Once again, Austin has been named the #1 best place to live in America. This time, U.S. News and World Report did the naming, and it was the second year in a row Austin ended up first on the prestigious list. Of course, any Austinite will tell you that the litany of publications to list our fare city as #1 is long and ongoing. Thus, we locals have all noticed an increase in traffic and overall heightening of activity in our fare city. Of course, when we say traffic, it doesn’t compare to the traffic of, say, Houston or Dallas. However, with over 100 people moving to Austin every day, the changes have been noticeable over the past 5-10 years.

The fun part about already living in the best place to live in America is that we are able to take advantage of all of the attractions on any given Saturday. Besides the festivals, we can enjoy outdoor venues for food, drink, music, and many other fun activities like theater. Yes, there is even an outdoor theater in downtown Austin. Living here also allows us to stay at home when the weather isn’t cooperative. The weather is usually fairly cooperative, however. That is another great advantage to Austin, Texas, especially if you don’t mind the heat. So many of our new Austin transplants moved here to escape colder climates and are perfectly happy to roast in our warm Texas Summers. After all, there is a swimming pool or a lake every 10 feet or so. So there’s that.

The climate is so nice here that owning a convertible is almost a requirement, at least it seems like it. Alas, you may see 10 convertibles out and about any day that the sun is shining and the temperature is above 60 degrees. Since that is most days in Austin, convertible owners get the benefit of our fare city alfresco quite a bit!

Finally, there is the simple fact that Austinites are friendly and nice. Folks actually speak to each other at the dry cleaner’s, and you will see lots of smiles when you’re out and about. As far as quality of living goes, that one ranks way up there for most of us. Maybe it’s all the Vitamin D we get from all that sunshine, or maybe it’s because we started from such simple beginnings, but Austin is a happy place with happy people. Hopefully, we will continue to attract more of the same. So, if you’re reading this and considering Austin as your retirement home, on behalf of all of us, please plan to be happy when you get here. It’s okay if you’re unhappy right now because you don’t live in Austin yet, but somewhere along the way it is important to the Austin way of life that you shake off that old attitude and smile when you get here. You do that, and we’ve really got something worth bragging about here in Austin, Texas!

6 Reasons Why Everyone is Moving to Austin in 2015

Austin, TX is the nation’s fastest growing city, with 150 people moving to the city nearly every day.

#1: A booming economy with no signs of slowing.

#2: One of the nation’s hottest tech start-up scenes.

#3: An incredibly high quality of life.

#4: A great place for people young and old.

#5: Oh so many fun things to do.

#6: A low cost of living relative to income.

See the complete info graphics and article here.

Austin’s 2013 Rankings

With so many think tanks, publications and economists putting Austin at or near the top of high-profile lists in 2013, the effect helped establish this city as a distinct, recognizable brand.

Here are a few things the world said about Austin in 2013:

Forbes: Austin’s the 10th-best city for jobs

Bloomberg: Austin America’s Biggest Boom Town

Forbes: No. 2 on the list of emerging cities for entrepreneurs

The Business Journals: Austin named best place for young adults

The Business Journals: Austin No. 1 on list of largest percentage in job gains over five years

Brookings Institution: Austin ranks No. 2 in the economic recovery since the 2008 recession

Dice.com: No. 3 in tech job growth- it’s Austin

Realty Pin: Austin No. 4 on list of most surprising real estate markets

U.S. Census: Austin now 11th-largest city in America

NerdWallet.com: Austin’s the No. 1 U.S. city for small business

The Business Journals: Austin has the No. 1 U.S. economy

Forbes: Austin No. 1 on America’s Fastest-Growing Cities list

The Business Journals: Top 5 City for Healthiest Housing

Austin is on a hot streak. In the latest monthly economic rankings of the top metros in the country, Austin is still at the head of the pack in November, according to The Business Journals’ On Numbers report.

Austin has retained it’s top ranking for one big reason: jobs. During the past month, several more high-profile companies have unveiled plans to boost hiring in the region, including IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and online retailer eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY). In addition to the corporate giants that are bringing jobs here, many other small businesses are looking to move their headquarters to Austin.

For some perspective… Consider that Austin leads the country in overall job creation for the past five years, boosting the number of private industry jobs by 11.8 percent since 2008. No other U.S. city comes close to that percentage growth, with Houston ranking second at 9 percent.

2012 Rankings

The Business Journals: #61 in top 300 World’s Fastest Growing Economies

Forbes published an article in 2012 listing the top 10 cities where Americans are moving. Austin ranked number 3. Here are the top 5:

1. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

3. Austin, Texas

4. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida

5. Houston, Texas