Texas metros, led by No. 1 Austin, claim four of the top five spots in the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best-Performing Cities Index. In fact, the Lone Star State accounts for nine of the top 16 finishers.
The full report is available online, along with interactive data set, which allows you to look up specific metros, compare them side-by-side with other cities and see a timeline showing how economic factors have shaped the rankings since 1999. Go to: http://bestcities.milkeninstitute.org/bestcities2009.taf?rankyear=2009&type=rank200