TEXAS CITIES DOMINATE LIST OF TOP PERFORMERS

LOS ANGELES (Milken Institute) – Texas metros, led by number one Austin–Round Rock, claimed four of the top five spots and nine of the top 16 in the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best-Performing Cities Index.

Also making the list were Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood (2), McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (4), Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown (5), San Antonio (11), Fort Worth–Arlington (12), Dallas-Plano-Irving (13), El Paso (14) and Corpus Christi (16).

Austin–Round Rock was the first metro to ever be ranked number one twice on the index, the last time being in 2000.

But it doesn't stop there. Nine other Texas metros made the top 25 out of the 124 smallest metros that were studied.

Those were Midland (1), Longview (2), Tyler (4), Odessa (5), College Station–Bryan (14), Texarkana (17), Waco (18), Laredo (20) and Abilene (21).

Leaders in this year’s index, which ranks U.S. metros based on their ability to create and sustain jobs, are all metros that succeeded in avoiding the worst of economic declines driven by falling housing markets and job losses in manufacturing and global trade.

Regional economic factors also strongly influenced the rankings this year, with the oil and gas sector, technology and alternative energy providing stability among metros in Texas, North Carolina, Washington and Louisiana.

Another factor helping Texas metros move up in the rankings is the state’s favorable business climate and its ability to attract jobs and corporations away from higher-cost states.

TEXAS CITIES GET MILLIONS FROM HUD

TEXAS (Austin Business Journal, San Antonio Business Journal) – Local governments statewide have obtained funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), notably Austin, San Antonio and Bexar County.

The capital, given $13.4 million, and Alamo City and its surrounding county, given a combined $25.7 million, are receiving grants from HUD for community development and production of affordable housing.

The City of San Antonio will receive $14.6 million in Community Development Block Grant funds; $640,466 in Emergency Shelter Grant funds; $7 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding; and $1 million in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS funding.

Separately, Bexar County will receive $1.7 million in Community Development Block Grant funding and $650,999 in HOME funding.

HOME is a federal block grant program that can be used by state and local governments to develop affordable housing.

Other local governments receiving grants include Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, Laredo, McAllen, Mission, Pharr, Round Rock, San Benito, San Marcos, Victoria and Williamson County.