Austin, TX

Situated on the Colorado River in South Central Texas, Austin is a young and friendly town known as one of the best places to live in the United States. With a population of about 750,000, Austin is the fourth-largest city in Texas and is also the state capital and home to the University of Texas. Not only is Austin a business and technology hub, but the city also thrives as a base of alternative culture in a traditionally conservative state, bringing music, arts, and theater to its youthful residents year-round.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

With lower housing costs than Silicon Valley and a large pool of potential employees from University of Texas, the high concentration of technology and defense companies has transformed Austin into "The Silicon Hills." The dot-com bust in the 2000s had a large effect on the city's economy and resulted in great job losses, but Austin remains a hub of high technology.

Other important industries include wireless technology, commercial and diversified manufacturing, and government.

Several regional and national company headquarters are located in Austin, including Whole Food Markets and Dell. The city's biggest employers are Dell, the State of Texas and the University of Texas.

EDUCATION

Thanks to its large and dynamic student population, Austin has been named the country's best college town by the Travel Channel. The University of Texas's main campus is located in Austin, and it is a key asset in the city's thriving biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. The university's engineering and computer science graduates also go on to work in the defense sector and many of the biotech companies located in Austin.

With no professional sports teams, Austinites cheer on the University of Texas Longhorns football team at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the largest football stadium in Texas. The Longhorns' baseball team is also popular in Austin as the winningest team in college baseball. MLB pitcher Roger Clemens is just one of many former Longhorns to enter the professional leagues.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Downtown: Sixth Street is the center of downtown Austin nightlife and where University of Texas students go to party. Lined with bars, restaurants, art galleries, shops, and clubs, this busy street attracts a younger crowd looking for a fun time and free live music on weekends. Sixth Street is also often closed off for pedestrians during festivals, events, and parades.
• East Austin: African-American and Latino communities inhabit East Austin, which includes African-American heritage sites like the George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center.
• South Austin: South Congress Avenue, or SoCo, runs through this area of Austin that has traditionally served as the city's center of alternative culture. South Austin has recently been gentrified with upscale stores and condos taking over the area. Great shopping and dining spots can still be found in this laid-back neighborhood. South Austin is also home to Zilker Park, where a long-running kite festival is held each year.
• West Austin: An upscale neighborhood with affluent shopping, dining, and residential developments.
• North Austin: Location of the University of Texas at Austin campus. There are many coffee shops, cafes, shops, and clubs nearby, particularly along Guadalupe Street, otherwise known as "the Drag."

BEST BETS

• The Austin Museum of Art hosts 20th-century and modern art at two locations in Austin. The downtown location offers an informal art experience, and the museum's original home at AMOA-Laguna Gloria is located at the villa of famous Texan Clara Driscoll.
• The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, the most visited presidential library in the country, contains both permanent and changing exhibits along with 45 million historical documents. It is located on the University of Texas at Austin campus.
• The Texas State Capitol is made of pink Texas granite and is 14 feet taller than the National Capitol in Washington D.C.
• Underneath Congress Avenue Bridge is the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in the United States. Visitors can watch up to 1.5 million bats make their nocturnal flight from under the bridge at dusk from March to October.
• Thanks to over 300 days of sunshine a year, Austin has an active outdoor culture. Residents participate in activities such as biking, hiking, swimming, and running. Mount Bonnell is a great place to hike at a beautiful scenic park nearly 800 feet above Austin. Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin is also considered one of the best spots in Austin for outdoor recreation.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• The official slogan of Austin, "The Live Music Capital of the World," couldn't be more appropriate. With an endless stream of musicians coming out of Austin and a variety of live music events year-round, Austin's music scene is the heartbeat of the city.
• South by Southwest (SXSW) started as a battle-of-the-bands and has since expanded to include film and media in a ten-day festival in March. One of the largest and best-known music festivals in the country, SXSW attracts big names in music while combining local events into the festival.
• Austinites take great pride in protecting their local culture, which is summed up in the popular phrase "Keep Austin Weird." With independent businesses, events like SPAMARAMA (a celebration of Spam), and many eclectic establishments for shopping, dining, arts, music, and entertainment, Austin balances its status as a center of entrepreneurship with its progressive and diverse arts and culture scene.

LOCAL MEDIA

• Austin Chronicle: The alternative weekly newspaper of Austin.
• Austin American-Statesman: The award-winning major daily paper of the city.
• The Daily Texan: The student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin.