Recession may very well be one of the most used terms you hear in the news today. So it was a little surprising to me when I saw an article that used “recession” in its title, but in a positive way.

CNNMoney.com released their ranking of America’s Most Recession-Proof Cities. We all know that the economic downturn hasn’t been easy for anyone, but some metro-areas have fared far better than others. According to MetroMonitor, a quarterly report released by Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program, the following 21 large metro areas were singled out for keeping their labor and housing markets stable and posting robust economic activity during the past few years.

1. Albany, N.Y.
2. Augusta, Georgia
3. Austin, Texas
4. Baton Rouge, La.
5. Buffalo, N.Y.
6. Columbia, S.C.
7. Dallas, Texas
8. Des Moines, Iowa
9. El Paso, Texas
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
11. Houston, Texas
12. Jackson, Mississippi
13. Little Rock, Arkansas
14. Madison, Wisconsin
15. McAllen, Texas
16. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
17. Omaha, Nebraska
18. Rochester, N.Y.
19. San Antonio, Texas
20. Tulsa, Oklahoma
21. Washington, D.C.

What sets these cities apart from others? A number of them are government centers, and many have experienced a positive, stable housing market. No. 3 on the list is Austin, Texas, a city also known for its strong government presence (and the fact that it’s where one of my favorite shows, Friday Night Lights, is filmed). We reached out to Helen Edwards, President/COO of Coldwell Banker United, Realtors’ Austin division, for her perspective on why Austin was near the top of this year’s list.

“We have been fortunate in that the Austin market has several factors working in its favor,” said Helen. “The relatively low cost of housing and commercial space makes Austin attractive to start ups and relocating companies. We did not see an enormous inflation to our housing prices during the boom, so did not have the same impact of falling prices that other markets experienced over the past few years. And being home to The University of Texas at Austin, real estate investment opportunities abound. Not to mention, it is a beautiful, vibrant city with a fairly mild climate. People just want to live here,” she said.

If Coach Taylor could coach my kid’s football, I’d want to live there too (another Friday Night Lights reference for those keeping score at home). But whether it’s Albany, Austin or Omaha, all of these cities are proving to be worthwhile places for those looking for a future place to call home.