Texas is one of the few states to be continuing to add jobs, just one of the reasons that the real-estate downturn has not had as much of an effect here as in other states. And two companies headquartered in San Antonio have made it onto Fortune magazine's annual list of top 100 employers. They include Valero Energy, the largest oil refining company in North America that nobody's ever heard of, and Rackspace Managed Hosting, which Microsoft designated Worldwide Hosting Service Provider of the Year in 2007.

Valero's campus is on the northwest part of San Antonio, close to the University of Texas and a little farther from USAA and the Medical Center, two other major employers. The average annual salary for Valero employees is $97,730 and for Rackspace is $55,883.

Rackspace is relocating its headquarters near the Medical Center to the repurposed Windsor Park Mall on the city's northeast side. In the process, it is planning to double its workforce to approximately 3,000 in the next few years. It was just named tenth-best company to work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine.

Finally, Boeing, with facilities located at the decommissioned Air Force base now known as Kelly USA and Lackland AFB on the city's fast-growing west side, recently announced that they are doubling their production of 787 Dreamliners. Average salaries are $68,700 companywide, and Boeing will be adding another few hundred jobs to the San Antonio area with the new 787 contracts.