Austin holds a handful of top rankings in innovation, intelligence, friendliness, fitness and environmentalism, but what about in terms of business, real estate, and the economy?

The self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin boasts over 1700 live music venues and is home to the musical festivals Austin City Limits and South By Southwest (SXSW) as well as the Austin Film Festival. In 2009, SXSW generated $99 million for the city. “Keep Austin Weird,” has become the city’s unofficial slogan and attempt to maintain this creative economy by supporting “Austinite’s” creative flare and local businesses.

Large corporations like Dell and Whole Foods, both headquartered in the metro area, also boost the city’s economy. Additionally, Apple, Inc., IBM, Intel, Google and Facebook have operations in Austin. Austin’s businesses are supported by fresh minds, cutting edge technology and innovation, which the city’s institutes of higher education, most notably the University of Texas at Austin.

In 2008 the city began redeveloping its Comprehensive Plan, which by late 2010 will outline goals for future development, environment, business and social services. Other major planning departments are focusing on transit oriented, downtown and mixed-use development.

Austin, once defined as an eccentric, offbeat community, offers a combination of lifestyles, a diverse and well-educated workforce, and a vibrant local economy. The bottom line is that Austin is, and will continue to be, one of the top cities in America in terms of economic data as well as cultural capital.

The list of recent accolades for the city includes:

#1 best city for the NEXT DECADE – Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, July 2010
#1 Market for Young adults – Austin Business Journal, March 2010
#1 Best Retail City in the US – Pitney Bowes Business Insight, Dec 2009
#1 Best Bargain City in the US – Forbes, May 2009
#1 City in US for Job Growth Potential – NewGeography, April 2009
#1 City in the US for Economic Recovery – Forbes, March 2010
#1 City for Job Growth – US Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2009
#1 City for a Career – WomenCo May 2009
#5 safest city with a population of 500,000 or more – CQ Press of Washington, January 2009
#7 on the list of America’s Tech Centers – American Cities Business Journal, May 2009
#10 on the American Fitness Index “fit” Cities List – The American College of Sports Medicine, May 2009
#2 Healthiest Housing Market – Builder Magazine, October 2009
#2 of the Top 40 Economies in the US – Businessweek, September 2009
#2 Fastest Growing Metro Area 2007-2008 – US Census Bureau, March 2009
Best Cities for the Outdoors – Forbes, February 2009
Top 15 Art Destination in America – American Style Magazine, April 2009
Top 10 Greenest Cities in America – The Mother Nature Network, May 2010

Author Bio: Red Home Realty is a forward-thinking group of real estate professionals that look at real estate differently because the old way is broken. We’re tech nerds (offering powerful Austin Home Search tool for buyers and online and social media marketing Viagra Jelly for sellers) and we offer 20% cash back commission rebates to eligible buyers. Connect with us at http://www.redhomerealty.com or learn about the Austin market on our company blog at http://www.redhomerealty.com/category/blog

Category: Business/Small Business
Keywords: Austin, TX, Austin Jobs, Austin Economy, Austin Real Estate, Austin Homes, Austin Condos, Austin Investment