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I think one way of seeing best is the state of the average resident. I think the average Austinite and even the poorest Austinite not including the homeless population but the bottom 40% do better in Austin than just about any other city. Riverside, Windsor Park and North Lamar are still desirable compared to the Third Ward or International Boulevard in Oakland. In fact Austin’s city is so well developed I wouldn’t be surprised if statistically the poorest residents in the MSA were in Lockhart or Elgin, or something along those lines.
Outside of that, Austin is outclassed by Houston and most cities on this list.
I think what hurts Austin more than anything else is it has the highest, or among the highest cost of housing of any city in the United States that is not on the West Coast, the Northeast, DC, South Florida, some high dollar resort towns scattered around the country, Alaska and Hawaii. Property taxes are also among the highest in the nation. However, groceries and gasoline do seem to be cheaper in Austin (and Texas) than most cities (and other states).
Jokes aside, I think the correct term for this list is “greater” not best. “Better” is a subjective term. To many, Austin is the best city in Texas. But objectively, it’s not the greatest city in the state. Greater is a more along what the OP’s list describes.
Top 5 never changes, just the order varies from list to list. But how do San Diego and Las Vegas jump cities liked Boston, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta if criteria like Fortune 500 companies are being considered?
That was one component of six core categories used for rating.
I'm guessing San Diego's 70 miles of beaches with year round perfect weather helped it narrowly clear the hurdle of Houston's WalMart and Schlumberger corporate offices.
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