Editor's note: A legendary restaurant reopening leads this round of top stories. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.
1. Legendary Austin restaurant finally reopens after months-long closure. Hudson's on the Bend has reopened after shutting for more than seven months. And after a brief glimpse, we are impressed with the new space and the menu preview.
2. Austin's first urban winery pops the cork on cool new location. The Austin Winery will move from its original location in Northeast Austin to a brand-new space at The Yard before the new year.
3. Largest hotel in Austin reaches new heights and sets opening date. The soon-to-be largest hotel in Austin has reached new heights. The Fairmont Austin, which broke ground two years ago, officially topped out during a special ceremony on November 18.
4. Austin real estate market heats up with surprising surge in home sales. Austin home sales are on the upswing once again, according to the latest report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR). In October, single-family home sales in Austin proper jumped 7.5 percent year-over-year, after a 4.5 percent decline in September.
5. SXSW reveals plans for groundbreaking headquarters in downtown Austin. The team behind Austin's famous conference and festival has revealed plans to move into an innovative office space, which is scheduled to break ground in summer 2017.
Austin's thriving telework industry is already known for being among the most prominent in the country, and as it turns out, it's one of the most affordable, too. A recent study by online retailer The Perfect Rug has revealed Austin is the No. 2 cheapest U.S. city center for remote work.
The report ranked the top 10 largest U.S. cities based on population data, the number of coworking spaces and cafes per capita, statewide average internet speeds, average apartment rent prices, and more.
Austin falls second to the far west Texas city of El Paso (No. 1), and is followed by Houston in the No. 3 spot.
When it comes to finding the best place to work remotely, Austin has an abundance of options including coffee shops, coworking spaces, and local library branches. According to the report's data, there are about six coworking spaces and 26 cafes per capita in the city, but Austinites know best that there is a much wider variety of places to work from "home" than whatever number a study determines.
The average internet speed in Texas is 425.9 mbps (megabits per second), which is the fourth-highest internet speed out of the six total states (and the District of Columbia) mentioned in the study. Pennsylvania, Washington, and Washington, D.C. all have faster average internet speeds, at 430.8, 451, and 473.8 mpbs, respectively.
The Perfect Rug also calculated the average costs for meals, coffee, and monthly rent in Austin:
"On the other hand, cities like Washington, D.C., and Seattle, while more expensive, compensate with faster internet speeds and a higher density of workspaces, which can enhance the remote work experience," the spokesperson said. "Finding the right balance between cost and amenities is key for remote workers seeking both productivity and affordability."
Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio ranked as the fifth most affordable city for teleworkers, followed by Dallas (No. 7).
The top 10 cheapest U.S. cities for remote workers are:
