Global accolades

Austin ranks among world’s 100 best cities in prestigious new report

Austin is the No. 43 best city in the world, according to a new study. (And yes, we beat Dallas.)

If you live in Austin, you can confidently say you live in one of the best cities on the planet — at least according to one new study, which also provides definitive proof that we're better than Dallas (not that we needed it).

Austin ranks No. 43 on the new list of 100 best cities in the world. Two other Texas cities also make the list: Houston, at No. 42, and Dallas, at No. 47.

The annual ranking quantifies and benchmarks the relative quality of place, reputation, and competitive identity for the world's principal cities with metropolitan populations of one million or more. Vancouver, Canada-based Resonance Consultancy Ltd., which specializes in marketing, strategy, and research for the real estate, tourism and economic development sectors, conducted the study.

This year, London tops the list, followed by Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Dubai.

At No. 43 Austin, is quickly becoming America’s new hometown, according to the report. Highlights for Austin include:

A No. 40 ranking for Global 500 headquarters
A No. 38 employment ranking, as tech giants like Oracle move headquarters to the city
The No. 23 ranked University of Texas at Austin
South by Southwest, the annual summit of business, music, and creativity

As for No. 42 Houston, the report describes the city as an “educated, diverse, and hard-working” powerhouse. Highlights for Houston include:

A population increase of almost 300,000, thanks to both domestic and international immigration
A No. 26 global ranking for Culture, with more than 145 languages spoken at home
A No. 31 ranking for Restaurants, with a flurry of post-pandemic launches
A top 10 global GDP per Capita finish
One of the top five Googled cities over the last year

With a metro population of 7,320,663, Dallas (No. 47) is a home to “economic reality,” the report says. Highlights for Dallas that helped earn it a spot on the list include:

No. 6 global ranking in Airport Connectivity, thanks to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Sixth largest LGBTQ+ community
No. 24 ranking in the world for Global 500 companies
A No. 42 ranking for Convention Center that the study says is likely to ascend now that Dallas City Council has approved plans for a new $2-billion, 2.5-million-square-foot facility to be built adjacent to the current one by 2028
A No. 82 Programming ranking due to institutions like the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Museum of Asian Art and the renowned Nasher Sculpture Center, plus theaters, symphony and opera venues, restaurants, and bars

On the list overall, only 25 U.S. cities made the cut, and only New York was ranked in the top 10. You can view the full list and find more information about the 100 best cities here.

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Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Justin Wallace on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in Austin, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Austin, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling-friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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Global accolades

Austin ranks among world’s 100 best cities in prestigious new report

share the road

Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

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