Editing Georgetown, Texas (section)

==Economy==
===Top employers===
According to the City's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.georgetown.org/misc-statistical-information/|title=Misc. Statistical Information|page=188|date=June 10, 2024}}</ref> the largest employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
| [[Williamson County, Texas|Williamson County Government]]
| 1,582
|-
| 2
| [[Georgetown Independent School District|Georgetown ISD]]
| 1,550
|-
| 3
| City of Georgetown
| 670
|-
| 4
| St. David's Hospital
| 512
|-
| 5
| Airborn, Inc.
| 482
|-
| 6
| [[Southwestern University]]
| 450
|-
| 7
| Wesleyan Homes
| 340
|-
| 8
| [[H-E-B|HE Butt Grocery]]
| 283
|-
| 9
| Caring Home Health
| 263
|-
| 10
| Sun City (Del Webb)
| 170
|-
|—
|'''Total employers'''
|'''6,302'''
|}

===Interstate Highway 35 location===
[[File:Georgetown San Gabrial Village.jpg|thumb|right|A residential condominium project overlooking the San Gabriel River is part of the San Gabriel Village mixed-use "walk-friendly" development. Photo by Don Martin.]]
The single most important issue relating to economic development was the location of Interstate 35 through Georgetown. Originally, when first conceived, a Georgetown route was very much in doubt, as most alignments had the road going through or near [[Taylor, Texas|Taylor]]. At the time, Taylor was the economic hub of Williamson County as the center for cotton and cattle.<ref>{{cite book |title=Road, River and Good Ol' Boy Politics: A Texas County's Path from Farm to Supersuburb |last=Scarbrough |first=Linda |year=2009 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin, Texas |isbn=9780876112359 |page=Chapter 13 }}</ref> While the Taylor leadership supported the Taylor route, local farmers opposed it. The interstate required then-unheard-of {{convert|300| feet}} wide of [[Right of way (property access)|right of way]] across the entire county and through nearby Taylor farms, and many farmers worried that their homes might get cut off from their fields. Also, concerns were expressed about noise relating to cattle and other farm animals. Meanwhile, Round Rock and Georgetown leadership strongly lobbied for a route along the [[Balcones Escarpment]] fault line, which would later become U.S. Highway 81 and then eventually I-35.<ref>{{cite book |title=Road, River and Good Ol' Boy Politics: A Texas County's Path from Farm to Supersuburb |last=Scarbrough |first=Linda |year=2009 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin, Texas |isbn=9780876112359 |page=245}}</ref>

===Sun City===
{{Main|Sun City Texas}}
[[File:Sun City Entry.jpg|thumb|right|Sun City has had a significant impact on Georgetown in terms of population and demographics.]]
[[File:Sun City Texas pool.jpg|thumb|right| A Sun City Texas pool at the most recent neighborhood amenity center at Cowan Creek]]

The second-largest economic development activity in Georgetown history was the selection in 1995 of Georgetown as the site for the first-ever Sun City location in Texas. Originally called Sun City Georgetown, the project today is called Sun City Texas due to its size and because it draws residents from all over the state. {{As of| 2021}}, about 15,700 people live in the massive, 4,700-acre (and expanding) community,<ref name= "Figueroa">{{cite web |last1=Figueroa |first1=Fernanda |title=In 25 years, Sun City adds nearly 8,500 new homes, 15,700 residents |url=https://communityimpact.com/austin/georgetown/development/2021/04/15/in-25-years-sun-city-adds-nearly-8500-new-homes-15-700-residents/ |website=communityimpact.com |publisher=Community Impact Newspaper |access-date=January 14, 2022 |date=April 15, 2021}}</ref> with an average net worth over $1,000,000 per person. The economic stimulus, creation of sales tax, banking and investment, and the high rate of community support and volunteerism has had an enormous effect on Georgetown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fifteen years later, Sun City still drives city growth |first=Blake |last=Rasmussen |author2=Suzanne Haberman |newspaper=Community Impact Newspaper |date=August 13, 2010 |page=A1 |url=http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/143-local-news/9334-fifteen-years-later-sun-city-still-drives-city-growth |access-date=August 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420132603/http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/143-local-news/9334-fifteen-years-later-sun-city-still-drives-city-growth |archive-date=April 20, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Opened in June 1995, [[Sun City Texas]] is a {{convert|5,300|acre|km2|adj=on}} age-restricted community located in Georgetown, about 10 miles west of I-35 on Williams Drive (RM 2338). It is part of the chain of Sun City communities started by the [[Del E. Webb Construction Company]] (now a division of [[PulteGroup]]).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=list&p_topdoc=31 |title=Builders Pulte, Centex to combine in deal with national significance, Merger might be sign of industry rebound |work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |last=Novak |first=Shonda |date=April 9, 2009 |page=B–07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609175450/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=list&p_topdoc=31 |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Residency is restricted to persons over age 55 (at least one person in a couple has to be 55 or older).<ref name="Ward, Pamela 10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no">{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_hidethis=no&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=Sun%20City%20Georgetown%20AND%20date(01/01/1995%20to%2001/01/1997)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=01/01/1995%20to%2001/01/1997)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(Sun%20City%20Georgetown)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |title=ON COURSE FOR A GRAND OPENING IN SUN CITY |author=Ward, Pamela |journal=Austin American-Statesman |page=B–1 |date=November 9, 1996 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609111221/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_hidethis=no&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=Sun%20City%20Georgetown%20AND%20date%2801%2F01%2F1995%20to%2001%2F01%2F1997%29&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date%3AB%2CE&p_text_date-0=01%2F01%2F1995%20to%2001%2F01%2F1997%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28Sun%20City%20Georgetown%29&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&xcal_useweights=no |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sun City Texas is made up mostly of single-family dwellings, but also has duplexes. It is legal to drive golf carts on the streets in the development (under a special Texas license exemption with help from Del Webb), and most shopping and the community facilities all have special parking slots for them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delwebb.com/communities/tx/georgetown/sun-city-texas/index.aspx|title=Del Webb Sun City Texas, About Our Community|access-date=July 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618093700/http://www.delwebb.com/communities/tx/georgetown/sun-city-texas/index.aspx|archive-date=June 18, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Opposition to the project has been vocal at times, especially at the start during the zoning process, with arguments against the size of the community, its effect on Georgetown as a family-oriented town, concerns about the costs of providing city utilities, concern about lowered property taxes fixed for retirees under Texas law, and the disproportionate effect of city voting.<ref>{{cite news|first=Bob |last=Banta |title=Mayoral hopefuls let their work talk |date=April 10, 2008 |work=Austin American-Statesman |pages=W–01}}</ref>

Georgetown is considered to be one of the best places to retire in the nation because of its fairly warm climate year round, close proximity to both the countryside and Austin, excellent medical care including [[Alzheimer|Alzheimer's care]], and its increasing population of retirees.<ref name="Rasmussen">{{cite news |title=Fifteen years later Sun City still drives Georgetown growth |first=Blake |last=Rasmussen |author2=Suzanne Haberman |newspaper=Community Impact Newspaper |date=August 13, 2010 |url=http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/143-local-news/9334-fifteen-years-later-sun-city-still-drives-city-growth |access-date=August 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420132603/http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/143-local-news/9334-fifteen-years-later-sun-city-still-drives-city-growth |archive-date=April 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2007, Georgetown was named by Retirement Places Rated (seventh edition) as the Best Place in America to Retire.<ref>{{cite book |title=Retirement Places Rated |publisher= Wiley |author=David Savageu |isbn=9780470194362 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2MUKat6yGTQC&q=Retirement+Places+Rated+%28Seventh+Edition%29&pg=PR13 |date=August 24, 2007|edition=Seventh}}</ref> Part of this is because Sun City Texas, a large master-planned community for "active adults 55 and over", calls Georgetown home. Twenty-five years after the project groundbreaking, Sun City is now home to nearly 16,000 residents and has been a driving force behind growth, development, and the very shape of Georgetown since its inception.<ref name="Figueroa"/>

Numerous other active adult communities are also found in Georgetown, including the well-respected [[Wesleyan|Wesleyan at Estrella]], the Oaks at Wildwood, Heritage Oaks, and many others.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Housing Developments; The Wesleyan at Estrella |first=Karin |last=Shaver |newspaper=Community Impact News |date=October 7, 2007 |url=http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/126-community-corridor/2187-williams-drive-georgetown |access-date=August 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024726/http://impactnews.com/georgetown-hutto-taylor/126-community-corridor/2187-williams-drive-georgetown |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Various projects offer differing levels of care, including assisted living. The city, county, and churches also maintain compassionate-care facilities for the elderly at the Bluebonnet Community Residence.

===Energy policy===
Georgetown is the first Texas city to operate entirely on renewable energy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.statesman.com/article/20171023/NEWS/310239786|title=How Georgetown's GOP mayor became a hero to climate change evangelists|last=Tilove|first=Jonathan|date=October 23, 2017|work=Austin American|access-date=November 20, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221302/https://www.statesman.com/article/20171023/NEWS/310239786|archive-date=November 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>  Georgetown's projected power expenditures were $33 million for 2016 (spent $40 million); $39 million for 2017 (spent $46 million) and $45 million for 2018 (spent $53 million). It made up the shortfall through lower capital investments, rate adjustments, and "higher revenue" (tax).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20181216/georgetown-renegotiating-solar-wind-power-contracts|title=Georgetown renegotiating solar, wind power contracts|first=Claire|last=Osborn|website=Austin American-Statesman|access-date=June 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715143315/https://www.statesman.com/news/20181216/georgetown-renegotiating-solar-wind-power-contracts|archive-date=July 15, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>  The average home power bill in the city increased 22% in 2019 compared to 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eenews.net/stories/1061456081 |title=POLITICO Pro |access-date=November 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105002112/https://www.eenews.net/stories/1061456081 |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>