Well, it seems whatever you’re looking for in a city, not only does Austin have it, but Austin has it all! Yes, if you’re looking for a place with good business opportunities, lots of sustainable living practices, career opportunities, or just a great place to live, then Austin is the declared winner.

Recently, Austin has won so many awards for so many different attributes that it seems like it could be used as a model for other cities to follow. In addition to all these glittering awards, Austin has been told that the real estate market is also among the top markets in the entire US.

This real estate news was projected by PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance Co.) which cited ten US cities with less than a one percent chance that real estate prices will decline in the next eighteen months. The list was compiled to help PMI decide which areas would likely be bad housing risks for its mortgage insurance business. Ten cities tied for first place and Austin was one of them.

This projection is supported by actual statistics published by First American Loan Performance, which states that the average Austin home was trading 8% higher and selling 5% higher than this time last year.

It’s no surprise that Austin was voted “America’s Greenest City” by MSN, as the city has been making genuine attempts to become “greener.” The ‘Green Building Program’ developed and overseen by Austin Energy is one example of this.

The largest retail outlet (so far) in Catellus Development Group’s new Mueller redevelopment has implemented recommended guidelines. The 141,000-square-foot Home Depot is the first Home Depot built that has followed a specific ‘green’ guideline.

Austin’s foresight in implementing these guidelines has deservedly earned it the title of ‘Greenest City.’ To its credit, Home Depot rose to the challenge and is aiming for Austin Energy’s three-star rating.

In terms of ‘Economic Vitality’, Moody’s Economy ranked Austin number 1 in their index and they chose from 400 different US cities.

From a business standpoint, just last month, Austin was ranked #1 in Forbes magazine’s ‘Best Places for Business and Careers.’ However, this has interesting implications for the average family that may be thinking of moving to Austin.

When Forbes magazine designed their survey, they realized that other factors come into play for companies looking to relocate. Many of them are social factors. To do this, Forbes magazine took into account a wide selection of indicators.

After throwing in the usual statistics on the price of office space, labor, energy, and taxes, they looked at the social side of Austin. Rankings were taken on crime rates, net migration and housing costs, as well as the quality of the workforce.

The fact that Austin is ranked #1 must mean that it is simply a great place to live. Money Magazine conducted research on the ‘Best Big City’ to live in; Surprisingly, Austin came in second place. Do you think it was a typo?