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Austin, Texas

Article by Brent Unger
Photography by George Hosek

Austin is loved by residents and visitors alike because of it’s beauty, diversity, mild climate, outdoor lifestyle, excellent city parks, close proximity to state parks and for it’s vibrant fine arts, night life and live music scene. Because of this appeal and because of it’s well educated citizens, Austin has become a major tech oasis and has seen a population boom over the past 20 years to make it the 4th largest city in Texas and the 16th largest in the U.S.

Originally established as the village of Waterloo in the early 1830’s, the city was selected as the national capitol of the Republic of Texas in 1839 after it gained independence from Mexico. The town was later re-named in honor of Stephen F. Austin and after Texas became a U.S. state, Austin remained the state capitol. The majestic capitol building is the centerpiece of Austin’s skyline and is actually taller than the national capitol in Washington D.C.

Designed by architect Elijah E. Myers in the Renaissance Revival style, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The capitol complex sees thousands of visitors from all over the world annually and the gorgeous, surrounding grounds are a popular spot for picnics and special events.

All around town you may see bumper stickers and t-shirts with Austin’s un-official slogan “Keep Austin Weird”. This was adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote locally based businesses which are an important aspect of the cities unique personality. Austin is very diverse and is a place of refuge for a counter-culture community.

Zilker Park, with it’s wide open spaces along Lady Bird Lake and great views of Austin’s skyline, is the crown jewel of the park system. The Barton Creek Greenbelt features 7 miles of trails on 772 acres and is popular with mountain bikers and hikers.

Austin is known as the “Live Music Capitol of the World” and has more live music venues per capita than any other U.S. city. The live music scene is centered around the famous 6th Street District downtown though the Warehouse District and South Congress Avenue (SOCO) are also home to live music, restaurants, hotels and shopping.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world are drawn to Austin every year for several music festivals, the largest of which are the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival and South By Southwest (SXSW).

The University of Texas’ main campus is only a few blocks north of the capitol and is an integral part of Austin’s economy, fine arts community and overall persona that has made the city famous.

UT is annually ranked among the nations top research universities, seven doctoral programs are ranked in the nations top ten, 22 departments are ranked in the top 25 nationally and among Texas colleges.

Ballet Austin is the fourth largest ballet company and academy in the world and performs ballets from a wide variety of composers. The Austin Symphony Orchestra offers a complete season of programming and is the oldest performing arts group in Austin.

The Paramount Theater on Congress Avenue brings in all the biggest Broadway shows and other big ticket events. The world class College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas is an integral part of Austin’s arts community as a whole and hosts numerous arts events, ballets, operas and concerts.

Just a few hours away are quintessential Texas towns like Johnson City, Fredericksburg and Kerrville nestled among limestone hills and spring fed creeks and rivers.

Located within this area are some of the states finest parks including McKinney Falls, Pedernales Falls, Guadalupe River, Colorado Bend and Enchanted Rock. It’s easy to get away from the fast lane life of Austin and find rest and rejuvenation in the Texas Hill Country.

Brent Unger is a native of East Texas and chose Austin as his home in 2005. He has been a freelance writer, composer and musician for twenty years and is the executive director of the Austin Stars Performing Arts Association. Brent is a specialty instructor and consultant for marching bands and drum & bugle corps across the U.S. and he is a marching band judge for the United States Scholastic Band Association.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport, 3600 Presidential
General Information 512-530-2242

Capitol Wings, 4321 General Aviation Avenue, 512-530-1700
McRae Aviation, 4309 General Aviation Avenue, 512-385-9615

Amtrak Austin, 250 N Lamar, 512-476-5684 or 1-800-872-7245

Greyhound Bus Service Austin, 816 E Koenig Lane, 512-458-4463 or 1-800-231-2222

Kerrville Bus Company, 512-458-3823 or 1-800-335-3722

Austin Cab, 512-478-2222

Checker Cab, 512-434-7777

Yellow Cab, 512-452-9999

Ace Taxi, 512-244-1133

Austin Taxi Cab Service, 512-775-7225

Round Rock Taxi, 512-218-8200

Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau

Austin Convention Center

Austin Chamber of Commerce

Austin Independent Business Alliance

Texas State Preservation Board

City of Austin Parks

University of Texas at Austin