More validation for Austin

I find myself in disagreement with our city council’s approach to the world more often than I would like, but Austin is home, and it is great to see “river city” keep coming up on national rankings for positive things.  Here’s the latest from Brookings Institute:

America’s most recession-proof cities

I guess “Keep Austin Weird” means many things.  On the surface, Austin’s free-wheeling lifestyle and worldview don’t mesh well with a thriving economy and the kind of stability that article discusses.  On the other hand, we have had a strong entrepreneurial outlook for many years, and I believe that is an important factor.  Sure large employment and related local spending by state government and several colleges and universities make a huge contribution, but it is the private sector that continues to attract employers and their employees here.

Austin has paid some dues on the downside before — notably when the dot-com bubble burst a decade ago.  Small companies failed right and left, employment tumbled, and home values took a serious hit.  We came back, though, and thankfully we did not follow Silicon Valley back up the real estate roller coaster just to roar back down the hill in this recession.

This really is a great place to be, and a great time to be here!