New Degree, New City

Austin earns high marks as one of the best cities for new grads

South Congress Avenue Soco Austin skyline

New grads should head to Austin.

Austin just keeps raking in the accolades, especially where its younger residents are concerned. Once again, ATX is at the top of OnlineDegrees.com's ranking of the best big cities for U.S. college graduates, thanks to several inviting factors.

The learning website profiled 59 metro areas with a population of more than 750,000, ranking them on a 10-point scale for factors such as average rent, cost of living, nightlife, percentage of young people, median earnings, and the job market.

"Grads looking for employment opportunities might consider looking at Austin's key industries, including clean energy and power, creative and digital media, advanced manufacturing, data management and life sciences," says the study. "The Capital City is also well known for its amazing live music scene, along with the fact it has had as many as 339 bars and more than 340 performing arts venues."

Nearly a quarter of Austin's population is between the ages of 20 and 34 — in fact, it has the highest percentage of millennials of all the cities analyzed for the ranking.

Those with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn around $50,854, while statewide job growth is projected to be nearly 18 percent and the median rent in 2015 was only $876.

All this leads Austin to tie for second place with its Texas neighbor San Antonio, which wins the distinction of having the lowest cost of living in the study. Houston takes the top spot, with nods to its numerous Fortune 500 company headquarters and abundance of pro sports teams.

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In Memoriam

Friends and classmates remember Manor student killed in stabbing

Photo courtesy of KVUE

The community held a vigil for Darrin Loving on the football field.

On Friday night, the scoreboard at Manor High School's football field was transformed into an image of Darrin Loving.

The 18-year-old was stabbed to death on campus by 18-year-old Mac Brown Mbah Mbanwei, according to investigators.

Friends, classmates, and staff formed a circle on the field and heard from school leaders and a bishop for a vigil in honor of the teenager. Manor ISD Superintendent Robert Sormani, Principal Jessica Hearne and a bishop welcomed from Houston all spoke to the crowd.

Following the speeches, the crowd lined up to drop off their candles at a small memorial for the teen just outside the stadium.

For students who called Loving their friend, they're still grappling with the loss and the reality of going back to school.

"I honestly don't even feel safe coming to school on Tuesday," said Ronzelle Woods, who said he'd known Loving since middle school. "I mean, just knowing that I have to walk with eyes behind my head, you know, anything can happen."

Woods described Loving as his last name — a loving person.

"He liked to laugh, joke and talk about his day, and all he wanted to do was walk the [graduation] stage," said Woods.

Woods added that Loving was his reason for wanting to go to school every day, ”I can’t even go about my day without talking to Darrin because he makes my day every time by just hearing his voice, talking to me, making jokes."

Others who saw Loving as a friend echoed similar sentiments.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.