Austin, Texas
The Greater Austin metropolitan statistical area had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $86 billion in 2010. Austin is considered to be a major center for high tech. Thousands of graduates each year from the engineering and computer science programs at the University of Texas at Austin provide a steady source of employees that help to fuel Austin's technology and defense industry sectors. The region's rapid growth has led "Forbes" to rank the Austin metropolitan area number one among all big cities for jobs for 2012 in their annual survey and WSJ Marketwatch to rank the area number one for growing businesses. By 2013, Austin was ranked No. 14 on "Forbes"' list of the Best Places for Business and Careers (directly below Dallas, No. 13 on the list). As a result of the high concentration of high-tech companies in the region, Austin was strongly affected by the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and subsequent bust. Austin's largest employers include the Austin Independent School District, the City of Austin, Dell, the U.S. Federal Government, NXP Semiconductors, IBM, St. David's Healthcare Partnership, Seton Family of Hospitals, the State of Texas, the Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Nicknames of Houston
"Hustle-Town", another popular local nickname for Houston, is often proudly used to reference the city's significance as an international center of commerce, trade, and more recently, music, art, and a rapidly growing population center that 'never seems to rest'. Houston is sometimes compared to larger, older cities and pop-cultural centers, sometimes being referred to as the "New York' or 'L.A' of the South", and is actually the fourth largest city in the United States, in terms of population size. The term 'Hustle-Town' was heavily popularized by Houston rapper SPM, following the release of "'Hustle-Town"' in 1998, directly utilizing the term in the name of the song, which was followed with a large rise in the usage of the term in hip-hop music and culture in the Houston scene. The term is also often used by sports teams, corporations, slogans, or groups in Houston, such as the Houston Astros, with the phrase "'Welcome to Hustle Town"', which can be seen painted on the south side of Minute Maid Park.