On the Way to Anywhere
business, golden crescent, south texas crossroads, the victoria college, university of houston-victoria, victoria, victoria chamber of commerce,
For convenient access to big cities from a smaller yet amenity-rich area, look no further than Victoria.
“Our elevator pitch is our location,” says Randy Vivian, president and chief executive of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. “We are the right distance from everywhere.”
The city of 60,000 is a regional hub situated within a two-hour drive from Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio.
“Our location really gives us an opportunity to have those amenities that a big city has but live in an environment where we feel safe and comfortable,” Vivian says. “We can visit, but we don’t have to live there.”
Within the seven-county network that comprises the Golden Crescent, Victoria is a center of retail, health care, industry and education. The city offers two national top 100 hospitals as well as a variety of national retailers and popular restaurants to serve the roughly 220,000 residents of Victoria and its surrounding communities.
For students in and around the Golden Crescent, The Victoria College and the University of Houston-Victoria offer first-rate learning opportunities in a variety of disciplines.
“This city provides access to higher education to a vast region that would otherwise be under served,” says Dr. Tim Hudson, president of the University of Houston-Victoria, an upper-division institution that offers classes to college juniors, seniors and graduate students from throughout the region.
The Victoria College, the region’s community college, provides academic transfer, career and technical and continuing education programs at affordable prices.
“The city of Victoria is a nucleus for the region,” says Jennifer Yancey, vice president of college advancement and external affairs at The Victoria College. “Partnerships with the city and throughout the Golden Crescent allow The Victoria College to play a key role in ensuring a strong, educated and well-trained workforce.”
Victoria’s central location is also a key attraction for companies looking to establish an East Texas presence.
Positioned at the intersection of U.S. highways 59, 77 and 87, Victoria is widely known as the South Texas Crossroads. This prime locale combines with well-developed rail and port infrastructure and the Victoria Regional Airport to make the community ideal for industries that rely on efficient transportation avenues.
“It’s always been the crossroads,” Vivian says. “The coast is right here, access to major metropolitan areas is right here. Industry is beginning to recognize that Victoria is in a really unique location.”
Beyond industry or accessibility, though, Victoria is simply a pleasant place to live. It’s a place where people still unite to bring about positive change in the community, according to O.C. Garza, public information officer for the city of Victoria.
“The quality of life in Victoria is unbeatable,” Garza says. “Victoria offers city living at a small-town pace. We offer the best of many worlds including a safe place to raise our children and a good business climate where anyone with expertise and hard work can be very successful.”
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Story by Joe Morris
Photo by staff photo
