Welcome to Texas

It’s ain’t  called “The great state of Texas” for nothn’!

Statistics are showing that the license plate holder saying “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could” holds more than just the saying. Texas saw an increase in residents this past year. It is the second most relocated to state in the USA.

"The diverse job opportunities and high quality of life in Texas continue to drive in-state and out-of-state migration to Texas cities and counties, both big and small," said Vicki Fullerton, 2017 chairman of the Texas Association of REALTORS®. "This is the third consecutive year that Texas has gained more than 500,000 new residents from out of state." (taken from Texas Association of Realtors)

Texas, and Houston in particular, have awed economists across the country in 2016. While the rest of the country experienced (and is slowly recovering from) an economic downturn, Texas has thrived. Texas maintained a 4% unemployment rate throughout 2016 and Houston’s 5% unemployment rate is decreasing month to month. The cost of living is also better than the national average.

The Greater Houston Partnership December Economy at a Glance says, “In October, Houston benefited from strong growth in government (+9,800 jobs), retail trade (+4,000), and manufacturing (+2,100). Government has added an average of 6,500 jobs over the past 25 years and 8,000 jobs over the previous five years, so the sector’s most recent gains are higher than normal, but still reasonable.” It also states that the Houston metro area added 18,400 jobs in October and job growth is higher than the 25-year average of 10,300 net new jobs for October, but in line with the five-year average of 18,500.”

“In Houston, cost of living is greatly impacted by the price of housing. With housing costs at 22 percent less than the national average, this city is a great place to live. With the average cost of living so low, does Houston have much to offer when it comes to entertainment or employment options? The answer is, yes! Downtown Houston has many options for casual and fine dining, a theater district with nine major performing arts centers and six performance halls and is home to the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. With the wide variety of cultural activities in Houston, it is safe to say that this big city has it all. Houston is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. Over 52,000 residents of Houston work in the Texas Medical Center, making it a large part of the city’s economy.” (taken from payscale.com)

With our strong economy, easy lifestyle, southern hospitality and mixed parts cityscape and scenic countryside Texas’ appeal is obvious.