Austin, Texas
Austin was founded in 1839 by Stephen F. Austin (known as the "Father of Texas"). The original name of Austin was "Waterloo," a name which a few old-Austin companies pay homage to such as Waterloo Ice-House and Waterloo Records. Austin is also known as "The Live Music Capital of the World" because of the rich musical culture of Austin that has grown off the now world-famous 6th street. Today, Austin continuously ranks among the Best Places to Live in Forbes, Men's Journal, Sperling's BestPlaces, and other popular publications.
Deep in the Heart of Texas, Austin sits in the region of central Texas known as "The Hill Country," an area rich with rolling hills, meandering lakes, and beautiful vegetation. At an elevation around 600 feet above sea level, Austin sees the best of everything: mild seasons, exciting thunder storms, sunny summer days, and if you're lucky, a snowflake or two.
Austin is an active city known for its 11,800 acres of greenbelt areas, and of course, Lance Armstrong. Austenites enjoy biking, hiking, running, boating, and rock-climbing on the many mild and clear days. This green city provides activities for the whole family. The clear air and mild climate has something for everyone.
Hollywood has its sites on Austin as well with a growing number of films being produced here each year. Residents frequently catch a glimpse of the stars both on the sets and off.
Austin also hosts North America's largest urban bat population with approximately 1.5 million Mexican Free-Tail bats. Visitors come from great distances to watch as the bats emerge at from under the Congress Avenue bridge at dusk to coat the clear and colorful skies over Town Lake between April and October.
The University of Texas and its approximately 50,000 students also call Austin home, making Austin a highly educated city and one that grows quickly as it captures the hearts of many who come here to work and learn.
So get your hiking books, kayak, and wake board ready, but grab an umbrella too, Austin is ready to show you what "Deep in the Heart of Texas" truly means.
