The City of Austin is the nation’s 14th largest metropolitan area and the State of Texas’ fourth largest with 790,390 residents (2010 census). It is comprised of 272 square miles over canyonlands, lakes , rivers and creeks, and flat land mostly in Travis County, Texas. It was first settled in 1835 as Waterloo but was renamed after its founding father, Stephen F. Austin, soon thereafter.
Homes For Sale in Austin Texas
Location of Austin, Texas
Austin is in “Central Texas” — for the most situated atop the Balcones Escarpment where I-35 runs. East of the fault line is flat terrain with heavy clay and loam soils, whereas to the west its a limestone base with a thin layer of topsoil over the top. The limestone is hilly and undulating, giving rise to the oft-heard, “Texas Hill Country,” phraseology.
Austin Today
The city today is unique for a city of its size. It has community spirit, free-thinkers and the monikers, “Keep Austin Weird,” a reference to efforts to keep it from becoming a sterile copy of other large U.S. cities, and “Live Music Capitol of the World, a reference to the numerous live music venues (most per capita in the U.S.) and the long-running PBS show, “Austin City Limits.”
When IBM set up shop in Austin in the 70′s, the city used it as a springboard to cultivate more high-tech business. IBM is still a leading employer here and is joined by a host of other notable names: Freescale Seminconductor, AMD, Apple, Broadcom, Google, Intel, Qualcomm, ShoreTel, Synopsys, Texas Instruments, Samsung, Silicon Labs, Nvidia, 3M, HP, Applied Materials, Cirrus Logic, Cisco Systems, eBay/PayPal, Bioware, Hoover’s, Intel, Nationa Instruments, Buffalo Technology, Oracle, Hostgater and United Devices.
Other large employers are: Austin Independent School District (AISD), City of Austin, Dell Computer, U.S. government, St. David’s Healthcare, Seton Hospitals, State of Texas, and Univ. of Texas.
Austin Demographics and Miscellaneous
State capital; contains parts of Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, 271.8 square miles — 263.9 land and 6.9 water; Central Time Zone (CST); Zip codes: 78701-78705, 78708-78739, 78741-78742, 78744-78769; Phone area code: 512; straddles Balcones Escarpment fault line; ethnic makeup: white, 48.7%, hispanic, 35.1%, African American, 7.7%, Asian, 6.2%, American Indian, .2%, Pacific islander, .1% and other, 3.4%. AGes: under 18, 22.5%, 18 to 24, 16.6%, 25 to 44, 37.1%, 45 to 64, 17.1%, and 65+, 6.7%. Median household income: $42,689; median family income: $54,091; median house price: $185,906.
Getting Around in Austin
There are six major road serving as the big arterials for Austin. Running east-west through the city are Hwys. 71 and 290, TX Toll Road 45, and parts of Loop 360. North-south are I-35, Mopac, Hwy. 183, and Toll Roads 183A and 130. Other major roads are RR 620, Lamar Blvd., Southwest Parkway, Congress Avenue, and Parmer Lane.
Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) is 5 miles southeast of downtown near the intersection of Hwys. 183 and 71 and a short commute. Air traffic is growing at ABIA and non-stop flights to many destinations can be booked, including to Silicon Valley.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) operates public transportation bus lines into and from the inner city, plus the new 2010 Metro Rail running the 32-mile stretch from north Leander to the Austin Convention Center …and a few points in between.
The Univ. of Texas operates buses for students in and around the campus areas. As a result, students make housing near bus stops very high demand.
Amtrak has service through Austin. The Texas Eagle station is downtown at 250 North Lamar Blvd.
Bicycling is popular here in Austin. As of today, 1% of Austinites ride their bikes to work each day. The most bike-friendly city in Texas, Austin has been awarded the Silver level rating from the League of American Bicyclists.
Austin Climate
Austin is in a semi-arid region, characterized by hot summers and mild winters. Snow is rare here, as is ice. Average daily maximum temperature comes in August on average and is 95.6 F. Lowest highs occur in January with readings just over 60 F. Hottest lows come in July with an average of 73.4 F while coldest lows occur in January at 40 F.
Typically, we receive 33.6 inches of rain per year, very rarely see a tornado and experience 12 days over 100 F and 18 days under 32 F.
Austin Education
There are 29 independent school districts (ISD’s) in the Austin area. Austin ISD is the largest, but others from surrounding or engulfed communities permeate the city in places. They are: Eanes, Lake Travis, Leander, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Manor, Del Valle, and Hays. There are 17 charter and 69 private schools in the Austin area.
According to a study by researchers at the Central Connecticut State Univ., Austin is the 16th most literate city in the nation. The Univ. of Texas has the seventh largest academic library in the country and was voted #1 college town by The Travel Channel.
As of 2009, 39 per cent of residents had a BA degree, ranking it #8 among U.S. cities with the degree. Forty-three percent over the age of 25 have the degree while another 16% have graduate degrees.
The Univ. of Texas undergraduate and post-graduate student body numbers 50,000. UT spends $640 million per year on research. Other universities, colleges and schools in Austin are: St. Edwards, Austin Community College (ACC), Concordia, Huston-Tillotson, Seminary of the Southwest, Acton, Austin Graduate School of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Virginia College, Art Institute of Austin, Austin Conservatory and Park Univ.
Austin Sports Scene
The Univ. of Texas dominates the Austin sports scene, competing in major sports within the 10-member Big XII Conference. Its football and baseball teams won national championships in 2005. Football is played in the newly-expanded and renovated 101,000-seat Darrel K. Royal (a former coach) -Texas Memorial Stadium. Baseball is played across I-35 from the stadium in the UFCU Disch-Falk Field, also recently expanded and renovated. It now can accommodate 6,756 fans.
On the professional level, Austin has the Texas Stars hockey team, an affiliate of the Dallas Stars, and the Austin Toros, affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Development League.
Amateur sports abound. Austin has 80-some races per year for runners, most notably the Capitol 10K, the U.S.’ fifth largest such. The Austin Marathon, since 1992, is gaining in stature each year.
Swimming, bicycling and auto racing are here or on the horizon. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France 7 times and has done a lot for his sport in his hometown. The Capitol City Triathlon is staged each Memorial Day on and around Lady Bird Lake.
Formula 1 Racing is coming fall of 2012 near the Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA). The State of Texas will spend $25 million per year the first 10 years to help with sanctioning fees. The new circuit is under construction now at an estimated cost of $250 to $300 million to private investors, including UT grad and businessman, Red McCombs.
Austin Dining and Retail
Since Austin grew to more than a million people in the MSA, national restaurant chains and retailers have wanted to enter our market. The Domain in the geographic center of Austin, near where Mopac, Hwy. 183 and Loop 360 meet, is Austin’s first truly upscale mall. It is a multi-use area with limited vehicular access, nice pedestrian and park area, loft apartments, a couple boutique hotels, and of course many top-end stores.
Other shopping areas around the city are: Barton Creek Square Mall (Austin’s largest), Lakeline Mall, Southpark Meadows, Highland Mall, the Mueller Airport Development, a wide swath of downtown, and South First, Congress and Lamar.
Restaurant choices are many. Some sources say Austin has more per capita than any other city in the U.S. Regardless, there are eateries for every taste, from food trailer courts to fine dining to casual and BBQ. Places like Mighty Cone, McCormick & Schmicks, Chuy’s and The Salt Lick.
Austin Form of Governance
The City of Austin uses the old at-large city councilperson election method. Council members are not elected by district, though talk of that is on the rise. There is the mayor, a mayor pro tem, and five members. There is a hired city manager and other hired posts. Candidates run non-partisan and stand for election every two years. Without a majority in each race, a runoff follows. The City of Austin conducts its business at the new city hall, located at 301 West Second Street.
Since the 60′s city leaders have traditionally been very environmentally aware. And citizen groups monitor development, water sourcing and use, wildlife, and energy production and consumption to make Austin a greener city. In fact, by 2020 the City of Austin has pledged to make itself the first city in the nation to be 100% green and sustainable.
A few enclaves around Austin are green home developments and quite a few buildings are LEED-certified. MSN calls Austin the “Greenest City in America.”
Along similar lines, Whole Foods started in Austin and has become the leader in organic and natural grocery stores around the country. Its flagship HQ store is located at 601 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin Central Business District
A provision requiring the state capitol building be viewable from various vantage points in the downtown area called the “Capitol View Corridor” has made Austin’s skyline what it is. –Basically low with tall towers here and there. The previous mayor initiated a drive to populate the urban core more densely. Resulting are some of the tallest condo towers in Texas. The tallest in Austin is the Austonian with 56 floors and rising 683 feet. The 360 Condominiums were recently completed as well and reach 563 feet up into the sky.
Increasing population in the downtown area has ensured vibrancy for restaurants, bars, businesses, museums, coffee shops, boutiques, hotels, city hall and Lady Bird Lake. The hike and bike trail around the lake draws hundreds and often thousands of people downtown each day to exercise on or along the lake.
The March South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival is staged in about 90 downtown venues. Events spill out around town and help it to be Austin’s largest economic boost of the year, with an impact of nearly $170 million over four days.
Downtown parks are famous for their fests and celebration hosting. Some of the unique Austin fest that keep Austin weird are: O Henry Pun Off, Eeyore’s Birthday Party, Spamarama, Reggae Fest, Art City, Carnaval Brasileiro, Pecan Street Fest, and Halloween Night.
Also downtown you will find the “moon towers,” tall street lights that are antiques. No other city in the country has any that still operate, whereas Austin has 15. They were not even supposed to be here, but the manufacturer put them on the wrong train. Instead of arriving in Minnesota, they came here. The rest is history.
Austin Music Scene
With being “The Live Music Capitol of the World” comes a wide range of music and styles. The are cultivated organically right here in Austin …and via many music fests in Austin, drawing artists and audiences alike. The most venues in one place are found on East Sixth Street. There are dozens of bars and nightclubs featuring nightly or weekend live music. You choices are many!
SXSW is big, as is Austin City Limits (ACL). Though they cannot compare is size or stature, other popular events are: Urban Music Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Choas in Tejas, and Olds Settlers Music Fest among others.
The Austin Lyric Opera was founded in 1986 and performs at the brand new Long Center for the Performing Arts.
Austin-Made Movies
Austin’s annual Austin Film Festival celebrates the movie-making industry and salutes the efforts the City of Austin makes to attract productions. Along with the City of Austin, the Austin Film Society has converted several former hangars at the Mueller Airport into filmmaking studios called Austin Studios.
Movies you may have seen which were made in Austin are: True Grit, Grindhouse, Machete, A Scanner Darkly, Man of the House, Secondhand Lions, Walking Life, Spy Kids, The Alamo, Hope Floats, Slacker, Doubting Thomas, Miss Congeniality, Office Space, and Dazed and Confused. Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater are Austinites and prefer to film in their hometown vs. Hollywood.
Austin Theatre
Creativity is encouraged in Austin, so there is a wide range of productions — from well-planned and professional to whimsy impromptu and lower budget. Among the venues in the former category are Zachary Scott Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin Playhouse, Scottish Rite Children’s Theater, and Hyde Park Theatre. In the latter category are: Salvage Vanguard Theater, Vortex Repertory, Rude Mechanicals’ the Off Center, Blue Theater, Hideout Theater, ColdTowne Theatrer, New Movement Theater, and Esther’s Follies.
Austin Museums
Austin has some pretty high-profile museums …as well as some lesser known that make significant cultural contributions to the city. Some of the big names: Texas Memorial Museum, Blanton Museum of Art, Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Palmer Events Center, George Washington Carver Museum, Republic of Texas Museum, Texas State Capitol Building and Complex, Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, Elisabet Ney Museum, Harry Ransom Center, and Austin Museum of Art–Downtown and Laguna Gloria. Less known among the museums are: South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, Mexic-Arte Museum, Children’s Museum, Doughertys Art Center, French Legation, Texas Highway Patrol Assoc. and Museum, Texas Military Forces Museum, Jones Center for Contemporary Art, and O. Henry House. Many of these can be found listed on the “100+ Things to do in Austin” page, with short descriptions and phone numbers.
Information deemed reliable as of 10/17/2011.
