Introduction to Austin, Texas
The capital of Texas, Austin is the sixteenth largest city in the United States and the fourth largest in Texas with a population approaching 700,000 people. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing in the United States, and has a population of approximately 1.4 million people.
Austin is located in central Texas. It is an hour and twenty minutes north of San Antonio, and a little over three hours northwest of Houston. Austin is home to three Fortune 1000 companies, including Whole Foods Market.
Austin-San Marcos is ranked as the 40th "Most Fun U.S. City" in a survey conducted in 2003 by Cranium Inc. Factors taken into account in the ranking include: the number of sports teams, restaurants, dance performances, toy stores, the amount of a city's budget that is spent on recreation, and other factors. Austin is also a past winner of the coveted "All-America City Award" from the National Civic League.
Austin typically experiences warm weather year round. The coldest month of the year is January with an average daily temperature of almost 60 degrees. July and August are the warmest months of the year with average daily temperatures in the 95 degree Fahrenheit range.
Austin History
Native Americans inhabited the area that is now Austin before the first European settlers arrived and established a settlement around 1835. Austin was founded as the village of Waterloo in 1837, and was chosen to become the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839. At that time, its name was changed to Austin to honor Stephen F. Austin, the "father of Texas". Other key dates in Austin's history include:
- In 1845, Texas was admitted into the Union and Austin became a state capital
- From 1861 to 1865, Austin and the rest of Texas were part of the Confederate States of America
- In 1881, Austin public schools opened
- In 1888, the Texas State Capitol was completed much
- In 1900, a storm washed away the Great Granite Dam and sent a wall of water into downtown Austin, killing dozens and causing substantial destruction.
Austin Arts and Culture
Austin is a center for arts and culture. Austin offers gardens, museums, the performing arts, and more. Some of Austin's more notable gardens and museums include:
- The Austin Museum of Art-Laguna Gloria
- The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
- The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
- The Texas Memorial Museum
- The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
- The Zilker Botanical Gardens
For patrons of the performing arts, Austin is home to many fine performing arts attractions. Some of the more notable include:
- The Austin Chamber Music Center
- The Austin Civic Chorus
- The Austin Civic Orchestra
- The Austin Lyric Opera
- The Austin Symphony Orchestra
- Ballet Austin
- The Paramount Theatre
- The Zachary Scott Theatre
Austin also plays host to numerous festivals every year, including an annual film/music/multimedia festival known as South by Southwest, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Carnaval, Eeyore's Birthday Party, the Old Settler's Music Festival, the Urban Music Festival, and more.
Austin Sports and Leisure
Austin has a diverse offering of sports attractions, including:
- Baseball - The Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Round Rock Express play in nearby Round Rock, Texas. The Round Rock Express are a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
- Basketball - The NBA Development League Austin Toros.
- Football - The Arena Football League (AFL) Austin Wranglers.
- Hockey - The Central Hockey League (CHL) Austin Ice Bats.
- Soccer - The United Soccer League (USL) Premier Development League Austin Lightning.
Austin is also a center for bicycling and is home to several cycling groups as well as Lance Armstrong. Runner's World magazine named Austin one of the "25 Best Running Cities in America" in July of 2005.
Austin "Must See" Attractions
Austin has attractions far too numerous to do justice in a simple list. Some of Austin's more notable and unique attractions include:
- Austin City Limits, the longest-running music show on television
- Austin is home to North America's largest urban bat population (neat attraction, but some people might not see this as a positive)
- The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
- The Texas State Capitol
Austin at Night
Austin promotes itself as the live music capital of the world and boasts over a hundred live music venues. Sixth Street is a famous destination for nightspots. Good sources of information about events and happenings include the free alternative weekly Austin Chronicle, or the Austin American Statesman's "XLent" supplement published weekly on Thursday.
