Georgetown Texas is known for it's small town atmosphere and friendly folks, yet large enough to stand on it's own. Georgetown is the home of Southwestern University, Wolf Ranch Shopping Center and major medical facilities such as Scott and White and St David's Hospital as well as area Seton Hospitals. Del Webb's Sun City Texas, a 55+ Adult Retirement Community is also located in Georgetown.
Georgetown Ranked # 2 by Fortune Small Business Magazine as Best places to live and launch a Business:
#2 out of 100 *Georgetown, Texas*
Population: 37,963
Pros: Business friendly tax structure, entrepreneurial camaraderie, scenic suburb of Austin
Con: Higher housing costs
Austin's entrepreneurial community may be among the strongest in the country, but its heavy traffic and urbanization have driven some experienced business folks to look elsewhere. Enter Georgetown. This suburb of Austin has transformed from a sleepy bedroom community into a city with its own identity and a rapidly growing business climate.
Located 26 miles north of the state's capital, Georgetown has welcomed 270 new businesses over the past two years. The state's lack of individual and corporate income taxes is just one reason Texas is considered business-friendly. On a local level, Georgetown charges relatively low water and electricity rates, and its property taxes are among the lowest in the region. As part of the Greater Austin area, Georgetown entrepreneurs in the city's growth industries - healthcare, life sciences, and technology - can seek out additional support from the region's business-development efforts. A convention center slated to open next year should help further build Georgetown's up-and-coming business scene.
Georgetown is considered one of the prettiest cities in Williamson County, especially during the spring and summer months when poppies and wild flowers are in full bloom. Housing costs tend to be higher than in many of Austin's other suburbs, but residents who settle into one of the city's restored Victorian homes or new Tuscan villas can enjoy a walk along the bank of the San Gabriel River or play a round of golf on one of the five local courses. Mountain biking trails around Lake Georgetown lead riders to the edge of Texas Hill Country. As the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World," Austin still offers the best selection of performing arts in the region. However, Georgetown's annual food and arts festivals, independently-owned restaurants, rodeo, and nearby wineries are enough to keep residents close to home most of the time. -Brandi Stewart
(Austin Business Journal, CNNMoney.com) – Six Texas counties have made CNNMoney.com's list of the nation's top 25 best counties for job growth from 2000 to 2008.
At number two, Rockwall County led Texas with 84.9 percent job growth for the eight-year period.
RankCountyJob Growth
2000–2008
2Rockwall84.9%
6Fort Bend61.3%
14Williamson53.2% (Austin, Georgetown, and Round Rock)
15Collin52.7%
22Hidalgo50.6%
24Webb49.2%
Below are some interesting facts and statistics about Georgetown, Texas from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce:
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS:
1. Georgetown has grown by more than 60% since the 2000 Census.
2. As of 2006, Georgetown was the 55th fastest growing community over 10,000 in population in the nation. (Forbes)
3. Georgetown has added more than 3 million square feet of retail, commercial, industrial, and office space in Georgetown since 2002.
4. We added 5,279 new jobs in Georgetown between 2002 and 2007, with an average hourly wage of $17.25.
5. Our primary Zip Code, 78628 has an average household income of $100,000.
6. Williamson County Schools are ranked 9th in the entire nation in quality of education per dollar of spending per student (Forbes).
7. We have added more miles of new roads (and invested more in their construction) in Williamson County since 2000 than any other county in the United States.
8. The growth in our Healthcare Sector in Williamson County leads the nation. (Five new or expanded hospitals).
9. We are on the verge of building a new medical school that will generate 50,000 new jobs in our economy.
10. We recruited the first Tier II Toyota supplier to locate in Georgetown. (Tasa Corporation)
11. We landed the national data center for the number one company on the Fortune 100.
12. We were successful in retaining Airborn, Inc., and that will result not only in saving 350 jobs, but creating 500 new jobs over three years.
13. We have continued to see very strong growth in the residential building sector, with almost 1,100 new homes in 2006, and many more this year and planned for the future.
14. We are currently working on 17 site selection opportunities that all have the potential to close within 12 months.
15. We are about to open the Texas Life Sciences Commercialization Center (with more than $250,000 being committed by the city).
16. Southwestern University is ranked near the top of every Liberal Arts listing, including the Princeton Review, and is contemplating building a new conference center and hotel.
17. Three major projects are moving forward in our Downtown Overlay District.
18. The Chamber will soon have 1,100 members, and with the approval of our requested lease extension, will be able to expand our facilities and be guaranteed sustainability for the next 38 years.
19. We have the finest movie theater and will soon have the finest bowling center in Central Texas. There are actually things for young people and families to do in Georgetown.
20. We have grown the city's tax base to more than $3.5 billion and have been able to achieve the highest possible bond rating for cities of less than 300,000 in population.
21. We continue to have one of the lowest crime rates in the nation.
22. We now have a majority on our City Council that supports economic development and understands the importance of a strong business community.
23. We are blessed with good and caring leaders who are committed to caring for those less fortunate, and are doing so more effectively than in any community of which I am aware.
24. Our community of faith continues to grow, with new or expanded houses of worship everywhere you look.
25. We have great people like you who will never be satisfied until we truly become a community of excellence.
Below are some interesting facts and statistics about Georgetown, Texas from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce:
100 best places to live and launch
2 of 100 2. Georgetown, Texas
• A Victorian enclave in Texas: Read our full profile of Georgetown
• Talk back: What do you think of Georgetown?
Population: 37,963
Pros: Business friendly tax structure, entrepreneurial camaraderie, scenic suburb of Austin
Con: Higher housing costs
Austin's entrepreneurial community may be among the strongest in the country, but its heavy traffic and urbanization have driven some experienced business folks to look elsewhere. Enter Georgetown. This suburb of Austin has transformed from a sleepy bedroom community into a city with its own identity and a rapidly growing business climate.
Located 26 miles north of the state's capital, Georgetown has welcomed 270 new businesses over the past two years. The state's lack of individual and corporate income taxes is just one reason Texas is considered business-friendly. On a local level, Georgetown charges relatively low water and electricity rates, and its property taxes are among the lowest in the region. As part of the Greater Austin area, Georgetown entrepreneurs in the city's growth industries - healthcare, life sciences, and technology - can seek out additional support from the region's business-development efforts. A convention center slated to open next year should help further build Georgetown's up-and-coming business scene.
Georgetown is considered one of the prettiest cities in Williamson County, especially during the spring and summer months when poppies and wild flowers are in full bloom. Housing costs tend to be higher than in many of Austin's other suburbs, but residents who settle into one of the city's restored Victorian homes or new Tuscan villas can enjoy a walk along the bank of the San Gabriel River or play a round of golf on one of the five local courses. Mountain biking trails around Lake Georgetown lead riders to the edge of Texas Hill Country. As the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World," Austin still offers the best selection of performing arts in the region. However, Georgetown's annual food and arts festivals, independently-owned restaurants, rodeo, and nearby wineries are enough to keep residents close to home most of the time. -Brandi Stewart
DOING BUSINESS IN GEORGETOWN,TEXAS
Georgetown is home to one of the fastest growing and most talented workforces in the nation. From 1990 to 2001, the city's civilian labor force grew by 101%, while the number of employed workers jumped by 103%. Between 2002 and 2007, Georgetown added 5,287 new jobs with an average wage of $19.33 per hour. The industry sectors employing the largest number of people in the city are education, health, and social services; these are followed by manufacturing and retail. In addition, companies located in Georgetown have access to an Austin metropolitan area workforce surpassing three-quarters of a million people. And without question, the city and regional workforces are one of the most technologically proficient in the country with thousands employed in such industries as electronics manufacturing, software development, computer services, telecommunications, data services, and management.
In 2007, The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce was joined by the City of Georgetown and Southwestern University in creating the Texas Life-sciences Collaboration Center, which hosts leading-edge biotech, nanotech, and health-sciences companies RADIX Bio-Solutions, Orthopeutics, Quantum Logic Devices, and Deaton Engineering. TLCC is the nucleus of what will become an important biotechnology cluster, establishing Georgetown as a leader in this emerging field.
AUSTIN, TEXAS REAL ESTATE NEWS:
Austin is the U.S. market that is most conducive to the creation and development of small businesses, according to the latest On Numbers rankings.
Oklahoma City is second in the current standings, followed by Charleston, S.C., Charlotte and Seattle.
We used a six-part formula to analyze the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, searching for the places that offer the best climates for small businesses. See the bottom of this page for a database with the top-to-bottom standings.
Austin emerged as the clear leader, thanks to its outstanding records in three statistical categories that have a direct impact on small-business activity:
• Population: The Austin area added 286,000 residents between 2004 and 2009, an increase of 20.2 percent. The only metro to grow faster was Raleigh at 22.8 percent.
• Employment: Austin’s job base expanded by 9.3 percent between 2005 and 2010, the third-fastest upswing in the nation.
• Small-business growth: The number of small businesses grew by 1.5 percent in Austin between 2007 and 2008, the latest period covered by official statistics. No other market did better than 0.6 percent.
The highest scores in our study went to areas that have prosperous economies, are expanding rapidly, and are densely packed with small businesses. (We define a small business as any private-sector employer with 99 or fewer employees.)
At the very bottom of the rankings is Modesto, Calif., which lost 3.4 percent of its small businesses between 2007 and 2008 — and 11.3 percent of its jobs between 2005 and 2010.
This is the third straight year that we’ve used the same formula to rate the small-business vitality of America’s major markets.
Austin also took first place a year ago, followed by Baton Rouge, La., and Raleigh. The latter was No. 1 in 2009, with Charlotte and Seattle as runners-up.
Read more: Austin leads nation in small-business vitality ranking | Austin Business Journal
