by Nancy Phillips

We are just wrapping up our visit to Austin, Texas – home of the Texas Longhorns and some great tex mex. Austin, the state capital, is very different from Houston and Dallas. It has kept its original charm and small town feel.

Austin has grown from a population of 250,000 in the early 1980’s to well over 1.3 million people today. They say it is the fastest growing city in the US. Austin is know as a City of Creativity and is home to Dell Computers. In fact, the world-famous South by South West Conference starts just after we leave; we’re sorry we can’t be here to participate.

In Austin they don’t ask how fast is the “download speed” they ask how fast is the “upload speed”. This is something to think about as we build and grow our creative community in Halifax. 

We’re departing this morning for Denver, Colorado – trading the cowboy boots for snow boots!

Author: Nancy Phillips

Nancy Phillips, Director of Investment and Trade at the Greater Halifax Partnership and the Executive Director of the Halifax Gateway Council, is one of six Canadian women who are visiting the United States under the Women in Trade and Entrepreneurship, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).  

From February 25 to March 16, the Canadian delegation is visiting five U.S. cities – Washington, Kansas City, Austin, Denver and San Francisco – to learn about entrepreneurial efforts initiated by women in the U.S. and the influence of social, economic and political factors on U.S. private enterprises. 

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