Develop Austin Texas

Based on numbers of building permits issued from May 2008-May 2009, Texas and its cities lead the nation in new home construction. In perspective, Texas had more permits than California and Florida, combined.

The city of Austin appears 6th on the list of metro areas throughout the country, along with 3 other Texas building hot spots in the top 10.

Top 10 Markets for Single Family Home Building

1. Houston, TX
2. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Washington, DC
5. Atlanta, GA
6. Austin, TX
7. San Antonio, TX
8. Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Raleigh-Cary, NC

Despite recession woes around the nation, the state of Texas has gained small businesses, according to the SBA. Their report covering the growth in 2008 outlines the specific numbers of new self employed persons. The state’s “entrepreneurial drive” is outpacing the rest of the nation, according to the Texas Association of Realors; despite the economy, Texas continues to attract small businesses. “Studies show that states such as Texas, with strong economic growth in recent years, are highly entrepreneurial,” says the Dallas Morning News.

Joseph Picken, executive director at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas states that employment in Fortune 500 companies is declining, and “employment in the small business sector is creating all the new jobs.”

By the numbers:

• The number of self employed people nationwide fell 2 %

• The number of self employed people in Texas rose 2 %

• Current number of self employed people nationwide: 15.9 million

• Current number of self employed people in Texas: 1.1 million

• Number of employer firms in Texas: almost 450,000

• Percent increase of employer firms in Texas from 2007-2008: 1.4% (about 6,750)

• Almost 90% of those employer firms have less than 20 employees.

From Forbes:

“Total Population: 1,249,763
Number of Top Companies: three
Median Household Income: $56,422
Cost of Living: 94.93 (average is 100)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%

With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Austin’s popularity streak continues. This has quite a bit to do with the metro area’s employers, which include the University of Texas, Advanced Micro Devices and Dell.”

Accolades just keep coming in for Austin!

If anyone’s curious about the rest of the list:

10. New York, NY

9. Kansas City, MO

8. St. Louis, MO

7. Austin, TX

6. Washington D.C.

5. Boston, MA

4. Pittsburgh, PA

3. Minneapolis, MN

2. Dallas, TX

1. Houston, TX

As reported in the Austin Business Journal, Texas was named the Number One State for Business by Directorship, a publication for corporate/boardroom leaders.

Reasons cited:

• A solid economy
• Affordable cost of living (including the health of the Real Estate Market)
• Pro-business Tax Climate
• Ability to attract Fortune 500 (and other) companies (including, recently, Comerica, and a new assembly plant for Catepillar)
• Ranks 1st in Fortune 500 companies currently located in the state
• Ranks 10th best litigation environment.

Governor Rick Perry’s take on Tuesday’s news?

“Our commitment to low taxes, predictable regulations and a fair tort system are setting an example for the nation and creating a magnetic force for the businesses and jobs that are vital to maintaining Texas’ competitive advantage in the global market.”

The U.S. Recession Report prepared by the Brookings Institution placed Texas cities as 4 of the top 5 cities on their list ranking the biggest 100 metro areas in the nation. Austin  was placed 3rd (behind San Antonio and Oklahoma City). These cities, and this state will prove to have the shortest recovery time ahead.

County level data from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics has shown Austin as the top performing metro area (of 50 metro areas examined nationwide), the online magazine Slate reports. The LAUS program is run cooperatively at state and federal levels, and estimates an area’s size of labor force, employment rates and unemployment rates. Slate examined employment numbers from January 2007 to February 2009.

Texas’s recession should remain mild and all the metro areas should see growth earlier than the rest of the country, IS Global Insight has reported to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. They predict statewide growth in the first quarter of 2010, one full quarter ahead of the rest of the U.S.

Forbes has just announced what many Austinites already knew: Austin, Texas is the best city to live in for affordability and opportunities. Austin landed number one on their Top 10 list of Best Bargain cities.

The list was based on five points:

- Average salary of workers (Bachelor’s Degree or higher)

- Annual unemployment statistics

- Cost of living

- Housing Opportunity Index (amount of homes sold that are affordable to family with the local median income).

Austin did well in all categories, particularly the unemployment rate, which at 5.5%, is about half the national average.

Why Austin? Austin has three main contributing features: being the state capital, a university town, and a technology industry based city. Further, Texas as a state offers many incentives for entrepreneurs and business owners; Texas is now home to many California businesses that became too expensive to operate in that state. Four other Texas metropolises are on the top ten (Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth). Although, even Forbes acknowledges that it’s the charm of the city and the people in it that makes Austin such a desirable place to work and live.

View from 555 Condo

If you consider horse riding a sport and have explored the different styles of riding, chances are you’ve encountered your share of good and bad horse arenas. Our new listing for the Polo Club Stables on Highway 290 in Austin is a premier equestrian showplace that features two outdoor riding arenas and one indoor, lighted arena, along with four barns and 100 stalls among the 21.76 acres with picturesque oaks. But what is the benefit of having these arenas?
One Horse Riding blogger writes that “horse arenas provide a place to practice,” and explains why they’re ideal.

-Arenas provide a place for beginners to refine their skills before dealing with the distractions of the outdoors or traffic, for both rider and horse.

-They allow a rider to make some mistakes in a safe, enclosed environment

-In trail riding, you will need to jump a horse over natural obstructions – an arena allows you to practice this beforehand

-Arenas are ideal for learning certain equestrian events, such as dressage, that you may not have tried.

Further, operating horse arenas and stables can be an exciting choice for a business. The horse industry remains a booming business, especially in Texas.

This property would be a great investment for an entrepreneur, along with being a great place for children or anyone to learn and practice how to ride safely.