Rio South Texas Cities Making Top Rank

EDINBURG, Texas, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent national lists regarding job growth, safety and cost of living, among others, have ranked cities in the Rio South Texas region among the top, proving this growing region has much to offer those wishing to invest and relocate here.

Farmers Insurance Group's Most Secure U.S. Places to Live for 2010 ranked the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA 14th on their list for Large Metropolitan areas. This ranking included factors such as: crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, foreclosures, terrorist threats and job loss numbers.

The 2010 ACCRA Cost of Living Index ranked Harlingen, Texas as the city with the lowest cost of living in the nation, while another Rio South Texas city, McAllen, ranked 3rd. The Cost of Living Index is an annual list based on prices for items including housing, utilities, grocery products, transportation, and healthcare. Rio South Texas cities have consistently ranked among the top on this list for multiple years.

Multiple reports have ranked the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA high among metropolitan areas for job growth. Based on information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Business First ranked the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA 24th on their list of top 100 Metropolitan Areas in Job growth from 2009 to 2010. Also, the American metro-area economic stability report, released by the Brookings Institution, states the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA is among the 100 largest metropolitan areas that are on the road to recovery, showing the McAllen metro area to have had three consecutive quarters of job growth through 2009 and the beginning of 2010.

"As you can see by these rankings," said Miki McCarthy, RSTEC chair of the Rio South Texas Economic Council and executive director of San Juan Economic Development Corporation, the Rio South Texas region has earned top recognition as the premier place for business expansions, relocations and job creation for advanced manufacturing and new emerging technologies."

The Rio South Texas region is the largest U.S./Mexico border region in America, the third largest market in Texas, and the 23rd largest market in the U.S. The Rio South Texas region encompasses two countries, one region with many choices. For more information about the Rio South Texas region, please visit www.riosouthtexas.com or call toll free at 1-888-RSTEC01.

SOURCE Rio South Texas Economic Council