Round Rock is not just a suburb of Austin. It is a community that has flourished amid the recent economic woes. The schools here are top notch and the cost of living is still reasonable. It is home to some big companies, which helps to maintain a low unemployment rate. Residents of Round Rock consider it a town that would be a good choice to live, no matter who you are.
Founded in 1851, and later named for a smooth rock in the center of Brushy Creek nearby, Round Rock has made it to the top of several lists such as best place for young people and best place for relocating families. Dell has headquarters here supplying about 9,000 jobs. The unemployment rate as of early 2008 was 3.6%, at a time when nationally it is more than 5%. The median home price remains around $250,000. Business Week named Round Rock as one of the best areas for real estate bargains. The city itself boasts many shopping attractions, including an outlet mall. Sports are another big attraction here. Nolan Ryan owns the Round Rock Express, the city’s own minor league team. Parks are maintained beautifully, leaving a lot of room for residents to relax and enjoy nature or golf.
Those who call Round Rock home love it for all it has to offer. There is a small town feel to this city that has all the amenities. Commutable to Austin, many have chosen to live here for this community feel. The future looks bright in this city.
According to new data from the US Census Bureau, Austin’s population grew by 18,000 new residents between July 2006 and July 2007. This makes Austin the eighth fastest growing city in the US during this year. Houston led the pack with 39,000 new residents.
In July 2007, Austin’s population stood at 743,074, a growth of 2.4 from 2006. Many of the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the city of Austin showed significant growth between 6 percent and 25 percent, many in the 11 percent to 25 percent range. This increase in population offers opportunities as well as posing challenges for managing and controlling the growth.
Within Texas, four suburbs around Austin made showed significant growth during the year between July 2006 and 2007, and were numbered among the 25 fastest growing cities in the state. Cedar Park ranked 11th, Round Rock was 16th, Georgetown came in at 19th and Pflugerville was 22nd.
The growth has slowed, due in part to the real estate meltdown that, while hasn’t been as significant as the rest of the country, still has had a small impact on the Austin area economy, and the state as a whole. Even so, Betty Voights, executive director of the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) declares that, “while fewer people may be moving here now compared to the last few years, we’ve seen five cities in the region double in population size over the last five years regardless of the housing downturn.”
Even though 2007 was a record breaking year and the national economy appears to have taken a hit, Austin is going gangbusters. You’ve got to know things are going well when the mainstream media says the “Austin economy spanks the competition”. Here’s to a great 2008! If you’re thinking about moving to Austin, give us a call. It would be our pleasure to help!
bizjournals.com
Austin economy spanks the competition
Thursday January 31, 3:41 pm ET
High-tech, a booming film industry and the University of Texas all helped propel Austin to the top of Forbes’ 2008 list of America’s Fastest Growing Metros.The magazine ranked Austin No. 1 among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas. The list sorted cities by their anticipated gross domestic product growth between 2007 and 2012. Austin’s GMP, or the value of goods and services produced in the area, is expected to climb 32 percent over the five-year period.
Forbes credits the local boom to high-tech employers like Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL - News) and IBM (NYSE: IBM - News) as well as the University of Texas, which is producing ample engineering talent. …
Forbes used GMP forecasts provided by Moody’s Economy.com. …
Published January 31, 2008 by the Austin Business Journal
