The well-respected national magazine Plants, Sites & Parks will be out in
March with its rankings of the top metro areas in the US for corporate
moves. Austin will be listed at #10 in the nation on the carefully
scrutinized list.
This ranking isn't just the work of some magazine editors sitting in a room
and throwing darts at a wall. The magazine is required reading for
relocation experts, so each year, readers are surveyed to determine the top
relocation destinations for the upcoming year.
The magazine asks the relocation pros to name the three metro areas, in
order of preference, where they are most likely to put their next office or
industrial facility. The criteria include general costs, availability and
quality of the workforce, taxes, cooperation from state and community
governments and access to transportation resources.
Austin was #10 on the list of top cities projected for 2004. Dallas was
#1, followed by Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix, Greenville-Spartanburg,
Chicago, San Diego, Kansas City and St. Louis.
The key to this list is that the corporate re-lo experts are asked where
they themselves are most likely to put their next facility. This isn't some
esoteric, subjective ranking of qualities that make a good community. It's
where the guys who make the recommendations and decisions are focusing. To
be in the Top Ten augurs well for future economic development and the
creation of more jobs in the Austin area.
