Presidential Appearance

President Obama and first lady head to Austin for monumental SXSW first

Kids' State First Dinner July 2013 Michelle Obama President Barack Obama

For the first time in SXSW history, the sitting president and first lady will appear at the event.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Austin's biggest festival — and a first in SXSW history. On Wednesday, SXSW revealed that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will deliver keynote speeches at the 2016 event. It's the first time a sitting president has participated in the festival.

"I can't imagine a better way to celebrate our event's 30th year than to welcome both the president and first lady to SXSW," says festival co-founder Roland Swenson in a release. "As each new generation comes up at SXSW, they look for ways they can be of service, and it's important to reflect and support that message. President and Mrs. Obama's visit here will inspire attendees to that purpose."

President Obama's keynote will kick off the festival on Friday, March 11. Evan Smith, editor-in-chief of Texas Tribune, will lead the conversation on civic engagement.

"The president will call on the audience to apply their ideas and talents to make technology work for us — especially when it comes to tackling big challenges like increasing participation in the political process and fighting climate change," reads the release. Questions for President Obama will be sourced from the Tribune's online audience.

Michelle Obama's keynote speech is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16. The first lady will discuss her Let Girls Learn initiative, a global mission to make education more accessible for young women.

President Obama's keynote event will be open to Interactive, Gold, and Platinum badge holders. The first lady's speech is open to those with Music, Film, Gold, and Platinum access.

SXSW runs March 11-20 in Austin.

innovation hub

Plano is the 7th best U.S. city to find a job in 2026, report finds

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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Dallas neighbor Plano has worked its way into 7th place in WalletHub's new study ranking the best places to find a job in 2026.

The just-released "Best Cities for Jobs (2026)" report compared 182 U.S. cities based on 31 relevant metrics "that shape the strength of local job markets" across two main categories: a socioeconomics rank and a job market rank.

WalletHub determined the top three best U.S. cities to find a job in 2026 are Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 1); Columbia, Maryland (No. 2); and Portland, Maine (No. 3).

The report found Plano's job market ranking — which covered job opportunities, employment growth, unemployment rates, job automation risk, and more — is the 6th best in the U.S.

Plano also ranked No. 40 in the nationwide socioeconomic category, which analyzed housing affordability, median annual income, average work and commute times, transit accessibility, and many other factors.

While these employment indicators are important to consider when researching the best place to find work, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the quality of the jobs available matters just as much as the quantity of available jobs in a city.

"There are plenty of secondary factors to take into account as well, from how easy a city makes commuting to jobs to whether it’s a good place for raising a family or engaging in recreational activities outside of work," Lupo said.

Plano is home to the headquarters and regional offices for major corporations including Toyota, J.C. Penney, Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, Bank of America, Capital One, Ericsson, and soon, AT&T.

Plano was dubbed the No. 6 best city for remote workers in 2025, and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metro recently ranked No. 3 a separate national ranking of the best cities for startups.

Elsewhere in Texas, 10 more cities made it into the top-100 best places for finding a job: Austin (No. 9), Irving (No. 18), Grand Prairie (No. 24), Amarillo (No. 32), Garland (No. 48), Dallas (No. 54), Arlington (No. 60), Fort Worth (No.77), San Antonio (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 100).

The top 10 best U.S. cities for finding a job in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 2 – Columbia, Maryland
No. 3 – Portland, Maine
No. 4 – South Burlington, Vermont
No. 5 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 6 – Orlando, Florida
No. 7 – Plano, Texas
No. 8 – Washington, D.C.
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Huntsville, Alabama

job market innovation wallethub ranking employment plano