San Antonio, El Paso, Austin and Killeen, Texas, were among the top five cities for job growth in 2011, according to the Milken Institute. In fact, nine Texas cities placed among the top 25, far more than any other state. Surprisingly, Utah had three cities in Milken's top 25, thanks to the growth of high-tech jobs. Meanwhile, Houston, Dallas and McAllen were among the 20 top-performing large U.S. metros, according to a Brookings Institution survey that measures housing prices, employment and economic growth. Other areas that did well:

• If you prefer coffee and a cooler climate, then consider the Seattle/Tacoma region, where several employers, including Amazon.com, have more than 1,000 job openings.
• You may not think of Louisiana as a hotbed of tech activity, but New Orleans was at  the top of a Forbes list highlighting the best cities for information job growth last year. Gameloft, a leading digital game company based in France, announced the creation of a major game development studio there, which will employ approximately 150 professionals. Electronic Arts will add 200 jobs to a 400-job quality assurance site after it moves into LSU’s new Louisiana Digital Media Center in late 2012.
• Or, consider Chicago. The most recent Chicago Workforce Investment Council figures show nearly 2,400 open slots for software engineers. Hiring managers at area tech firms say they're always on the prowl for software developers.