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Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 15th-largest in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in the nation from 2000 to 2006. Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites" and include a diverse mix of university professors, students, politicians, musicians, state employees, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers. The city is home to development centers for many technology corporations and in the high-tech 1990's adopted the nickname "Silicon Hills". Austin is a beautiful city with hills, valleys and lakes running through the city. Austin has a current population of over 700,000 and over 1,000,000 in the metropolitan area. Austin is a popular vacation spot with 2 lakes within the city limits and 5 more lakes to the northwest of Austin. The population of Austin is a diverse mix that makes the city a truly unique place to live and work. These lakes make up the Highland Lakes chain of lakes and are very popular for water activities such as boating, swimming, water skiing, etc The mild winter climate attracts many visitors from the northern states in the winter. This city has a vibrant music scene. The Austin City Limits television show originates here. This show is the longest running live performance television show on US television. Austin is also known for its moon towers. These were built in the late 1800s and were featured in the movie Dazed and Confused. Austin takes pride in its high technology based economy. Dell and IBM are two of the biggest employers in the area.
Blessed with a temperate year-round climate and 300 days of sunshine a year, Austinites live for the outdoors. Nature trails, parks, and wilderness preserves create an oasis in the heart of the city, or is it a "city within a park?" The media has long had a fondness for Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World," ranking it consistently among the best places in America for residents and visitors.
Three Popular Lakes in the Austin Area: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, Lake Travis

The history of Austin

Austin has a unique history that reflects the growing pains and the tribulations of the young United States of America. The Tonkawa, Comanche, and Lipan Apache Indian tribes at one time populated the area that is now Austin. In the late 1700s the Spanish came to the area to construct temporary missions. It wasn't until 1830s that the first Anglo-American settlers arrived and began to settle into the area. They called their new settlement Waterloo. Waterloo was dubbed the capital of the New Republic of Texas and the town quickly began to grow. The growing community was then named after Stephen F. Austin. The government arrived in Austin in 1839 and by the next year the population of the city grew to 850 people. The city was planned and a hilltop site was chosen for the capitol building that was to be built. When Texas became part of the United States in 1845, elections were held in the state of Texas and it was decided that Austin would remain the capitol of the state. In 1861, with the outbreak of the American Civil War , voters in Austin and other Central Texas communities voted against secession. However, as the war progressed and fears of attack by Union forces increased, Austin contributed hundreds of men to the Confederate forces. With the end of the war and the emancipation of Texas' slaves, the African American population of Austin swelled dramatically. Black communities such as Wheatville, Pleasant Hill, and Clarksville were established around Austin by these newcomers. The postwar period saw dramatic population and economic growth. Austin got its first connection to the railroad in 1871. Austin was the only train station in the area and it became a center for trade. However as other new railroads were built through the region in 1870s, Austin began to lose its primacy in trade to the surrounding communities. During the 1880s, Austin gained new prominence as the state capitol building was completed in 1888, and claimed as the 7th largest building in the world. In the late 1800s, Austin expanded its city limits to more than three times its former area and the first granite dam was built on the Colorado River to power a new street car line and the new "moon towers. The construction for the Great Granite Dam on the Colorado River was completed in 1893. The city of Austin was pleased with the results. Beginning in the 1920s and 1930s, Austin launched a series of civic development and beautification projects that created much of the city's infrastructure and parks. The 1970s saw times of strong political leadership within the city. This was the time when music became prevalent in the city. Recording artist Willie Nelson was among the artists that helped bring the city's music scene to life.

Economy

Austin is considered to be a major center for high tech. Thousands of graduates each year from the engineering and computer science programs at The University of Texas at Austin provide a steady source of employees that help to fuel Austin's technology and defense industry sectors. Austin has a history of success in striving to attract regional office and national headquarters. A diverse array of companies also elected to make Austin their headquarters: Hoover's Inc. , National Instruments Corp. (industrial automation), Schlotzsky's Inc. (sandwich chain), and Whole Foods Market Inc. (natural foods chain). In 2004 alone, a number of companies established or expanded their Austin headquarters, including 360Commerce Inc. (software), Britestream Networks Inc. (semiconductors), HealthTronics Inc. (surgical services/medical devices), Opus Healthcare Solutions (medical software), SigmaTel Inc. (semiconductors), Silicon Laboratories Inc. (integrated circuits), TriCoast Funding (mortgages), and the wireless industry association Wi-Fi Alliance. The city also serves as divisional or regional headquarters for such companies as 3M Co. (conglomerate well-known for adhesives), Progressive Corp. (insurance), and Waste Management Inc. (garbage collection).

Culture of Austin

Austin culture is best described by two words: laid-back and friendly! It is a very informal city, and the citizens are generally very helpful. Music is a big influence on the Austin "vibe," and you may find bands playing at lots of places around town, not just the usual venues. Austin is the "live-music capital of the world." They have the South-by-Southwest music fest every year, along with the Austin City Limits fest during the sweltering late summer. Austin City government recognizes that music is one of the things that makes Austin special, and has several programs to help musicians and promote their music. Austin is the only major Texas city that has no ordinance against women appearing topless in public. " Keep Austin Weird " has become a local motto in recent years, featured on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Austin is typically a liberal town, and you can pretty much dress as you like and no one will bat an eye. It's also a sporty town, and the casual dress and active lifestyles of its residents attest to that. Austin hosts the annual Austin Film Festival , which draws films of many different types from all over the world. Austin has a strong theater culture, with dozens of itinerant and resident companies producing a variety of work.

6Street

6th Street is a historic street and entertainment district in Austin, Texas. East 6th Street is the center of the city's live music scene. 6th Street was formerly named Pecan Street under Austin's older naming convention, which had east-west streets named after trees and north-south streets named after Texas rivers (the latter convention remains in place). The area around nearby 4th Street and 6th Street is the heart of the Austin entertainment district. Many bars, clubs, music venues, and shopping destinations are located on E. 6th Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35 and many offer live music at one time or another during the week. The storied old buildings now house numerous bars, a host of live entertainment venues, tattoo parlors, art galleries, casual cafes, upscale restaurants, and the elegant Driskill Hotel. Live music of every genre abounds. From jazz, blues, and country to rock, hip-hop, beat, progressive, metal, punk and derivations of these, there's something to whet everyone's musical pallete. Great food is a staple on Sixth Street, featuring such regional staples as chili, ribs, and Tex-Mex plus steak, seafood, cajun-cooking, and deli.

Austin tourist attractions and sightseeing

Although Austin, the capital of Texas, is not overloaded with tourist attractions and sightseeing opportunities, the quality attractions it does have are not to be sniffed at. Austin is a unique city providing a blend of Old West charm, southern hospitality, and modern sophistication. Feast on some of the best foods in the world, take in some sun at one of the lakes, and enjoy a never ending array of things to see and do.

Town Lake

Lake Austin is the sixth lake down in the chain of Highland Lakes on the Colorado River in central Texas. The lake starts at the Mansfield Dam and ends at the Tom Miller Dam in the city of Austin. Town Lake Metropolitan Park stretches along the banks of the Colorado River from Tom Miller Dam on the west to Colorado River Park on the east. This giant park contains 10.1 miles of hiking and biking trails. The trail around the lake is mostly flat, fairly wide, and very popular. It offers great views of the lake and the Austin skyline. The Town Lake trail has branches off to some of the other great Austin biking and hiking trails - here is a comprehensive list of Austin Trails.

Austin 360 Bridge

Austin's Pennybacker Bridge, commonly called Austin 360 Bridge, is truly an extraordinary site. Designed by David McDonald it was the only bridge of its kind in the United States when it opened on December 3rd, 1982.

Congress Avenue Bridge

The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each night from mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas. The most spectacular bat flights are during hot, dry August nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge. There are several points from which to view the event, and an information kiosk is located on the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Located south of downtown Austin, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre will appeal to those with a love for flora and fauna as it boasts a garden with every category of wildflower that is known to grow in Texas. Each category is well labeled with comprehensive information on bloom season and more. Austin is a 279-acre public garden dedicated to increasing the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. Founded by Mrs. Johnson and Actress Helen Hayes in 1982, the Wildflower Center brings life to her hope to preserve the beauty and regional identify of natural landscapes. The Center features acres of Texas wildflower gardens, award-winning architecture, nature trails, a café and gift shop.

Texas State Cemetery

Lying just east of downtown Austin is the Texas State Cemetery, which was revamped in the 1990s and now includes a visitor's centre and walkways. The "Arlington of Texas" where monuments mark resting places of nearly 2,000 patriots, statesmen and heroes of Texas, including tombs of Stephen F. Austin and Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. Memorial also on grounds that honors Texas victims of the 9/11 tragedy and features two girder beams from the World Trade Center towers. Attractions at the cemetery include some of the Austin's most distinguished residents of yesteryear. Among the most well-known are Stephen F. Austin, whom the city was named after.

University of Texas

The research facility of the University of Texas is not far from the capitol and houses a couple of important museums, including the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum (LBJ). Austin's Jack South Blanton Museum of Art is another of the university's highlights and features an impressive private collection of old paintings and drawings including many Renaissance and Baroque works from the likes of Poussin and Rubens, as well as 20th- and 21st-century American art. The University of Texas at Austin is a major research university home to more than 50,000 students, 2,900 faculty and 21,000 staff members. The University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people of Texas and the United States. From teaching and research to public service, the university’s activities support its mission and core purpose: to transform lives for the benefit of society through the core values of learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity and responsibility.

Barton Springs Pool

In Austin and at points nearby, swimming is popular year-round because the climate is warm. Natural and semi-natural spots abound, drawing swimmers, bathers, toe-tippers, and sunbathers to their shores. Since most of the areas do not have lifeguards, swimming is at your own risk. The City of Austin operates numerous swimming pools in the summer months. The pool exists in the channel of Barton Creek and is filled by water from Main Barton Spring, the fourth largest spring in Texas. The pool is a popular venue for year-round swimming, as its temperature maintains a narrow range from about 20°C in the winter to about 22°C in the summer.

Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

Experience a place dedicated to the history and the spirit of the Lone Star State. Enjoy three floors of interactive exhibits, exciting temporary exhibitions and the special-effects Texas Spirit Theater as you immerse yourself in "The Story of Texas." Discover Stephen F. Austin's diary, Neil Armstrong's space suit and more than 700 other Texas artifacts in the main exhibits of the museum. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is also home to the only Austin IMAX theatre.

Austin Things To Do

Austin Duck Adventures - Land and Lake Austin Tours
Bicycle Kayak Segway Tours - by Gliding Revolution
Austin Kayaking Tours - by Live Love Paddle
Austin Segway Tours by Segway Nation - An Exotic Tour Experience
Austin Zoo
Milton Reimers Ranch Park
Cypress Valley Canopy Tours


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