Local News

Austin ranks sixth on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's newest list of top 10 cities in which to live, work and play.

The list, published in Kiplinger's July issue, ranks cities based on the strength of their economies, abundance of jobs, reasonable costs of living and activities.

Austin ranks sixth, but another major Texas city, Houston, tops this year's list.

To identify the Best Cities of 2008, Kiplinger's teamed up with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity.

Stolarick helped develop a formula which highlights cities not just with prosperous pasts, but also with the ingredients for future success. "One key to a bright future is a healthy shot of people in the creative class," says Stolarick. "People in creative fields--scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers--are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city."