When you move here, don't forget your laptop. Newsweek ranked Austin among its "Top 10 Hottest Wireless Cities." There's more free wireless hotspots per capita here than anywhere else in the country - about 11 for every 100,000 residents. Austin's high ranking is credited to a strong grassroots wireless movement, especially the Austin City Wireless Project (www.austincitywireless.org).

Labor & Unemployment
Austin's a great place to work and play, and no matter what your business, there's likely an industry here that supports it. The rise, fall and rise again of Austin's technology industry is a sure sign that the city continues to be resilient when it comes to starting, growing and nurturing a successful business.

Employment rates continue to rise, too. In fact, Texas employers have added jobs for 24 consecutive months - and for 37 of the last 38 months. And, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September 2006 was 4.8 percent - compared with 4.6 percent for the United States.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, as of September 2006, Texas employers added 226,200 jobs in all major industry sectors (including construction, educational and health services, natural resources and mining, financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and state and local government).

And, while the nation as a whole has seen job growth of 1.3 percent, the Austin area has attained an impressive growth rate of 2.3 percent - a considerable increase from last year's 1.5 percent growth rate.

Austin: Growing - and Attracting Attention
People and businesses from around the country and even internationally are still heading to Austin. Besides the city's beautiful and scenic surroundings, Austin's cost of living is still less than many major cities.

According to the City of Austin, Austin's cost of living increased an average of 3 percent annually over the last five years. The city currently has a composite index of 95.3 (as of second quarter 2006) - on par with Atlanta, Dallas and Raleigh/ Durham, but far below New York (146.8) and San Francisco (169.4).

Because Austin has remained an affordable place to live and work, growth in the greater Austin region has skyrocketed. In particular, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop counties are ranked among the top 100 fastest-growing counties with more than 10,000 people.

From April 2004 to July 2005, Williamson County's population grew 33.4 percent, to 333,457; Hays County's population grew 27.5 percent, to 124,432; and Bastrop County's population grew 21.2 percent, to 69,932. Williamson and Hays also ranked in the top 100 fastest-growing counties between 2004 and 2005 among all counties in the United States.

Today's Austin's MSA population is 1,452,529 million (as of 2005). Those numbers make Austin the 4th largest city in the state of Texas, and the 16th largest city in the U.S.
"Strong community support for the public schools and the lure of jobs have fueled population growth," reported Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine in June 2006. "Austin is a sophisticated salsa of culture, history and politics."

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