Let's get straight to business. Austin gets its share of high ratings in national business media, from Number 3 on Forbes' "Best Places to Do Business" 1 to Number 4 on Business 2.0's "Boomtown" 2 ratings. It gets the nod as a young, creative and entrepreneurial city in a dynamic, growing region. The reasons are solid and varied, but the theme that most often tops the list is this—workforce.

Whether polishing semiconductor wafers, coding software, driving a forklift, analyzing financial statements, mapping the next big merger or breaking ground in the research lab, this region's greatest resource is its educated, skilled and adaptable people. Diverse, highly trained and readily available—Austin is recognized worldwide for the quality of its human capital. That's why we call it "The Human Capital"™.

Austin: World Knowledge Capital
Human creativity, ingenuity and energy are the fuels of business success today, but nowhere else possesses them quite like the Austin region.

Diversity & Synergy
Greater Austin is a five-county region thriving on a balance of technology, business services, education and government.

Workforce Generation
Nearly 1.5 million residents, almost half between ages 18 and 44, and a median age four years younger than the national median.

Academic Strength
Eight colleges and universities, with renowned academic programs and enrollment of over 118,000 students. Some 43 percent of adults in the city of Austin and 39 percent of adults in the metro hold a bachelor's or advanced degree.

The University of Texas at Austin
World-class programs in bioengineering, computer science, engineering, business, nanotechnology, bioinformatics and pharmaceutical research. Seven doctoral programs ranked in the nation's top 10, and 22 others ranked in the top 25.

University/Corporate Collaboration
UT's associated programs include the Austin Technology Incubator, IC² and the Office of Technology Commercialization. Austin Community College offers customized training for employers.

Business Friendly State
No personal or corporate state income tax. Texas is a right-to-work state with minimal union activity.

Attractive Location Options
The five-county region's commercial real estate market offers exceptional value, with an office vacancy rate above 20 percent and falling rental rates.

Transportation Infrastructure
A modern new international airport, along major highway shipping routes to Southwest business centers, Canada and Mexico.

Exceptional Quality of Life
Ranked fourth among Travel & Leisure magazine and America Online's Most Loved Cities. A young, creative, culturally rich community set among the lush hills, lakes and rivers of the Texas hill country.

A corporate executive announcing a new location in the Austin area last year said it this way: "Bringing in the whole region for us to talk to all the regional leaders—it opened up so many more opportunities for us. What a great way to market a community!"

Whether polishing semiconductor wafers, coding software, driving a forklift, analyzing financial statements, mapping the next big merger or breaking ground in the research lab, this region's greatest resource is its educated, skilled and adaptable people. Diverse, highly trained and readily available—Austin is recognized worldwide for the quality of its human capital. That's why we call it "The Human Capital"™.

Regionalism isn't just another word here. It's the way we operate. This five-county region offers the right location for every kind of business. When you step off the jet at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, you're standing at the portal of a region that encompasses rural areas ripe for development, upscale suburban communities, historic squares and busy college towns. It's a region anchored by a world-class metropolitan area with the culture, environment and lifestyle that attracts best in class employees.

And except for game time in the football stadiums, we're all working for a win-win.