Hometown Glory
Where everyone wants to be: Houston the No. 1 spot in America for corporate expansion
Texas has been dubbed winner of the 2012 Governor's Cup in the March issue of Site Selection Magazine, a publication focused on corporate real estate news.
The coveted award goes to "the highest number of qualified capital investment projects the previous calendar year," of which the Lone Star State logged an impressive 761.
"This is a confirmation of the men and women of the Texas legislature understanding that if we will continue with the predictability and stability of tax and regulation and legal policy that allows entrepreneurs to keep more of what they earn, then we will become the job creation magnet in America," Gov. Rick Perry told Site Selection. "That is what has happened."
What's more, Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land was named the Top Metropolitan Area in the U.S. for the third time in four years, logging 325 total corporate relocations and expansions in 2012.
"We can attribute it to a strong year in all of our major crown jewel industries — energy, life sciences, chemicals manufacturing, headquarters projects and high-tech companies," Fred Welch, vice president of regional economic development for the Greater Houston Partnership, told the magazine.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranked No. 3 among metros with populations over 1 million.
