and petroleum products, have remained strong. In short, Texas has managed to remain relatively positive while most states have experienced a decline in growth.

According to the report, Texas is likely to enjoy a 2.8 percent growth in its gross domestic product this year.

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After years of hard work to bring Formula One to Austin and months spent developing the plan for the track and its facilities, the project received final approval in January. As expected, the final plan will involve far more than just a 3.4 mile track. In addition to the numerous attractions that will be included within the $250 million facility, project developers will also be building a private substation for Austin Energy as part of the plan.

With all of the county and city permits properly in place, construction can no w begin on the project. Already, soil testing has reportedly been started and the equipment is in place to get the project started. With a required completion date of mid-2012, there is no time to spare in getting the projected

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According to a recent report released by Forbes, Austin has the third best employment opportunities in the nation. The capital city earned this distinction for a multitude of reasons, with the primary reasons cited by the publication being:

  • The city’s relatively low unemployment rate, which is currently sitting at about 7.0 percent
  • The relatively low job-seekers to employment openings ratio, which is currently at about 2.39 to 1

According to Forbes, there are many reasons why Austin has managed to maintain a low unemployment rate. Aside from being a state capital, Austin is also a major convention center. As such, Austin plays an integral role in the music industry. Other aspects that have helped the city thrive include the fact that a number of

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The popular Steiner Ranch development is more than 95 percent complete. There are only 200 residential home sites remaining. (out of 4100 total for the community)  More than 9000 residents currently live in Steiner Ranch.  Home prices range from around $300k to over $3 million for lakefront property.

Steiner Ranch has a long and interesting history.  It was a working ranch owned by the Steiner family for several generations.  In the late 1980’s a developer began to build the current community.  Through ups and downs in the real estate market the development has changed hands several times and has been developed and marketed by Taylor Woodrow since 2000.  The community has many parks, trails, and amenities.  The Leander Independent School District has

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For those living in the city of Austin, it has never been a secret that the capital city is a great place for young professionals to live. Thanks to a recent list published by Forbes, however, Austinites now have the confirmation they need to prove that Austin is a great place for young professionals to call home. In fact, there are many cities throughout the Lone State that are considered to be ideal locations for young professionals, with Austin taking the number ten position, while Houston grabbed the number one position and Dallas came in number six.

In order to develop its list, Forbes only considered those cities with more than 1 million. Furthermore, the publication focused only on those cities that were included on Moody's Economy. Come list of…
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According to a study recently published by Portfolio.com, Austin is one of the top ten cities in terms of the quality of life it offers to its residents. In fact, in a study that took a closer look at 67 metropolitan areas in the United States, Austin was ranked as the 9th best city in the country.

In order to develop this list, 20 different statistical categories were considered. The highest scores were given to those areas with the most well-rounded markets, including those that offered a moderate cost of living, a high-powered educational system, solid housing stocks and healthy economies. Austin scored in many of the indicators that were considered, except for the one that focused on people living in the same area for longer than one year.

Areas in

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According to a list recently released by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Austin was selected as the number one best city to live in for the next ten years. A number of factors were taken into consideration when developing this list, though the primary focus was placed on those cities that were considered to have the most positive business climates combined with the most unique “livability” appeal. According to the report, the capital city is “arguably the country’s best crucible for small business” the report goes on to say that “Austin has spawned many companies with unique twists that have gone nationwide.”

The great success of many businesses with their roots in Austin isn’t the only reason Austin took the number one position, however, as the magazine

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