Throughout the recession, Texas has made news for its ability to create jobs. While most people are aware that Texas enjoys the benefit of being home to many companies involved in the oil and power industry, less known is the state’s robust customer service industry, particularly the communities that make up the growing Rio South Texas area, including the towns of McAllen, Edinburg, and Mission.

One reason businesses are moving to Rio South Texas is the number of bilingual residents. Located near the United States-Mexico border, over half of the 1.2 million residents are reportedly bilingual, a sought-after skill for customer service call centers, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), retail and industrial companies. For example, Maximus recently opened a new center that expects to hire upwards of 400 workers.

Raudel Garza, Executive Director of the Rio South Texas Economic Council explains that as the percentage of Hispanics increases in the United States, the need for bilingual customer service people will also grow. Other companies opening offices in Rio South Texas include T-Mobile, Convergys, United Health Care, Time Warner Cable, and Advanced Call Center Technologies. As a whole, the call center industry employs nearly 9,000 workers.

In addition to the job opportunities, the Rio South Texas region has also been singled out for its safety and affordability, and a report by the Farmers Insurance Group ranks the area 14th among large metropolitan areas for livability. The Farmers study included crime statistics, climate, potential for natural disasters, number of foreclosures, and job loss numbers in their assessment.

In another study, the 2010 ACCRA Cost of Living Index listed Harlingen, Texas as having the lowest cost of living in America, with McAllen ranked 3rd. The Cost of Living Index factors in costs of housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and medical care.

But it’s the area’s job growth that has garnered most of the latest attention. The United States Bureau of Labor placed the McAllen/Edinburg/Mission region number 24 of the top 100 metropolitan areas in employment growth for the years 2009 and 2010.

Long story short, Texas has remained one of the strongest economies throughout the financial market meltdown. If you are seeking a beautiful place to call home and a decent job to boot, you can’t go wrong if you move to one of the major cities in Texas, such as Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, or Fort Worth.

For more information about Rio South Texas, visit www.riosouthtexas.com.

If you are searching for a home builder in Texas and for San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, or Fort Worth homes for sale, please visit LGI Homes.