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  • Sam Chapman is a real estate agent with Private Label Realty and is licensed in the state of Texas. License # 0509637.
Austin Tops Another Forbes List - Best Bargain Cities

Forbes came out with a list of the Best Bargain Cities in the country and Austin was right at the top.  Forbes studied the top 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and looked at things like employment, salaries for degreed workers, the cost of housing and other federal data.  As is the case with many lists out recently about cities doing well economically, Austin and three other Texas cities made the top ten on this list.

Austin made it on another Forbes list too - Best Cities for the Outdoors.  Austin was tied with L.A. at 11th place.  My guess is that Austin would have been much higher if it wasn't for our hot summers.  One can tell that climate was a big part of this when seeing L.A., San Diego and San Francisco on the list.  Part of what got Austin up there is probably the topography here.  There are some really excellent routes in the Hill Country for training on bicycles.  The area also has some great parks with hiking and rock climbing.  There are some really cool swimming holes like out at Krause Springs too.  Of course, Lake Travis is absolutely fabulous.

Questions about Lake Travis real estate?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

Posted: Friday, May 15, 2009 2:26 PM by Sam Chapman

Comments

Richard Stabile Bergen County Real Estate said:

Is Austin main employers the Oil and Gas Industry?

I know the real estate values in Texas never got over done, as in other areas. Is there another major industry or is just a mix?

# May 18, 2009 8:08 PM

RealEstateJoe said:

With a median price per square foot in Austin currently at $143 and having been below $152 for the past year, I'd say, yes Austin has a very affordable profile. This same statistic for the other markets: Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco being: $267, $285 and $530 respectively, gives and impression of areas with similar climate and lifestyle.

# May 19, 2009 1:12 PM

Sam Chapman said:

Richard - Austin has a lot going for it in terms of employers.  The state government is huge.  The University of Texas and other colleges and universities are here.  Dell Computer is headquartered in Round Rock, a suburb to the north.  We also have lots of other high tech employers like Advanced Micro Devices, Samsung, IBM and others.  There is a lot of medical here as well.

# May 19, 2009 1:32 PM

Buddy said:

Nothing can beat the vibe Austin, Texas. It's South Congress style also attracts a lot of people looking to get away from the "rat-race" vibe of Los Angeles and New York. Web stats show that most of out-of-state visitors come from California and New York. Austin is, I believe, one of the countries best-kept secrets. Austin is one of the safest cities in America; One of the healthiest cities in America, one of the fittest cities with a great lifestyle.

# June 1, 2009 10:51 PM
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