Apr/100
Circle C Ranch
http://blog.skyrealtyaustin.com/circle-c-ranch/
by PATTI SIMON on APRIL 21, 2010 · 0 COMMENTS
in FUN STUFF IN CENTRAL TEXAS, NEIGHBORHOODS AND TOWNS
Have you made it to the Circle C Ranch area lately? If you are like some North Austin folks, you probably have not made it down to Southwest Austin in the last couple of years. Well if it’s been a while since you’ve been in the area, you might want to check it out. All types of businesses have popped up over the last few years which now makes it so convenient for those living in Circle C to have these amenities close by.
Within walking distance from the master planned community of Circle C Ranch, is the retail shopping center, Escarpment Village, that was the first true “green building” retail development in the Austin area. Did you know that the shopping center has a green roof with native Texas plants from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center, that provides insulation and a reduction in heat? How great is it that Escarpment Village uses solar panels for electricity and for heating and has cisterns that are used for harvesting rainwater?
There are some great places to shop and dine at Escarpment Village and you can even book a massage, get your teeth cleaned, as well as pick up your dry cleaning and do your banking. One of my favorite places to dine is the Satelite Cafe. They moved their original location from The Y in Oak Hill to Escarpment Village when the center first opened. I will put their fish tacos up against any in Austin as the best I have ever eaten. An HEB is across the street and is a huge grocery store with a cooking connection as well as a great selection of gourmet foods and wines.
If walking to the shopping center is not enough exercise for you, then walk on over and check out this beautiful park just down W.Slaughter Lane. It’s Metropolitan Park, on Slaughter Creek, in Circle C Ranchand has approximately 545 acres and almost 7 miles of walking trails. A nice playground for the kids and places to have a picnic under the huge trees makes this neighborhood park special. Circle C residents love their soccer and have created 7 soccer fields in their neighborhood park. In the midst of it all is a 21 basket Disc Golf Course, a couple of basketball courts and volleyball courts.
There’s much to see in Austin and Southwest Austin has some awesome places to check out.
Tagged as: Circle C Ranch
Apr/100
Austin Sees Improvement in Unemployment Rate
Posted by Jim Olenbush on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 6:45pm.111 Views
http://www.jimolenbush.com/blog/austin-sees-improvement-in-unemployment-rate.html
One of the biggest draws to living in the Austin area is the fact that employment opportunities are quite abundant when compared to many other metropolitan areas throughout the country. While there is no doubt that Austin unemployment rates did take a bit of a hit during these difficult economic times, the city has managed to do quite well when compared to national averages and even when compared to the rest of the state. Furthermore, according to some data recently released by the Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment rates in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area are only getting better.
According to the Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment rates in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area jumped from 7% in December to 7.6% in January. Things got better in February, however, when rates fell back down to 7.2%. Although this is still higher than the 6.6% unemployment rate that the area experienced in February of 2009, Austin residents are certainly happy to see things moving back in the right direction.
Things aren’t quite as chipper throughout the state, however, as the statewide unemployment rate has remained stable at 8.2%. Despite the fact that the statewide workforce added 40,200 jobs, the non-agriculture industries lost 13,000 jobs in February while gaining 12,600 in January. Of course, this rate is still far better than the national unemployment rate, which hit 9.7% in February.
“While it is encouraging to see job gains in February across several major employment sectors, our job market remains tight for those seeking new opportunities in the Lone Star State,” said Ronny Congleton, who is the Workforce Commissioner Representing Labor, in an Austin Business Journals article.
When looking specifically at the Austin area, transportation, trade and utilities lost the most jobs within the non-agriculture jobs sector when comparing February 2009 to February 2010. In all, this sector lost 4,000 jobs. The manufacturing sector lost the second greatest number of jobs, with a total of 2,900 jobs lost in that same time period. The leisure and hospitality sector, on the other hand, enjoyed the greatest amount of growth after adding 5,000 positions during this same time frame.
When comparing employment figures on a month-to-month basis, the trade and transportation sector lost the greatest number of jobs from January to February with a total loss of about 800 positions. The government, on the other hand, added the most jobs with 3,300 jobs added from January to February. Adding 2,200 positions, the education, health, leisure and hospitality sectors added the second greatest number of positions.
Apr/100
Steiner Ranch Residents Continue Enjoying Austin Employment Opportunities
While Steiner Ranch has much to offer to its residents, including a number of wonderful amenities and beautiful homes, the location of the community is one of its biggest draws. Thanks to the community’s proximity to the capital city of Austin, residents enjoy easy access to a wide variety of dining and shopping opportunities as well as a number of attractions such as museums and live venues. Still, it is the employment opportunities that Austin has to offer that serve as the main draw for those who consider purchasing a home in the Steiner Ranch.
Unfortunately, just as with the rest of the country, the job market in Austin was affected by the country’s recent economic troubles. On the other hand, Austin hasn’t been affected as harshly as many of the other cities and metro areas around the country. In fact, according to data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Austin was one of only 14 markets to experience just a relatively mild decline in employment when comparing the unemployment rates from February 2009 to February of this year.
In order to be considered one of the areas in the country to have experienced a “relatively low” decline in employment, the area had to experience a decline of less than 2%. With Austin experiencing a 1% decline, the area posted the fourth smallest decline within the nation’s top 100 markets. Overall, the area reported 5,900 fewer private-sector jobs in February 2010 than it posted in February 2009.
The 14 areas to have a loss of less than 2% include
· Augusta, Georgia – a drop of 0.36%
· McAllen-Edinburg, Texas – a drop of 0.92%
· New Orleans, Louisiana – a drop of 0.96%
· Austin, Texas – a drop of 1.00%
· Charleston, South Carolina – a drop of 1.02%
· Columbia, South Carolina – a drop of 1.16%
· New Haven, Connecticut – a drop of 1.33%
· Buffalo, New York – a drop of 1.51%
· Washington – a drop of 1.58%
· Honolulu, Hawaii – a drop of 1.69%
· Baton Rouge, Louisiana – a drop of 1.71%
· Virginia Beach-Norfolk – a drop of 1.80%
· Syracuse, New York – a drop of 1.91%
· Poughkeepsie, New York – a drop of 1.97%
On the other end of the spectrum, Wichita, Kansas came in at the bottom of the list with a loss of 16,700 jobs, which amounted to a 6.49% drop in the area’s unemployment rate. Akron, Ohio; Las Vegas, Nevada; Riverside-San Bernardino, California; and Birmingham, Alabama round out the bottom five.
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