Four Texas areas make Top Twenty Five nationwide when it comes to economic growth and potential! (Houston: best cities, employment)

[KathrynAragon]

Leading Locations for 2012: Which MSAs Rank Highest for Economic & Job Growth? | Area Development Online

Those four MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) are:

2. Odessa
6. Midland
11. Austin
22. Longview

The other areas represented in the TOP TWENTY FIVE are:

Columbus, Indiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Bismark, North Dakota
Fargo, Minnesota
San Jose, California
Casper, Wyoming
Morganville, West Virginia
Columbia, Missouri
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oklahoma City, OK
Charleston, SC
Nashville, TN
Dubuque, Iowa
Manhattan, Kansas
Knoxville, TN
State College, PA
Trenton, NJ
Washington, DC
Boston, MA
Holland, Michigan
Owensboro, KY

Go, Texas! And go, South (eight out of twenty five top locations!) And go, oil and gas industry (big part of the picture in at least 8 of those locations as well!).

It's not doom and gloom everywhere, folks.

[savanite]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Leading Locations for 2012: Which MSAs Rank Highest for Economic & Job Growth? | Area Development Online

Those four MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) are:

2. Odessa
6. Midland
11. Austin
22. Longview

The real question is... why trust the credibility of areadevelopment.com?

Why would we believe they can forecast the future?

What predictions did they make ten years ago? And how accurate were they?

Next year, will there be a different list of towns?

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by savanite

The real question is... why trust the credibility of areadevelopment.com?

Why would we believe they can forecast the future?

What predictions did they make ten years ago? And how accurate were they?

Next year, will there be a different list of towns?

Did you read the article? How familiar are you with this organization?

I guess you should do your own research. Get back with us with what you find out, OK? Should be interesting.

[savanite]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Did you read the article? How familiar are you with this organization?

I guess you should do your own research. Get back with us with what you find out, OK? Should be interesting.

Since I, and many others, are not familiar with the source, they have the burden of proof. I'd be a fool if I believed everything put out on the Internet. And I don't have the interest or time to investigate every organization that claims to foretell the future.

I would think, though, that no one could possibly be in a position to make the claims they are making, identifying specific towns as the highest for job growth.

For example, how succesful were they in predicting the bursting of the information tech bubble? Did they anticipate the slowdown of the transportation industry after the 9-11 highjackings? What about the effect of hurricane Katrina on the Texas towns and cities?

If you believe that they authoritative, would you explain how and why? I need a reason to actually read another one of these things. Or even to add it to a long list of magazines and web pages that tout "the best cities for xxxxxxxx".

[gabetx]

I wouldn't pay much attention to this poll... To have Midland Odessa and LONGVIEW of all places over Houston, Corpus Christi or SA.

The Eagleford Shale is just as busy if not busier than the oilfield in west Texas. So I can't see how Midland or Odessa could possibly be higher than Houston or Victoria for potential. SA is not far form the oilfield and is starting to attract oil companies. Corpus Christi is also attracting a lot of oil companies and has the 5th busiest port in the nation. I can definitely see Austin in there though.

I wouldn't have a problem with seeing Midland or Odessa in the top 25. But to have them as number two and number six is ridiculous when comparing them to cities like Houston or SA. This list should be dominated by TX cities not all of these cities I have hardly heard of.

[Texas Liberal]

Odessa-Midland represent. Woot!

[cinnamon_toast]

Since when is Fargo in Minnesota?????????????? And Bismarck is spelled with a "c"!!!

[Texas Liberal]

Originally Posted by cinnamon_toast

Since when is Fargo in Minnesota?????????????? And Bismarck is spelled with a "c"!!!

Bismarck is spelled correctly at the link and the rankings are for metropolitan areas so Fargo is in ND-MN. But the picture of Odessa is wrong I think.

[sxrckr]

Austin and Houston are where it's at.

Midland/Odessa and Longview are really too small and with very limited industries for most people (unless they're in those specific industries, and plan to be long term).

[Redlionjr]

You can't count my hometown of Longview out. Longview has been in the media for some years now when it comes to the economy. It's not some podunk east texas "town". It's a small city that is growing and growing and the economy in Longview is pretty damn healthy.

Taken from Longviewchamber.com

In recent years the city has emerged from one of East Texas’s best-kept secret to one of the TOP 30 HOTTEST CITIES IN AMERICA (2006), by Expansion Management magazine. In fact, Inc. Magazine named Longview-Marshall “as one of best places for doing business in America” (2005) and according to Economy.com “Longview’s economy continues to expand at an impressive clip. Employment in the metro area is at an all-time high thanks to broad-based job creation. Hiring activity is strongest in business/professional services, reflecting increased use of temp workers and Longview’s overall economic growth. Employment growth in Longview continues to exceed the Texas average by a healthy margin.” (2005)