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About Austin, TX

Austin is a city, the state capital of Texas, and the county seat of Travis since 1840. It is situated in the south-central region of the state, about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of San Antonio, where the Colorado River crosses the Balcones Escarpment. The metropolitan region of Austin includes the towns of Round Rock and San Marcos as well as the counties of Hays, Williamson, Bastrop, and Caldwell. Population: 790,390 (2010); 1,716,289 in the Austin-Round Rock metro area; 961,855 in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area; and 2,283,371 overall.

Austin, the fourth-largest city in the state, was once a Tonkawa and Comanche buffalo-hunting settlement located near the riverside community of Waterloo. Scouts chose it in 1839 to be the location of the Republic of Texas’ permanent capital, and Stephen F. Austin, the republic’s founder, was honoured with a new name. Austin had 856 residents when it was formed in 1840. When a Mexican invasion threatened Texas in 1842, the government was forced to relocate to Houston, but the residents of the town were adamant that Austin remain the capital and organised the so-called Archive War to forcibly keep official documents there. In 1845, the year Texas was admitted to the Union, the government relocated to Austin. An older building was replaced by Austin’s pink granite State Capitol (1888), which was fashioned after the U.S. Capitol (burned 1881).

After the Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived and a permanent bridge over the Colorado River was built in 1871, the community prospered as a commercial hub for farmers and ranchers. In 1900, a flood left behind extensive damage, including the bridge’s demise. Industry started to grow as a result of the river being used to generate power and regulate floods in the early 20th century. The 1990s saw rapid expansion in Austin, primarily driven by high-tech firms.

One of the city’s largest jobs is the business, research and development, and manufacturing sector for computers, computer equipment, semiconductors, telecommunications, software, and biotechnology. Primary economic factors also include the government, education, and health care sectors. The majority of international cargo is transported to international ports by railroads, which are crucial to trade. A former US Air Force facility served as the foundation for the 1999 opening of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Ethnic diversity is present in the city’s population. More than one-third of the population is Hispanic, less than one-tenth of the population is African American, and less than half of the population is of European heritage. The University of Texas (1881), which has its main campus in Austin, is one of the city’s educational resources. Other educational institutions include Concordia University at Austin (1926), Huston-Tillotson College (1875), St. Edward’s University (1885), and Austin Community College (1972).

At dusk, “artificial moonlight” from mercury vapour lamps atop 17 165-foot (50-meter) tall towers illuminates parts of the central city (erected in 1894). The Elisabet Ney Museum is located in her former studio and houses a collection of Ney’s sculptures. Ney produced numerous life-size figures, including those of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston standing in the national and state capitols. The O. Henry Home and Museum is housed in what was O. Henry’s residence from 1893 to 1895. Alphonse Dubois de Saligny, the French chargé d’affaires, who was to represent the French government in the Republic of Texas, erected the French Legation Museum in 1841; if he ever lived there, it was presumably for a very little time.

On the University of Texas campus is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum (1971), which houses archival materials, records, and artefacts related to Johnson’s public service. Exhibits about the state’s history are on display in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (2001). On the university campus, there is a famous collection of Latin American art at the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, the Mexic-Arte Museum, and the Austin Museum of Art are other facilities. A professional symphony orchestra, opera company, ballet troupe, as well as a variety of art galleries and theatre companies are just a few of the cultural institutions supported by the city.

Austin has a thriving music culture that is well-known. It used to be a hub for country and blues music, but now it also promotes Latino, rock, folk, and jazz music. The Warehouse District and Sixth Street are home to more than 100 live music venues, and the long-running public television programme Austin City Limits features musical talent. Numerous local record labels and recording studios contribute significantly to the local economy. Every year in March, there is a conference called South by Southwest that is all about music, movies, and interactive technology. Numerous musicians and filmmakers call the city home, and it is a favourite setting for movies.

Annual celebrations honour the ethnic communities, including Mexicans, African Americans, Germans, and French, who have contributed to the culture of the city. Every spring, the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo is held. Sightseers are drawn to the hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats that fly from their roosts on summer evenings near Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge. One of the highest peaks in the city is Mount Bonnell, which has a height of 785 feet (239 metres) and a 99-step ascent to the summit. Along with a wildlife centre, botanical gardens, and Barton Springs, a natural swimming pool, Zilker Park stretches along the river. In the city’s southern region is McKinney Falls State Park.

The Hill Country west of Austin is a recreational area with the chain of Highland Lakes (including Town Lake and Lake Austin, which wind through the city) impounded by dams along the Colorado River. The Hill Country is dotted with charming small towns that were initially settled by mostly central European immigrants in the 19th century. There are unusual rock outcrops, tunnels, and springs nearby.

Austin,TX

Austin is the state capital of Texas, an inland city bordering the Hill Country region. Home to the University of Texas flagship campus, Austin is known for its eclectic live-music scene centered around country, blues and rock. Its many parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming and boating. South of the city, Formula One’s Circuit of the Americas raceway has hosted the United States Grand Prix. 

Area: 704 km²
Area code: Area code 512
Population: 965,872 (2020)
Neighborhoods: Downtown Austin, North Austin, East Austin, MORE