Cross posted from GD

[tammywammy]

From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas

'If you had to ride out this downturn, there is no better place than Texas. The declines here have been nothing compared to other states.’

By STEVE CAMPBELL
[e-mail]

Across the nation, unemployment is sky-high, the housing market is sucking wind and recessionary fears have frozen Americans in place.

Just don’t tell that to a stream of new residents who are "voting with their feet" that Texas is the safest place to ride out the storm and the place to be when the economy recovers.

Even in the midst of a recession, economists, demographers and relocation experts believe the Lone Star State is on the cusp of becoming The New California.

Or maybe it already is.

For people seeking economic opportunity, Texas is becoming what California has been since the Great Depression, says Los Angeles urbanist and author Joel Kotkin. Texas recently "ran the table" in a recent list of "Best Cities for Jobs" prepared by Kotkin for New Geography and Forbes. Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas were ranked as the top five large metro areas in the country to find a job. If that weren’t enough to get the moving van loaded, McAllen and Odessa top the mid-sized and small city categories, respectively. Among 333 metropolitan areas, Texas has a remarkable 20 in the top 100.

Relocation surveys show that Texas remains a top destination for people leaving other states. Its automobile registrations continue to climb, and the Texas housing market has avoided the double-digit declines other fast-growing states have seen. While the unemployment rate has risen in Texas, it’s nowhere near as high as most of the country, underscoring the state’s economic resiliency even as the downturn deals out its lumps.

-snip-

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1380964.html

[Baby Snooks]

1. Hope they have a job before they come...

The jobs that are out there aren't exactly what most people are looking for. Lots of them minimum wage. Assistance agencies and food banks, not to mention shelters, are being overwhelmed. That is the other side of the "boom" in Texas that really isn't a "boom" at all.

By the same token many of the newcomers may be Democrats and so if enough new Democrats move here we may be able to get rid of the Republicans and the current crop of "Democrats" in the legislature.

I'm finding that like Martin Luther King I have a dream. To have Democrats in the Texas Legislature who only work well with Democrats.

[sonias]

2. Welcome them

When more people from more progressive areas come to Texas we win. We can change this state.

True that things are not great here, but they can always get better.


Sonia

[tammywammy]

3. I agree Sonia

I was worried because it's a "positive" article on Texas that people not so positive about Texas would wade in.

[sonias]

4. We got your back

But we have to play nice too.

I apologized to Paladin for getting their Texas DU thread locked. Fair is fair.


Sonia

[sonias]

5. I'm going to provide the link to the GD thread

From the Midwest to the Pacific, job seekers are heading to Texas

Come on in and join us and say some positive things about Texas!

:kick:


Sonia

[tammywammy]

6. Thanks Sonia

I didn't even think of that. LOL!