The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

AUSTIN – Texas

dominated the Milken Institute’s annual index of Best-Performing Cities,

taking four of the Top 5 positions and nine of the Top 25, thanks to

the state’s healthy economy and robust job creation climate.

“I’m

proud of the environment we’ve created in Texas that allows employers

to risk their capital, receive a return on their investment and create

jobs, thanks to our low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulatory

environment, fair legal system and skilled workforce,” Gov. Rick Perry

said. “Each of these cities highlights the reasons Texas is the best

place to live, work and raise a family, and I congratulate them on this

recognition.”

To determine the Best-Performing cities, the Milken

Institute measured job, wage and technology performance over a

five-year period. The study found that Texas employers were responsible

for one of every five jobs created in the nation from June 2010 to June

2011. San Antonio was the top performer among the nation’s 200

Best-Performing large metros, and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown ranked

number one among the 10 largest metros. The study attributes Texas’

success to having a favorable business climate, low business costs,

renewed trade with Mexico and South America, and ongoing energy

exploration and alternative fuels research.

Earlier this year,

Site Selection Magazine, DCI and Area Development Magazine each ranked

Texas as the best business climate. Additionally, Texas won Site

Selection Magazine’s 2010 Governor’s Cup for the most new and expanded

corporate facilities announced over the year.

According to USA Today,

Texas has moved past New York as the nation’s second largest economy,

and the Wall Street Journal has credited the state’s low taxes and

employer-friendly environment with helping make Texas the job creation

capital of the nation. Additionally, Texas is ranked as the top

exporting state in the nation for the ninth year in a row, and Texas

consistently ranks among the top states for Fortune 500 headquarters.

To view the full report online, please visit http://bestcities.milkeninstitute.org/.

To view the full report as a PDF, please visit http://governor.state.tx.us/files/press-office/BestPerformingCities2011MilkenReport.pdf.

To find out more about job creation in Texas, please visit www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com.