Local News

NORCROSS, Ga. (Site Selection) – Texas has claimed the top slot in Site Selection magazine's "Top Business Climate 2011" contest.

The Lone Star State finished strong in the objective, data-driven component of the index used to determine the top business climates, as well as in the subjective input supplied by respondents to the magazine's annual executive survey of site selectors.

One survey respondent commended Texas for being "a pro-business, entrepreneurial, right-to-work state." Another applauded the state's tax climate, regulatory environment, incentive programs and work-force development efforts.

Site Selection reported that 40 percent of the new U.S. jobs created since June 2009 were created in Texas. A ranking by NewGeography.com supports that.

That site's "Best Cities for Job Growth 2011" rankings look at employment data over time across three population tiers. In the small metros category, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood placed first, College Station-Bryan third and Midland fourth. El Paso placed first in the midsize tier, followed by Corpus Christi and, in fourth, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. In the large tier, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos placed first, Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown third, San Antonio-New Braunfels fourth and Dallas-Plano-Irving fifth.

Those jobs mean demand for office space, another area in which Texas has stood out. Houston, Austin and Dallas finished in the top ten markets nationally in office space demand, according to an analysis by national real estate services firm Cassidy Turley. The firm found those three markets alone accounted for nearly 20 percent of all net demand in third quarter 2011.

"Other markets in Texas are also positive," said Kevin Thorpe, chief economist with Cassidy Turley. "The U.S. is a mixed-bag story, with many negative markets and many positive markets. In Texas, it's positive across the board."