Austin is consistently referred to as one of the most recession-proof cities in the country. Combine that with Austin's beauty, diversity, mild climate, outdoor lifestyle, excellent city parks, and its vibrant fine arts, night life and live music scene, and you can easily see why people are flocking to this hip little oasis in the big state of Texas.

"Austin ranks high for, well, just about everything" | Austin Business Journal | by Colin Pope | Wednesday, April 13, 2011

All around town you may see bumper stickers and t-shirts with Austin’s un-official slogan “Keep Austin Weird”. This was adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote locally based businesses which are an important aspect of the city's unique personality.

One of the greatest treasures of Austin is the 16,682 acres of award-winning parks throughout the city. Thousands of "Austinites" take to the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike trails every day to walk, jog, run or ride.

Zilker Park, with it’s wide open spaces along Lady Bird Lake and great views of Austin’s skyline, is the crown jewel of the park system. The Barton Creek Greenbelt features 7 miles of trails on 772 acres and is popular with mountain bikers and hikers.

Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World” and has more live music venues per capita than any other U.S. city. The live music scene is centered around the famous 6th Street District downtown, though the Warehouse District and South Congress Avenue (SoCo) are also home to live music, restaurants, hotels and shopping.