The state of Texas has won recognition for a second year in a row for a strong business climate.

The 2011 Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup rankings has Texas as number two behind Ohio, according to a news release issued March 1 by Conway Data, Inc.

Texas had 464 development projects in 2011, according to data released by Conway Data, an Atlanta-based publisher of Site Selection Magazine, which has tracked corporate real estate and economic development industry trends since 1978. Site Selection's yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as "the industry scoreboard." The magazine's circulation base consists of 44,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions, most at the CEO/President/COO level.

Texas won the number one spot in 2010 and this year is just 34-projects under Ohio, which won the four previous Governor's Cups prior to 2010.

The magazine's database focuses on new corporate location projects and does not track retail, government projects or schools, and hospital developments.

Eligible projects must have a capital investment of at least $1 million, create at least 50 new jobs, or add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor space.

Additionally, Arlington joins Dallas and Fort Worth as one of the Top 10 Metropolitan areas for new and expanded corporate facilities in 2011. Together, Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington ranked #4 in the category of cities with populations greater than 1 million. Houston, Baytown and Sugar Land area ranked #1.

"It can only be good for everyone in the region that the metroplex and the state are consistently at the top of the rankings with regard to economic development," said Arlington Economic Development Manager Bruce Payne. "I think the North Texas combination of location, the range of opportunities, and the pro-business climate are unique attributes that give us a consistent advantage over our competition."

To find out more about the Governor's Cup rankings and Top Metros, click here.

By Michelle Rice