10 Reasons to Live and Work in Texas Lone Star State shines brightly as a place to invest 1. Texas is where the world does business: The state was home to 52
Fortune 500 corporate headquarters in 2012. Foreign-owned companies in the state employ more than 409,000 Texas workers. For 10 consecutive years, Texas has been ranked as the top state for exporting. Exports in 2011 reached $250.01 billion, up 20.8 percent from 2010.
2. Texas has a powerhouse economy: The Texas gross domestic product for 2011 was estimated at $1.3 trillion, making the Lone Star State the 14th-largest economy in the world if it were a stand-alone nation.
centers of innovation. Texas residents were granted more than 8,000 patents in 2011.
Center, one of 52 institutions affiliated with Texas Medical Center in Houston.
7. Texas is one of the most affordable places to live: The
9. Texas offers abundant outdoor recreation opportunities:
cost of living composite index for most Texas metros is lower than the national composite index of 100.
8. Texas is a health-care leader: The world comes to Texas for the latest innovations in medical treatment, technology and expertise. The state’s vast health-care resources include such renowned facilities as the MD Anderson Cancer
The Lone Star State includes 13 national parks, more than 90 state parks, 18 wildlife refuges, more than 900 golf courses and 624 miles of Texas coastline.
10. It’s a great place to live: With
its beautiful landscape, warm weather, excellent schools, and Southern hospitality, Texas remains a popular choice for people looking to relocate.
3. It’s cheaper to do business: Texas has one of the lowest tax burdens in the United States, including no personal income tax. Texas also has no state tax on property used for pollution control, on goods in transit or on machinery and equipment utilized in manufacturing.
4. Texas invests in business:
The state offers a number of competitive incentive programs that help businesses grow, expand and add jobs, including the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) and the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF), the largest “deal-closing” fund of its kind in the nation.
5. Texas has connections: With 12 deep-water ports of more than 30-foot channel depth, 14,361 miles of freight rail, 310,850 miles of highway, 27 commercial airports and 29 U.S. ports of entry, Texas offers superior transportation and logistical advantages. 6. It’s a state of innovation: The Lone Star State is home to many world-renowned higher education institutions, including The University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University, that are
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