Business View Civil and Municipal | January 2021

42 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL JANUARY 2021 ELO, EXAS A long the banks of the scenic Concho River (named due to an abundance of freshwater mussels, or “shells”) sits San ngelo, Texas – a city founded in 1867 and bordered by rock faces and pecan trees. With a population in excess of 100,000, San Angelo might be small in Texas terms, but what it lacks in citizenry it more than compensates for with swathes of natural beauty, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and the esprit de corps characteristic of a civic-minded and collaborative community. “When you have a city our size that is not directly adjacent to, or near, a large metropolitan area – like Houston or Dallas, for example – you have to adopt a philosophy of self-reliance for creating lifestyle quality of a very high caliber,” insists Michael Looney, Vice President of Economic Development for the San Angelo Development Corporation. “San Angelo has a remarkably diverse economic ecosystem. It’s not a one or two commodity-type city.” Home to one of the first Hilton hotels (a 14-story structure on Twohig Avenue built in 1929, now known as the Cactus Hotel), one of the AT A GLANCE SAN ANGELO, TEXAS WHAT: Vibrant riverside community; population 103,000 WHERE: Along the Concho River in West Texas WEBSITE: www.cosatx.us/residents/about-san-angelo An oasis in West Texas