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The City of Austin

Where It's At in Texas

Overview

It's been called the live music capitol of the world, the greatest city in Texas, the 3rd most recession proof city in America, and the "Best Place to Live" in America, but no matter what you call it, Austin is an entity all it's own. Austin is cosmopolitan, yet unpretentious; vibrant, but relaxed; high-tech, but low key; big city, but college town; comfortable, but refined. This quirky city hasn't lost touch with it's small-town roots, and there's a certain casual quality that attracts more and more people to Austin each year.

Austin is the capital of Texas and the seat of Travis County. The fourth largest city in Texas and the 16th in the United States, Austin's population has now grown to exceed 1.5 million and shows no signs of stopping. Rapid growth, thousands of new jobs, and an incredible new push for downtown development make Austin the city in which to invest in the United States.

But it isn't just the property values that make Austin such a great pick – it's the people. University professors, blue collar workers, musicians, students, government employees, high-tech workers, politicians, and artists are just a few of the groups represented in Austin's diverse population. The most populous central areas are marked by an incredible diversity of people and activities, as Austinites of every persuasion work, shop, and play in the city they love. The unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird" speaks volumes about the eclectic and progressive people and unique local businesses that make Austin such an exciting place to live.

Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin, the fifth largest university in the country. A student population of over 55,000 makes for a bustling central city, with real-estate development struggling to keep pace with the influx of new students, faculty, and staff as the university continues to grow. The student-oriented North and West Campus areas blend in seamlessly with the surrounding residential neighborhoods such as Hyde Park and Old Enfield.

Though the tech-industry took a serious hit in the late 1990s, Austin's high-tech class has bounced back, and the thriving tech industry and large population of high-tech workers has earned the city the nickname "Silicon Hills." With much lower housing costs than Silicon Valley, Austin attracts tech business of all types. Some of the major players include Dell, IBM, Freescale Semiconductor, 3M, Motorola, eBay/Paypal, Intel, National Instruments, Samsung, and Apple, Inc. These companies, and the thousands of workers employed by them, have served as the primary impetus for rapid growth North, South, and East of Central Austin. But large corporations aren't the only businesses thriving in Austin – Austinites, and the Austin Independent Business Alliance, are committed to making sure that local businesses have a chance to make it along side national companies. Restaurants, boutiques, advertising firms, tech-startups, and art galleries dot the Austin landscape, supported by loyal locals determined to hang on to their favorites. Many of these businesses have gathered incredible momentum, growing in size with the support of their local fan-base. From successful local chains such as Taco Shack or Chuy's to national corporations with Austin roots such as Whole Foods, Austin is a breeding ground for creative entrepreneurs.

Though the official slogan for Austin is "The Live Music capital of the World," music is just one element of Austin's vibrant arts scene. Austin has more music venues per capita than any other city in the US, with the heaviest concentrations around the Downtown area. In particular, the world famous Sixth Street District is bursting with activity almost every night of the week, and on your average weekend, there are literally hundreds of shows going on simultaneously throughout Austin. During festivals such as the South by Southwest Music Festival or the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the town literally explodes, with restaurants, coffee shops, and outdoor spaces serving as temporary venues to accommodate the huge influx of artists from around the world. Other art interests include an exciting theater and dance scene and a huge community of artists, galleries, and studios. Some famous theaters include the Zachary Scott Theater, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Hyde Park Theater, and Esther's Follies, which hosts a hilarious live-action comedy show year-round. There's also the Paramount Theater, which has been around since 1915 and hosts film screenings, movie premiers, classic films, live music, and more. Ballet Austin is one of the largest ballet academies in the country, and Austin Lyric Opera hosts incredible performances year-round as well.

Austin may be the largest city in the United States without an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL team, but that doesn't mean Austinites aren't serious about sports, particularly UT Longhorn football. The University of Texas football, basketball, swimming, track, volleyball, and basketball teams have all had numerous national titles, and in 2005 and 2006 coach Mack Brown lead the football team to the national championship. There's also the Austin Ice Bats, a popular local hockey team, and the Round Rock Express, the always-popular minor league baseball team whose home turf is the beautiful Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Sports and the outdoors are extremely popular in Austin, including cycling, rock-climbing, swimming, and running. Austin hosts countless high-profile bike and foot races, including the Captiol 10,000, the largest 10K race in Texas and one of the largest in the United States. Health and environmental concerns drive the enormous community of cyclists and runners that flock each day to Austin's beautiful outdoor spaces, such as the hike-and-bike trail near Town Lake or the oldest man-made pool in Texas, Deep Eddy.

Austin has countless tourist attractions including famous museums, the Texas State Capitol, and more, but perhaps the most unusual is the largest urban bat population in the world, which resides underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. The population of 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats comes out every evening around sunset, greeted by over 100,000 locals and tourists every year.

Some famous Austinites include athletes Lance Armstrong and Andy Roddick actors Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Owen Wilson, Dennis Quaid, and Kevin Costner; filmmakers Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, and Wes Anderson; musicians Marcia Ball, Eric Johnson, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson; business mogul Michael Dell, and President George W. Bush.

Why live here?

There's no better place in Texas, and few better in the United States, to live – period. Austin TX is home to a diverse and passionate population who value the integrity of their city and will go to great lengths to preserve the architecture, history, culture, and neighborhoods that have made Austin what it is today. With all the opportunities of a large urban environment combined with the close-knit community, environmental awareness, and progressive spirit of a small Texas town, Austin is a great place to go to school, raise a family, or just hang out.

Quick Facts

Median Household Income

$47,442

Median Home Value

$312,500

Median Gross Rent

$740

Median Home Year Built

1981

Appreciation (2007)

3.78%

Median Home Age

24

Job Growth Rate

2.70%

Population Growth since 2000

8.12%

Median Household Size

2.87

Single Population

53.67%

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