Deciding that its employees would prefer to live in a less-expensive area with a better quality of life, software giant Oracle recently joined several other technology companies in moving its corporate headquarters to Austin. This decision was announced by the company in December 2020.
Founded in 1977, the software company said that the relocation was part of an effort to provide its workers with a more flexible approach. In a report from CNN, a company spokesman noted, “We believe these moves best position Oracle for growth and provide our personnel with more flexibility about where and how they work. “We will continue to support major hubs for Oracle around the world, including those in the United States such as Redwood Shores, Austin, Santa Monica, Seattle, Denver, Orlando and Burlington, Mass. among others, and we expect to add other locations over time.”
Reports about the move centered on both quality of life and entrepreneurial spirit of the Texas Capital. “Austin is an attractive hub for many technology companies. Texas provides a business-friendly climate — no personal income tax and no corporate income tax. The lower cost of living and doing business, along with a highly skilled workforce and easy access to global markets, are some of the reasons that corporations are drawn to Texas. Austin also provides robust infrastructure and predictable rules and regulations.”
Let’s not forget that Austin also has some of the best Mexican food on the planet!
There is a good possibility that those employees and consultants who work for Oracle will choose to live in a close-in, stress-free master-planned community with great schools and even better neighbors – many of whom also work in the technology sector. This describes MorningStar, located near Georgetown.
Two Factors That Are Encouraging Relocations to Austin
Oracle is not the first, nor will it be the last technology company to move to the Lone Star State. For example, Hewlett Packard Enterprise company recently said it was moving its HQ to the Houston area. Of course, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk moved his private foundation from California to Austin. Tesla is also building a new plant near Austin. Dell and Whole Foods Market are the other Fortune 500 companies that are based in Austin.
Ironically, the pandemic which threw almost every enterprise – both large and small – into chaos, was also responsible for fundamentally changing the traditional workspace. The acceptance of working from home (WFH) by technology and other white-collar industries has allowed employees and consultants to live and work in more pleasant surroundings.
A master-planned community such as MorningStar, which has resort-like amenities, great views, great schools and convenient access to entertainment and a relaxed quality of life, is a powerful attraction to young families who had formerly been forced to work in crowded and expensive cities.
There is another factor that makes suburban communities such as MorningStar so desirable to workers in the tech sector. Mass transit has arrived in Central Texas!
As was previously reported in this blog, the new Metro Austin transit plan, called “Project Connect,” will build a new rail system with 31 stations, four new rapid bus routes, new on-demand shuttles to take people to transit stations, and new park-and-ride stations. A second measure will invest millions in new bike lanes, sidewalks, urban trails, intersections that are redesigned for safety, and other infrastructure, including a new pedestrian bridge.”
After passing two new mass transit proposals the city now plans to invest more than $7 billion in a new transit system. This will enhance the already convenient “Red Line” which transports residents in the MorningStar and Georgetown area all the way to downtown Austin, the Austin airport and other destinations. This light-rail addition allows Oracle workers who need to attend a meeting at its south Austin headquarters, to work at home and be at the office within 30-minutes, without having to get behind the wheel of an automobile!
Welcome Oracle!
This is a great time to be expanding in the Austin Metro area. For those of you who already live here and are considering a new home, come see why some many technology specialists are choosing MorningStar. For those who are just joining the ATX party, get ready for a more laidback life. Click here, if we can show you the sights and sounds of the Texas Hill Country.