The recession swept over us and left many states feeling the financial blow, but the Best in Texas know where they can rest in peace – in their own Lone Star State. If you’re looking for a great place to live, with stability, abundant resources and excellent education, look no further than the Houston area in Texas.

Houston was ranked No. 8 in a recent issue of Forbes Magazine which determined and listed America’s fastest recovering cities from the recession. These cities, the 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical areas according to the U.S. office of Management and Budget, were ranked based on their unemployment rate, the size of their economy, foreclosures, home prices and home sales rates.

That Houston ranked towards the top of the list should come as no surprise to area residents who have seen the stability of the area’s housing market – a major indicator of the economy for cities across the U.S. In fact, the Houston area was ranked #1 for home price in the Forbes study. Housing prices didn’t rise to a level that couldn’t be sustained; therefore the housing market didn’t crash as hard as other cities around the nation.

Another major factor helping cities weather the recession is having diversified industries. While Houston relies heavily on oil, it has diversified its energy industry to include refining and chemicals manufacturing as well. While it may not be possible to avoid the recession entirely, these factors have definitely helped protect Texas, and as things start to turn around and look up, Houston will be one of those cities that remains a stable and welcoming place to be.

Source: www.forbes.com