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        <title>Austin Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/tags/city-of-austin/</link>
        <description>Austin Real Estate Blog - Cantera Real Estate - This multi-author blog covers the local Austin, Texas real estate market, housing trends, new developments, new MLS listings, Austin area news, and relocation info.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/city-of-austin-working-toward-teaming-with-google.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/city-of-austin-working-toward-teaming-with-google.html</link>
            <author>jim@jimolenbush.com (Jim Olenbush)</author>
            <title>City of Austin Working Toward Teaming with Google</title>
            <categories>austin-news</categories>
            <description> <![CDATA[ Austin is planning to make a bid on becoming one of the sites for the ultra-fast broadband network that is being considered by Google Inc and that will significantly increase the speed of Internet access throughout the city.Earlier this month, Google announce plans to build one or more high-speed networks in an effort to demonstrate the advantages of having fast Internet access. Through the proposed project, the system would be 50 to 100 times faster than the fastest commercial broadband services typically available in the United States. By offering this super fast service, the company hopes to jumpstart the development of next-generation online services while also demonstrating how to build and operate such a network.Many within the Austin community think it would be in the city's best interest to pursue teaming up with Google to work on this project. As such, City Council Members are moving forward with considering a resolution to prepare a response to Google regarding the project. Furthermore, Rondella Hawkins, who is the manager of Austin's telecommunications and regulatory affairs, has said that she will coordinate the city's response while also requesting more information fro other cities that are interested in participating in the project. When deciding on which city or cities will participate in the program, Google will consider the broadband services that are already available as well as the potential demand in the city for higher-speed broadband services. The company is also interested in working with sites where it can quickly and efficiently deploy a network. Thanks to Austin's substantial high-tech business and academic communities, Hawkins believes the city is a good fit with what Google is looking for. Currently, the city has three broadband providers in place, with Time Warner Cable Inc. being the dominant company. Dallas-based AT&amp;T an San Marcos-based Grande Communications also offer services that cover only parts of the city.City officials are already working together on putting together a proposal, though Hawkins has indicated that she expects the competition to be quite intense. Other cities that have also expressed an interest in participating in the program include Portland in Oregon, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Seattle in Washington.Applications to participate in the project are due by March 26. Although Google hasn't said how many locations will be included in the project, the company plans to make its decision regarding which city or cities will participate by the end of this year.  ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:49:44 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/austin-ranks-well-on-many-surveys.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/austin-ranks-well-on-many-surveys.html</link>
            <author>jim@jimolenbush.com (Jim Olenbush)</author>
            <title>Austin Ranks Well On Many Surveys</title>
            <categories>austin-news</categories>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Austin and Central Texas are at the top of many lists in terms of educational attainment, quality of life, low crime rates, economic growth potential and many other areas. Here's a look at a few of the honors that Austin and the Central Texas area have received over the past year:


Austin was ranked number one by the Milken Institute for creating jobs, with the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood MSA ranking second.

Austin was ranked #2 out of 100 metro areas for employment potential and for having the highest metropolitan growth potential (MGP) by Business Week and The Brookings Institute.

Austin was ranked #9 by CNN-Money as being one of the best places to start a business

Portfolio.com ranked Austin as #1 out of the 100 largest cities for job creation (Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth and San Antonio all ranked within the top 5 as well)

Austin and San Antonio were named the two American cities that were the most likely to bounce back to their pre-recession status by The Austin Business Journal and IHC Insight (6 of the top 20 cities listed by the report are in Texas)

Forbes listed Austin as the least stressful city to live in after comparing 40 cities based on factors such as traffic congestion, housing values and unemployment


This is only a small sampling of the lists on which Austin and Central Texas have listed over the past year. In fact, the city of Austin alone has been included on over 60 studies or publications over the last year, with the city ranking high in areas such as business climate, pollution, living affordability, population density, weather, education, cost of living, quality of life issues and employment. It's no wonder so many people are interested in calling the capital city their home!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:58:06 -0600</pubDate>
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