Saturday, 7 May 2011

A Connection between Austin, TX & Madison, Wisconsin

By Steven Price


Austin, Texas and Madison, Wisconsin have a surprising number of similarities, despite the hundreds of miles that exist between them. And there's more to it than both just being their state's capital - they both have economies based in part from the technology industry, both are centers of education, and both have a firm standing in art. It's no surprise then, with so much to give back to their residents, that both cities appear at the top of the list of the most desirable places to live nationwide.

Education

Ranked by Forbes magazine in the #2 position of top education cities in the nation, Madison has quite a lot to offer to its residents in ways of educational opportunities. In fact, 50,000 of its residents go to one of the many different colleges and technical institutes the city has to offer, among these being Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Media Institute and Madison Area Technical College.

Education is also put at a premium in Austin, with residents attending The University of Texas, St. Edward's University, Concordia University, & Austin Community College, to list a few. Also, it has been ranked "America's #1 College Town" by the Travel Channel, and as the 23rd most literate city nationally by the Central Connecticut State University.

Austin & Madison Economics

Although Madison's economy was once dominated with government positions and those within the education field, the city's economy has been becoming increasingly dependent on consumer services and technology. Austin, on the other hand, has long been considered a hub for technology, but both cities are becoming increasingly revolved around in biotechnology. In fact, Austin is host to about 85 different companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields, making it the twelfth most important biotech and life center in the US as ranked by the Milken Institute.

Arts/Culture in Austin,Texas & Madison,WI

Madison and Austin are both landing places to a vibrant arts and culture scene, with Austin's official slogan being The Live Music Capital of the World. The city is also home to the annual Austin Film Festival in addition to numerous other cultural programs each year. Madison is also home to a variety of music festivals in addition to a number of art museums. Due to its rich cultural opportunities and its low crime rate plus low unemployment rate, Madison was ranked by Money magazine as the best place in the country to live in 1996. Every year since then, the city has ranked near the top of the list. In 2006, Austin grabbed the #2 spot on the same list.

Austin & Madison, while having so much to offer to their residents, are both somehow manage to offer homes that are fairly priced - which should serve as no surpise then that both cities are continuing to grow so rapidly in terms of population as well as financial opportunities!




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