New Braunfels

New Braunfels, 30 miles north of San Antonio and 45 miles south of Austin, is benefiting from both economic engines. "We've got quality of life, and yet we're close enough to the big metropolitan centers to take advantage of them," said Michael Meek, president of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce. The cost of living is low, and city taxes have not increased in six years. Meek cites the local chamber's membership of 1,400-plus in a city of less than 30,000 as evidence of its business-friendly environment.

"A lot of distribution companies have discovered this is the location to cover the central United States. We've got a diversified economy here. Our tourism is growing, and we've got 20 percent of our labor force employed in manufacturing. That's higher than the state average," Meek said. "We've changed dramatically in the last few years."

New Braunfels, where visitors flock to its pristine Guadalupe River and world-famous German festivals, is also home to 16 major industrial employers. This year alone, one of the largest safety product manufacturers in the motor sports industry, Simpson Race Products, has decided to make New Braunfels its new home. American Direct, a security printing company better known as "Checks In The Mail," is relocating from California to New Braunfels, investing more than $10 million in property, construction and equipment in its new home.

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