"Keep Austin Weird" has been a local motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...
for years, featured on bumper stickers and T-shirts. This motto has not only been used in promoting Austin's eccentricity and diversity, but is also meant to bolster support of local independent businesses. According to the 2010 book ''Weird City
''Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas'' is a non-fiction scholarly text by Joshua Long published in 2010 by University of Texas Press. The book uses the " Keep Austin Weird" movement as a central focus to discuss ...
'' the phrase was begun by a local Austin Community College librarian, Red Wassenich, and his wife, Karen Pavelka, who were concerned about Austin's "rapid descent into commercialism and overdevelopment." The slogan has been interpreted many ways since its inception, but remains an important symbol for many Austinites who wish to voice concerns over rapid growth and development. Austin has a long history of vocal citizen resistance to development projects perceived to degrade the environment, or to threaten the natural and cultural landscapes.
According to the Nielsen Company
Nielsen Holdings plc is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide.
The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and use ...
, adults in Austin read and contribute to blogs more than those in any other U.S. metropolitan area. Austin residents have the highest Internet usage in all of Texas. In 2013, Austin was the most active city on Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news news aggregator, aggregation, Review site#Rating site, content rating, and Internet forum, discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") subm ...
, having the largest number of views per capita. Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by ''Money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money ar ...
'' magazine in 2006, and No. 3 in 2009, and also the " Greenest City in America" by MSN.
South Congress is a shopping district stretching down South Congress Avenue from Downtown. This area is home to coffee shops, eccentric stores, restaurants, food trucks, trailers, and festivals. It prides itself on "Keeping Austin Weird," especially with development in the surrounding area(s). Many Austinites attribute its enduring popularity to the magnificent and unobstructed
view
A view is a sight or prospect or the ability to see or be seen from a particular place.
View, views or Views may also refer to:
Common meanings
* View (Buddhism), a charged interpretation of experience which intensely shapes and affects thou ...
of the Texas State Capitol.
The
Rainey Street Historic District
The Rainey Street Historic District is a street of historic homes, many of the bungalow style, in downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, Texas.
Rainey Street is positioned near Lady Bird Lake and Interstate 35 in the southeast corner of downtown. Thou ...
is a neighborhood in Downtown Austin formerly consisting of
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single- story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
The first house in England that was classified as ...
style homes built in the early 20th century. Since the early 2010s, the former
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
residential street has turned into a popular nightlife district. Much of the historic homes have been renovated into hotels, condominiums, bars and restaurants, many of which feature large porches and outdoor yards for patrons. The Rainey Street district is also home to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.
Austin has been part of the
UNESCO Creative Cities Network under
Media Arts the category.
Old Austin
"Old Austin" is an
adage often used by
nostalgic
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", a Homeric wo ...
natives. The term "Old Austin" refers to a time when the city was smaller and more
bohemian with a considerably lower cost of living and better known for its lack of traffic,
hipsters, and
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
. It is often employed by longtime residents expressing displeasure at the rapidly changing culture, or when referencing nostalgia of Austin culture.
The growth and popularity of Austin can be seen by the expansive development taking place in its downtown landscape. This growth can have a negative impact on longtime small businesses that cannot keep up with the expenses associated with
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...
and the rising cost of real estate. A former Austin musician,
Dale Watson, described his move away from Austin, "I just really feel the city has sold itself. Just because you're going to get $45 million for a company to come to town – if it's not in the best interest of the town, I don't think they should do it. This city was never about money. It was about quality of life." Though much is changing rapidly in Austin, businesses such as Thundercloud Subs are thought by many to maintain classic Austin business cultural sentiments unique to the history of the city; as Diana Burgess stated, "I definitely appreciate that they haven't raised their prices a ton or made things super fancy. I think it speaks to that
original Old Austin vibe. A lot of us that grew up here really appreciate that."
Annual cultural events
The
O. Henry House O. Henry House refers to two homes which the author, William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry lived. Both of these homes are located in Texas.
In Austin, Texas
*William Sidney Porter House
In San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, ...
Museum hosts the annual
O. Henry Pun-Off, a pun contest where the successful contestants exhibit wit akin to that of the author
William Sydney Porter
William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include " The Gift of the ...
.
Other annual events include
Eeyore's Birthday Party,
Spamarama, Austin
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
Festival & Parade in August, the Austin Reggae Festival in April, Kite Festival, Texas Craft Brewers Festival in September, Art City Austin in April, East Austin Studio Tour in November, and
Carnaval Brasileiro in February. Sixth Street features annual festivals such as the
Pecan Street Festival and Halloween night. The three-day
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/ PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...
has been held in
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the ...
every year since 2002. Every year around the end of March and the beginning of April, Austin is home to "Texas Relay Weekend."
Austin's Zilker Park Tree is a Christmas display made of lights strung from the top of a
Moonlight tower in Zilker Park. The Zilker Tree is lit in December along with the "Trail of Lights," an Austin Christmas tradition. The Trail of Lights was canceled four times, first starting in 2001 and 2002 due to the September 11 Attacks, and again in 2010 and 2011 due to budget shortfalls, but the trail was turned back on for the 2012 holiday season.
Cuisine and breweries
Austin is perhaps best known for its
Texas barbecue and
Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...
cuisine.
Franklin Barbecue is perhaps Austin's most famous barbecue restaurant; the restaurant has sold out of
brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pector ...
every day since its establishment.
Breakfast taco
A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of filli ...
s and
queso Queso (Spanish for "cheese") may refer to:
* Chile con queso, a cheesy sauce
* Queso Records
* Queso blanco, a white cheese
* Queso Chihuahua
* Queso flameado
* an obsolete TCP/IP stack fingerprinting tool that was well known in the late 1990s
* Que ...
are popular food items in the city; Austin is sometimes called the "home of the breakfast taco."
Kolach Kolach is the Slavonic term for a number of traditional baked products, such as:
*Kolach (bread), a circular bread, most often made as a sweet dish
*Slavski kolač, a Serbian variant of the kolach, made for the celebration of Slava
*Kolach (cake), ...
es are a common pastry in Austin bakeries due to the large
Czech and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
immigrant population in Texas. The
Oasis Restaurant
The Oasis on Lake Travis is a restaurant on the western edge of Austin, Texas. The restaurant promotes itself as the "Sunset Capital of Texas" with its terraced views looking West over Lake Travis. The thirty thousand square foot restaurant sits o ...
is the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas, which promotes itself as the "Sunset Capital of Texas" with its terraced views looking West over
Lake Travis
Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States.
Serving principally as a flood-control reservoir, Lake Travis' historical minimum to maximum water height change is nearly 100 feet. In 2018 alone, it saw ...
. P. Terry's, an Austin-based fast food burger chain, has a loyal following among Austinites. Some other Austin-based chain restaurants include
Amy's Ice Creams,
Bush's Chicken,
Chuy's
Chuy's is a Tex-Mex restaurant chain established in 1982 in Austin, Texas, by Mike Young and John Zapp. As of February 2022, Chuy's had close to 100 restaurants in 17 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ke ...
,
DoubleDave's Pizzaworks
DoubleDave's Pizzaworks is a chain of pizza restaurants based in Austin, Texas. The first restaurant was founded by David Davydd Miller in College Station, TX in 1984. Charles M. Thorp, Jr. is the CEO. In addition to several varieties of pi ...
, and
Schlotzky's.
Austin is also home to a large number of
food trucks
A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van) or trailer, equipped to cook, prepare, serve, and/or sell food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratc ...
, with 1,256 food trucks operating in 2016.
The city of Austin has the second-largest number of food trucks per capita in the United States.
Austin's first
food hall, "Fareground," features a number of Austin-based food vendors and a bar in the ground level and courtyard of
One Congress Plaza.
Austin has a large
craft beer
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
scene, with over 50
microbreweries
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis ...
in the metro area. Drinks publication VinePair named Austin as the "top beer destination in the world" in 2019. Notable Austin-area breweries include
Jester King Brewery,
Live Oak Brewing Company, and
Real Ale Brewing Company
Real Ale Brewing is a regional-sized American brewery founded in 1996 in Blanco, Texas. Their beers can only be found in Texas.
History
The Real Ale Brewing Company was established in 1996 in the basement of an antique store in Blanco, Texas
...
.
Music
As Austin's official slogan is ''The Live Music Capital of the World'', the city has a vibrant live
music scene with more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city.
Austin's music revolves around the many
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
s on 6th Street and an annual film/music/
interactive
Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but m ...
festival known as
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
(SXSW). The concentration of restaurants, bars, and music venues in the city's downtown core is a major contributor to Austin's live music scene, as the ZIP Code encompassing the downtown entertainment district hosts the most bar or alcohol-serving establishments in the U.S.
The longest-running concert music program on American television, ''
Austin City Limits
''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...
'', is recorded at
ACL Live at The Moody Theater, located in the bottom floor of the
W Hotels
W Hotels is an American upscale lifestyle hotel chain owned by Marriott International that is marketed towards a younger age group.
History
W Hotels was launched in 1998 with W New York, a conversion of the former Doral Inn hotel on Lexington ...
in Austin. ''Austin City Limits'' and
C3 Presents produce the
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/ PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...
, an annual music and art festival held at
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the ...
in Austin. Other music events include the
Urban Music Festival
Urban Music Fest (often abbreviated as "AUMF") is a two-day, national and local entertainment stage hosting, family-centric event that occurs in Austin, Texas, during the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. The festival features stages that focus s ...
,
Fun Fun Fun Fest, Chaos In Tejas and
Old Settler's Music Festival.
Austin Lyric Opera performs multiple operas each year (including the 2007 opening of
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...
's ''
Waiting for the Barbarians'', written by University of Texas at Austin alumnus
J. M. Coetzee).
The
Austin Symphony Orchestra performs a range of classical, pop and family performances and is led by music director and conductor
Peter Bay Peter Bay is Music Director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
Life
He graduated from the University of Maryland and the Peabody Institute.
He has previously been Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon, Music Dire ...
. The Austin Baroque Orchestra and La Follia Austin Baroque ensembles both give historically informed performances of Baroque music.
Film
Austin hosts several film festivals, including the
SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festival and the
Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers’ creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the ...
, which hosts international films. A
movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
chain by the name of
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in Austin in 1997; the South Lamar location of which is home to the annual week-long
Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of ''The Iron Giant'' and ''Secondhand Li ...
film festival. In 2004 the city was first in ''
MovieMaker Magazine
''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis.
See also
* List of film periodicals
Reference ...
's'' annual top ten cities to live and make movies.
Austin has been the location for a number of motion pictures, partly due to the influence of The
University of Texas at Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film. Films produced in Austin include ''
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, wh ...
'' (1974), ''
Songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
'' (1984), ''
Man of the House'', ''
Secondhand Lions'', ''
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'', ''
Nadine'', ''
Waking Life
''Waking Life'' is a 2001 American experimental adult animated film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The film explores a wide range of philosophical issues, including the nature of reality, dreams and lucid dreams, consciousness, th ...
'', ''
Spy Kids'', ''
The Faculty
''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, ...
'',
''Dazed and Confused'', ''The Guards Themselves'', ''
Wild Texas Wind'', ''
Office Space
''Office Space'' is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the worklife of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer ...
'', ''
The Life of David Gale
''The Life of David Gale'' is a 2003 dramatic crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Charles Randolph. The film is an international co-production, between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. It was Parker's final ...
'', ''
Miss Congeniality Miss Congeniality may refer to:
* ''Miss Congeniality'' (film), 2000 film, directed by Donald Petrie, starring Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt
**'' Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous'', a 2005 sequel
*A special award, the "Miss Congeniality A ...
'', ''
Doubting Thomas
A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience — a reference to the Gospel of John's depiction of the Apostle Thomas, who, in John's account, refused to believe the resurrected Jesus had appeared to ...
'', ''
Slacker
A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.
Origin
According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the earl ...
'', ''
Idiocracy'', ''
Death Proof'', ''
The New Guy
''The New Guy'' is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter, written by David Kendall and starring DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku.
The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy Harrison (Qualls) who gets himself expelled so that ...
'', ''
Hope Floats
''Hope Floats'' is a 1998 American drama film directed by Forest Whitaker and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., and Gena Rowlands.
Written by Steven Rogers and Brandine Spuckler, the story follows Birdee (Bullock), an unassuming housew ...
'', ''
The Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...
'', ''
Blank Check'', ''The Wendall Baker Story'', ''
School of Rock
''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. ...
'', ''
A Slipping-Down Life
''A Slipping-Down Life'' is a 1999 romantic drama film directed by Toni Kalem. Based on a novel by Anne Tyler, it stars Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce.
Plot
Shy loner Evie (Taylor) hears musician Drumstrings Casey (Pearce) on the radio one night and ...
'', ''
A Scanner Darkly
''A Scanner Darkly'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, published in 1977. The semi- autobiographical story is set in a dystopian Orange County, California, in the then-future of June 1994, and includes an extensive ...
'', ''
Saturday Morning Massacre'', and most recently, the
Coen brothers
Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
' ''
True Grit'', ''
Grindhouse
A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a fi ...
'', ''
Machete
Older machete from Latin America
Gerber machete/saw combo
San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca uses a machete to carve wood. ...
'', ''
How to Eat Fried Worms
''How to Eat Fried Worms'' is a children's book written by Thomas Rockwell, first published in 1973. The novel's plot involves a boy eating worms as part of a bet. It has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Lib ...
'', ''
Bandslam
''Bandslam'' is a 2009 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Todd Graff who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh A. Cagan. The film stars Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Porter, Ryan Donowho, an ...
'' and ''
Lazer Team
''Lazer Team'' is a 2015 American science fiction action comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by Matt Hullum. The first feature film produced by Rooster Teeth, it stars Burnie Burns, Gavin Free, Michael Jones, Colton Dunn, Allie DeBerr ...
''. In order to draw future film projects to the area, the
Austin Film Society The Austin Film Society (AFS) is a non-profit film society based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fo ...
has converted several airplane hangars from the former Mueller Airport into filmmaking center
Austin Studios
Austin Studios is a film and video production facility with 10,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of production office space and over 100,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of production space established in 2000. The space includes five production stages conve ...
. Projects that have used facilities at Austin Studios include music videos by
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (ke ...
and feature films such as ''
25th Hour'' and ''
Sin City
''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #51– ...
''.
Austin also hosted the
MTV series, ''
The Real World: Austin'' in 2005.
Season 4 of the
AMC show ''
Fear the Walking Dead'' was filmed in various locations around Austin in 2018. The film review websites
Spill.com and
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...
are based in Austin.
Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of ...
, creator of popular web series such as ''
Red vs. Blue'' and ''
RWBY
''RWBY'' (pronounced "Ruby") is an American anime-influenced computer-animated web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It is set in the fictional world of Remnant, where young people train to become warriors (called "Huntsmen" and " ...
'', is also located in Austin.
Theater
Austin has a strong theater culture, with dozens of itinerant and resident companies producing a variety of work. The
Church of the Friendly Ghost
Church of the Friendly Ghost aka COTFG is a volunteer-run arts organization supporting creative expression and counter-culture community. COTFG activities may include experiments in sound composition, custom made electronics, improvisation, cross- ...
is a volunteer-run arts organization supporting creative expression and counter-culture community. The city also has live performance theater venues such as the
Zachary Scott Theatre Center
ZACH Theatre (the Zachary Scott Theatre Center) is a professional theatre company located in Austin, Texas, as well as its associated complex of theatre facilities. The company is the oldest continuously active theatre company in Texas, and one of ...
, Vortex Repertory Company, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Rude Mechanicals' the Off Center, Austin Playhouse, Scottish Rite Children's Theater,
Hyde Park Theatre, the Blue Theater, The Hideout Theatre, and
Esther's Follies. The
Victory Grill
Victory Grill is a historic music venue located at 1104 E. 11th St, Austin, Texas. The nightclub was on the Chitlin' Circuit and hosted famous African American acts such as Bobby Bland, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, W. C. Clark and B. B. King when A ...
was a renowned venue on the
Chitlin' Circuit
The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...
. Public art and performances in the parks and on bridges are popular. Austin hosts the Fuse Box Festival each April featuring theater artists.
The
Paramount Theatre Paramount Theater or Paramount Theatre may refer to:
Canada
* Scotiabank Theatre or Paramount Theatre, a chain of theatres owned by Cineplex Entertainment
** Scotiabank Theatre Toronto or Paramount Theatre Toronto
China
* Paramount (Shanghai) o ...
, opened in downtown Austin in 1915, contributes to Austin's theater and film culture, showing classic films throughout the summer and hosting regional premieres for films such as ''
Miss Congeniality Miss Congeniality may refer to:
* ''Miss Congeniality'' (film), 2000 film, directed by Donald Petrie, starring Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt
**'' Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous'', a 2005 sequel
*A special award, the "Miss Congeniality A ...
''. The
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the ...
Summer Musical is a long-running outdoor musical.
The
Long Center for the Performing Arts is a 2,300-seat theater built partly with materials reused from the old Lester E. Palmer Auditorium.
Ballet Austin
Ballet Austin is the 12th largest classical ballet company in the US, and also operates the largest combined training facility associated with a professional ballet company in the United States. Each year the Ballet Austin company performs ball ...
is among the fifteen largest ballet academies in the country. Each year Ballet Austin's 20-member professional company performs ballets from a wide variety of choreographers, including their international award-winning artistic director,
Stephen Mills
Stephen Mills (born August 18, 1960 in Morganfield, Kentucky) is an American dancer and choreographer and is currently the Artistic Director/Choreographer at Ballet Austin. Under his tenure, Ballet Austin has been invited on four occasions to pe ...
. The city is also home to the
Ballet East Dance Company
The Ballet East Dance Company (BEDC) is an American modern dance company located in Austin, Texas. Founded by Rodolfo Mendez in 1978, the company presents at least eight staged productions during an annual season. The company often works with nati ...
, a modern dance ensemble, and the
Tapestry Dance Company
The Tapestry Dance Company is a professional non-profit dance company in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1989, the company performs repertoire from a variety of dance genres and often blends different types of dance within their choreography. Initially a ...
which performs a variety of dance genres.
The Austin
improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, ...
scene has several theaters: ColdTowne Theater, The Hideout Theater, The Fallout Theater, and The Institution Theater. Austin also hosts the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, which draws comedic artists in all disciplines to Austin.
Libraries
The
Austin Public Library
Austin Public Library is a public library system serving Austin, Texas, United States. It is operated by the City of Austin and consists of the Central Library on Cesar Chavez Street (which replaced the old Faulk Central Library in 2017), the Aust ...
is a
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
system operated by the City of Austin and consists of the Central Library on
César Chávez Street, the
Austin History Center
The Austin History Center is the local history collection of the Austin Public Library and the city's historical archive.
The building opened as the official Austin Public Library in 1933 and served as the main library until 1979, when library fun ...
, 20 branches and the Recycled Reads bookstore and
upcycling
Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value. ...
facility. The APL library system also has mobile libraries – bookmobile buses and a human-powered trike and trailer called "unbound: sin fronteras."
The Central Library, which is an anchor to the redevelopment of the former
Seaholm Power Plant site and the
Shoal Creek Walk, opened on October 28, 2017. The six-story Central Library contains a living
rooftop garden
A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...
, reading porches, an indoor reading room,
bicycle parking station, large indoor and outdoor event spaces, a gift shop, an art gallery, café, and a "technology petting zoo" where visitors can play with next-generation gadgets like
3D printers
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
. In 2018,
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
magazine named the Austin Central Library on its list of "World's Greatest Places."
Museums and other points of interest
Museums in Austin include the
Texas Memorial Museum, the
George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center,
Thinkery
Thinkery (formerly the Austin Children's Museum) is a children's museum in Austin, Texas.
History
The museum was founded in 1983 without a permanent location, providing traveling exhibits in public places such as malls, parks and libraries. In ...
, the
Blanton Museum of Art
The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (often referred to as the Blanton or the BMA) at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent coll ...
(reopened in 2006), the
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
The Bullock Texas State History Museum (often referred to as the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum or Bullock Museum) is a history museum in Austin, Texas. The museum, located a few blocks north of the Texas State Capitol at 1800 North Congre ...
across the street (which opened in 2000),
The Contemporary Austin, the
Elisabet Ney Museum and the galleries at the
Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pu ...
. The
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in Downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. ...
itself is also a major tourist attraction.
The
Driskill Hotel, built in 1886, once owned by
George W. Littlefield, and located at 6th and Brazos streets, was finished just before the construction of the Capitol building.
Sixth Street is a musical hub for the city. The Enchanted Forest, a multi-acre outdoor music, art, and performance art space in South Austin hosts events such as fire-dancing and circus-like-acts. Austin is also home to the
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, also known as the LBJ Presidential Library, is the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States (1963–1969). It is located on the grounds of th ...
, which houses documents and artifacts related to the Johnson administration, including LBJ's limousine and a re-creation of the
Oval Office
The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C.
The oval-shaped ro ...
.
Locally produced art is featured at the
South Austin Museum of Popular Culture
The Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop) is a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting art and memorabilia that reflect Austin's eclectic contributions to popular culture worldwide.
Auspop, f ...
. The
Mexic-Arte Museum is a Mexican and Mexican-American art museum founded in 1983. Austin is also home to the O. Henry House Museum, which served as the residence of
O. Henry
William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the M ...
from 1893 to 1895. Farmers' markets are popular attractions, providing a variety of locally grown and often organic foods.
Austin also has many odd statues and landmarks, such as the ''
Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial'', the
''Willie Nelson'' statue, the Mangia dinosaur, the Loca Maria lady at Taco Xpress, the Hyde Park Gym's giant flexed arm, and
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded ...
's ''
Hi, How are You
''Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album'' is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. The subtitle refers to the length of the album; Johnston had intended for it to be an ...
?'' Jeremiah the Innocent frog mural.
The
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (formerly known simply as the Congress Avenue Bridge) crosses over Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. Before construction of the Longhorn Dam was completed in 1960, the bridge crossed the Colorado Riv ...
houses the world's largest urban population of
Mexican free-tailed bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat (''Tadarida brasiliensis'') is a medium-sized bat native to the Americas, so named because its tail can be almost half its total length and is not attached to its uropatagium. It has be ...
s. Starting in March, up to 1.5 million bats take up residence inside the bridge's expansion and contraction zones as well as in long horizontal grooves running the length of the bridge's underside, an environment ideally suited for raising their young. Every evening around sunset, the bats emerge in search of insects, an exit visible on
weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly puls ...
. Watching the bat emergence is an event that is popular with locals and tourists, with more than 100,000 viewers per year. The bats migrate to Mexico each winter.
The
Austin Zoo, located in
unincorporated western
Travis County
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...
, is a
rescue zoo that provides sanctuary to displaced animals from a variety of situations, including those involving neglect.
The HOPE Outdoor Gallery is a public, three-story outdoor
street art
Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.
Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
project located on Baylor Street in the
Clarksville neighborhood. The gallery, which consists of the foundations of a failed multifamily development, is a constantly-evolving canvas of
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
and
murals
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...
. Also known as "Castle Hill" or simply "Graffiti Park," the site on Baylor Street was closed to the public in early January 2019 but remained intact, behind a fence and with an armed guard, in mid-March 2019. The gallery will build a new art park at Carson Creek Ranch in Southeast Austin.
Sports
Many Austinites support the athletic programs of the University of Texas at Austin known as the
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
. During the 2005–2006 academic term,
Longhorns football team was named the
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Champion, and
Longhorns baseball team won the
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...
. The Texas Longhorns play home games in the state's second-largest sports stadium,
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium (formerly War Memorial Stadium, Memorial Stadium, and Texas Memorial Stadium), located in Austin, Texas, on the campus of the University of Texas, has been home to the Longhorns football team since 1924. The st ...
, seating over 101,000 fans. Baseball games are played at
UFCU Disch–Falk Field
UFCU Disch–Falk Field is the baseball stadium of the University of Texas at Austin. It has been home to Texas Longhorns baseball since it opened on February 17, 1975, replacing Clark Field as the home of the Longhorns.
The stadium is named ...
.
Austin was the most populous city in the United States without a
major-league professional sports team, which changed in 2021 with
Austin FC
Austin FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play ...
's entry to MLS. Minor-league professional sports came to Austin in 1996, when the
Austin Ice Bats began playing at the Travis County Expo Center; they were later replaced by the
AHL Texas Stars
The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin, with home games at the H-E-B Center. They are owned by the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and are the te ...
. Austin has hosted a number of other professional teams, including the
Austin Spurs of the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...
, the
Austin Aztex of the
United Soccer League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
, the
Austin Outlaws in
WFA football, and the
Austin Aces in
WTT tennis.
Natural features like the bicycle-friendly
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Amer ...
and generally mild
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...
make Austin the home of several endurance and multi-sport races and communities. The Capitol 10,000 is the largest race in Texas, and approximately fifth largest in the United States. The
Austin Marathon
The Austin Marathon (also known as Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in Austin, Texas, since 1992. The race weekend also features a half marathon and a 5K run with a ...
has been run in the city every year since 1992. Additionally, the city is home to the largest 5 mile race in Texas, named the Turkey Trot as it is run annually on thanksgiving. Started in 1991 by Thundercloud Subs, a local sandwich chain (who still sponsors the event), the event has grown to host over 20,000 runners. All proceeds are donated to Caritas of Austin, a local charity.
The Austin-founded American Swimming Association hosts several swim races around town. Austin is also the hometown of several cycling groups and the disgraced cyclist
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering ...
. Combining these three disciplines is a growing crop of triathlons, including the Capital of Texas Triathlon held every
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
on and around Lady Bird Lake,
Auditorium Shores, and
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the U ...
.
Austin is home to the
Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas, in the United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Gran ...
(COTA), a grade 1
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...
specification
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
facility which hosts the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
. The State of Texas has pledged $25 million in public funds annually for 10 years to pay the sanctioning fees for the race. Built at an estimated cost of $250 to $300 million, the circuit opened in 2012 and is located just east of the
Austin Bergstrom International Airport. In August 2017, a new
soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-p ...
was announced to be built between the Austin360 Amphitheater and the Grand Plaza at COTA. A professional soccer team known as
Austin Bold FC will start playing in the
United Soccer League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
in 2019.
The summer of 2014 marked the inaugural season for
World TeamTennis team
Austin Aces, formerly
Orange County Breakers
The Orange County Breakers are a World TeamTennis (WTT) franchise founded in 2003, owned by Laguna Beach businessman Eric Davidson. The Breakers won the WTT Championship in 2004, 2017 and 2021. In 2014, the franchise moved to Greater Austin, Texas, ...
of the southern California region. The Austin Aces played their matches at the
Cedar Park Center northwest of Austin, and featured former professionals
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen Roddick (born 30 August 1982) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is a major champion, having won the 2003 US Open. Roddick reached four other major finals ( Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and the US Open ...
and
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007, and was a semifinalist at the 2011 French Open. She also ...
, as well as current WTA tour player
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Igorevna Zvonareva ( rus, Вера Игоревна Звонарёва, p=ˈvʲɛrə ˈiɡərʲɪvnə zvənɐˈrʲɵvə, a=Vera zvonareva.ogg; born 7 September 1984) is a Russian professional tennis player. She was introduced to tennis at ...
. The team left after the 2015 season.
In 2017,
Precourt Sports Ventures
Jay Anthony Precourt Jr. (born 1969–70) is an American investor and sports team owner. He is the CEO of Two Oak Ventures (formerly Precourt Sports Ventures), a group that owns Major League Soccer club Austin FC and formerly owned the Columbus ...
announced a plan to move the
Columbus Crew SC
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as o ...
soccer franchise from
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...
to Austin. Precourt negotiated an agreement with the City of Austin to build a $200 million privately funded stadium on public land at 10414 McKalla Place, following initial interest in Butler Shores Metropolitan Park and Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park. As part of an arrangement with the league, operational rights of Columbus Crew SC were sold in late 2018, and Austin FC was announced as Major League Soccer's 27th franchise on January 15, 2019, with the expansion team starting play in 2021.
Parks and recreation
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department received the Excellence in Aquatics award in 1999 and the Gold Medal Awards in 2004 from the
National Recreation and Park Association.
To strengthen the region's parks system, which spans more than , The Austin Parks Foundation (APF) was established in 1992 to develop and improve parks in and around Austin. APF works to fill the city's park funding gap by leveraging volunteers, philanthropists, park advocates, and strategic collaborations to develop, maintain and enhance Austin's parks, trails and green spaces.
Lady Bird Lake
Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is a popular recreational area for
paddleboards,
kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each ...
s,
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
s,
dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...
s, and
rowing shells. Austin's warm climate and the river's calm waters, nearly length and straight courses are especially popular with
crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the tasks involved ...
teams and clubs. Other recreational attractions along the shores of the lake include swimming in
Deep Eddy Pool, the oldest swimming pool in Texas, and Red Bud Isle, a small island formed by the 1900
collapse of the McDonald Dam that serves as a recreation area with a dog park and access to the lake for canoeing and fishing. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail forms a complete circuit around the lake. A local nonprofit, The Trail Foundation, is the Trail's private steward and has built amenities and infrastructure including trailheads, lakefront gathering areas, restrooms, exercise equipment, as well as doing Trailwide ecological restoration work on an ongoing basis. The Butler Trail loop was completed in 2014 with the public-private partnership 1-mile Boardwalk project.
Along the shores of Lady Bird Lake is the 350 acre (142 ha)
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the ...
, which contains large open lawns, sports fields, cross country courses, historical markers, concession stands, and picnic areas. Zilker Park is also home to numerous attractions, including the
Zilker Botanical Garden
The Zilker Botanical Garden (31 acres; 125,000 m²) is a botanical garden of varied topography located on the south bank of the Colorado River at 2220 Barton Springs Road, near downtown Austin, Texas, United States.
Theme gardens include the Tanig ...
, the
Umlauf Sculpture Garden
The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, stylized as the UMLAUF, is a museum and outdoor sculpture garden centered on the artistic works of American sculptor Charles Umlauf. Located at 605 Azie Morton Road in the Zilker neighborhood of Austin, Texa ...
, Zilker Hillside Theater, the Austin Nature & Science Center, and the Zilker Zephyr, a gauge
miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or pet ...
carries passengers on a tour around the park.
Auditorium Shores, an
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Pe ...
along the lake, is home to the
Palmer Auditorium, the
Long Center for the Performing Arts, and an
off-leash dog park on the water. Both Zilker Park and Auditorium Shores have a direct view of the Downtown skyline.
Barton Creek Greenbelt
The
Barton Creek Greenbelt
The Barton Creek Greenbelt located in Austin, Texas is managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt is a stretch of public land that begins at Zilker Park and stretches South/Southwest to the final section com ...
is a public
green belt
A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenway (lan ...
managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt, which begins at
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the ...
and stretches South/Southwest to the Woods of Westlake
subdivision
Subdivision may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Subdivision (metre), in music
* ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009
* "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2)
* ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005
* "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...
, is characterized by large
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
cliffs, dense foliage, and shallow bodies of water. Popular activities include
rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking. Some well known naturally forming swimming holes along Austin's greenbelt include Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, Gus Fruh Pool, and Campbell's Hole. During years of heavy rainfall, the water level of the creek rises high enough to allow
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
cliff diving,
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facin ...
,
paddle boarding
Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. This article refers to traditional prone or kneeli ...
, and
tubing.
Swimming holes
Austin is home to more than 50 public pools and
swimming holes. These include
Deep Eddy Pool, Texas' oldest man-made swimming pool, and
Barton Springs Pool
Barton Springs Pool is a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. It is located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The pool exists within the channel of Barton Creek and util ...
, the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area. Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed while Deep Eddy is well-fed. Both range in temperature from about during the winter to about during the summer.
Hippie Hollow Park
Hippie Hollow Park (originally known as McGregor County Park) is a park located on the shore of Lake Travis in northwest Austin. It is the only legally recognized clothing-optional public park in the State of Texas.. Though the land is owned by ...
, a county park situated along Lake Travis, is the only officially sanctioned
clothing-optional public park in Texas.
Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. The pool, located about 23 miles (37 km) west of Austin, is a popular summer swimming spot for visitors and residents. Hamilton Pool Preserve consists of 232 acres (0.94 km2) of protected natural habitat featuring a jade green pool into which a 50-foot (15 m) waterfall flows.
Other parks and recreation
Camping is legal on all public property except in front of City Hall since 2019. However, "Other areas where camping remains banned include any city park space, under Austin Parks and Recreation rules. That includes downtown green spaces as well as trails and greenbelts such as along Barton Creek."
McKinney Falls State Park is a
state park administered by the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...
, located at the confluence of
Onion Creek and Williamson Creek. The park includes several designated hiking trails and
campsites
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using ten ...
with water and electric. The namesake features of the park are the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek. The
Emma Long Metropolitan Park is a municipal park along the shores of
Lake Austin, originally constructed by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part o ...
. The
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin is the state botanical garden and arboretum of Texas. The center features more than 900 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings and is ho ...
is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
and
arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, m ...
that features more than 800 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings; the Wildflower Center is located southwest of Downtown in
Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch (also known as Circle C) is a large master-planned community in southwest Austin, Texas, USA. Development of Circle C Ranch began in 1982, with the first homes in the community in built in 1986. During development, the subdivision ...
. Roy G. Guerrero Park is located along the Colorado River in
East Riverside and contains miles of wooded trails, a sandy beach along the river, and a
disc golf
Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...
course.
Covert Park, located on the top of
Mount Bonnell, is a popular tourist destination overlooking Lake Austin and the Colorado River. The mount provides a vista for viewing the city of Austin, Lake Austin, and the surrounding hills. It was designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'' ...
in 1969, bearing Marker number 6473, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
in 2015.
The
Austin Country Club is a private golf club located along the shores of the Colorado River, right next to the
Pennybacker Bridge. Founded in 1899, the club moved to its third and present site in 1984, which features a challenging layout designed by noted course architect
Pete Dye.
Government
Crime
As of 2021, Austin is one of the safest large cities in the United States. In 2019, the FBI named Austin the 11th safest city on a list of 22 American cities with a population above 400,000.
FBI statistics show that overall violent and property crimes dropped in Austin in 2015, but increased in suburban areas of the city. One such southeastern suburb,
Del Valle, reported eight homicides within two months in 2016. According to 2016
APD crime statistics, the 78723 census tract had the most violent crime, with 6 murders, 25 rapes, and 81 robberies. The city had 39 homicides in 2016, the most since 1997.
Notable incidents
One of the first American
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...
school shooting
A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple ...
incidents took place in Austin on August 1, 1966, when
Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...
shot 43 people, killing 13 from the top of the University of Texas tower.
The
University of Texas tower shooting
On August 1, 1966, after stabbing his mother and his wife to death the previous night, Charles Whitman, a Marine veteran, took rifles and other weapons to the observation deck atop the Main Building tower at the University of Texas at Austin, ...
led to the formation of the
SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
team of the
Austin Police Department.
In 1991,
four teenage girls were murdered in a yogurt shop by an unknown assailant(s). A police officer responded to reports of a fire at the
I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! store on Anderson Lane and discovered the girls' bodies in a back room. The murders remain unsolved.
In 2010, Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his
Piper PA-28 Cherokee
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...
into Echelon 1, a building in which the
Internal Revenue Service, housing 190 employees was a lessee of. The resulting explosion killed 1 and injured 13 IRS employees, completely destroyed the building and cost the IRS a total of $38.6 million. ''(see
2010 Austin suicide attack)''
A
series of bombings occurred in Austin in March 2018. Over the course of 20 days, five
package bomb
A letter bomb, also called parcel bomb, mail bomb, package bomb, note bomb, message bomb, gift bomb, present bomb, delivery bomb, surprise bomb, postal bomb, or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with t ...
s exploded, killing two people and injuring another five. The suspect, 23-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt of
Pflugerville, Texas
Pflugerville ( ) is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States, with a small portion in Williamson County. The population was 65,191 at the 2020 census. Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin and part of the Austin–Round Rock–San Ma ...
,
blew himself up inside his vehicle after he was pulled over by police on March 21, also injuring a police officer.
In 2020, Austin was the victim of a
cyberattack
A cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, or personal computer devices. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricted ...
by the Russian group
Berserk Bear
Berserk Bear (aka Crouching Yeti, Dragonfly, Dragonfly 2.0, DYMALLOY, Energetic Bear, Havex, IRON LIBERTY, Koala, or TeamSpy) is a Russian cyber espionage group, sometimes known as an advanced persistent threat. According to the United States, the ...
, possibly related to the
U.S. federal government data breach earlier that year.
On April 18, 2021, a
shooting
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles c ...
occurred at the Arboretum Oaks Apartments near
The Arboretum shopping center, in which a former
Travis County
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...
Sheriff's Office
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads t ...
killed his ex-wife, his adoptive daughter, and his daughter's boyfriend.
The suspect, who was previously charged with
child sexual assault, was arrested in
Manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
after a 20-hour manhunt.
A mass shooting took place in the early morning of June 12, 2021, on
Sixth Street, which resulted in 14 people injured and one dead. The man killed was believed to be an innocent bystander who was struck as he was standing outside a bar. A 19-year-old suspect was formally charged and arrested in
Killeen nearly two weeks after the shooting.
City government
Austin is administered by an 11-member
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
(10 council members elected by geographic district plus a mayor elected at large). The council is accompanied by a hired
city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a " Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief ex ...
under the manager-council system of municipal governance. Council and mayoral elections are non-partisan, with a runoff in case there is no majority winner. A referendum approved by voters on November 6, 2012, changed the council composition from six council members plus a mayor elected at large to the current "10+1" district system. November 2014 marked the first election under the new system. The
Federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
had forced San Antonio and Dallas to abandon at-large systems before 1987; however, the court could not show a racist pattern in Austin and upheld the city's at-large system during a 1984 lawsuit. In five elections between 1973 and 1994 Austin voters rejected single-member districts.
Austin formerly operated its city hall at 128 West 8th Street. Antoine Predock and Cotera Kolar Negrete & Reed Architects designed a new city hall building, which was intended to reflect what ''
The Dallas Morning News
''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''The Galves ...
'' referred to as a "crazy-quilt vitality, that embraces everything from country music to environmental protests and high-tech swagger." The new city hall, built from recycled materials, has solar panels in its garage. The city hall, at 301 West Second Street, opened in November 2004.
Steve Adler assumed the office of mayor on January 6, 2015.
Law enforcement in Austin is provided by the
Austin Police Department, except for state government buildings, which are patrolled by the
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, commonly known as the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), is a department of the state government of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and driver license admin ...
. The University of Texas Police operate from the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
.
Fire protection within the city limits is provided by the
Austin Fire Department, while the surrounding county is divided into twelve geographical areas known as emergency services districts, which are covered by separate regional fire departments. Emergency medical services are provided for the whole county by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
Mayor
Steve Adler (
D)
Other levels of government
Austin is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Travis County
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...
and hosts the
Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse downtown, as well as other county government offices.
The
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway syst ...
operates the Austin District Office in Austin.
The
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...
(TDCJ) operates the Austin I and Austin II district parole offices in Austin.
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...
operates several post offices in Austin.
Politics
Austin is known as an enclave of
liberal politics in an otherwise conservative state—so much so, that the city is sometimes sarcastically called the "People's Republic of Austin" by residents of other parts of Texas, and conservatives in the Texas Legislature. Former Governor
Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republi ...
referred to it as a "blueberry in the tomato soup," meaning it is a Democratic city in a Republican state.
Since redistricting following the 2010 United States census, Austin has been divided between six congressional districts at the federal level:
Texas's 35th,
Texas's 25th,
Texas's 10th,
Texas's 21st,
Texas's 17th, and
Texas's 31st. Texas's 35th congressional district is represented by Democrat
Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Alton Doggett II (born October 6, 1946) is an American attorney and politician who is a U.S. representative from Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented a district based in Austin since 1995, currently numbered as T ...
. The other five districts are represented by Republicans, of whom only one,
Michael McCaul
Michael Thomas McCaul Sr. (born January 14, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the House Committee on Homeland Security during the 113t ...
of the 10th district, lives in
Travis County
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...
.
As a result of the major party realignment that began in the 1970s, central Austin became a stronghold of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, while the suburbs tend to vote
Republican. Overall, the city is a blend of downtown liberalism and suburban conservatism but leans to the political left as a whole. The city last went to a Republican candidate in 2000 when former Texas Governor
George W. Bush successfully ran for president. In 2004, the Democrats rebounded strongly as John Kerry enjoyed a 14.0% margin over Bush, who once again won Texas.
City residents have been supportive of alternative candidates; for example,
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes.
The son of Lebanese immigrants to the U ...
won 10.4% of the vote in Austin in 2000.
In 2003, the city adopted a resolution against the
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appro ...
that reaffirmed constitutionally guaranteed rights.
As of 2018, all six of Austin's state legislative districts are held by Democrats.
Travis County was also the only county in Texas to reject Texas Constitutional Amendment Proposition 2 that effectively outlawed gay marriage and status equal or similar to it and did so by a wide margin (40% for, 60% against).
Two of the candidates for president in the 2004 race called Austin home.
Michael Badnarik
Michael J. Badnarik ( ; August 1, 1954 – August 11, 2022) was an American software engineer, political figure, and radio talk show host. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2004 elections, and place ...
, the Libertarian Party candidate, and
David Cobb of the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundati ...
both had lived in Austin. During the run up to the election in November, a presidential debate was held at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
student union involving the two candidates. While the
Commission on Presidential Debates
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the Democratic and Republican political parties in the United States. The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. pre ...
only invites Democrats and Republicans to participate in televised debates, the debate at UT was open to all presidential candidates. Austin also hosted one of the last presidential debates between
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
during their heated race for the Democratic nomination in 2008.
In the 2016 presidential election, Travis County, which contains the majority of Austin, voted for
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
(D) by a 38.9-point margin (66.3% to 27.4%).
Gerrymandering
A controversial turning point in the political history of the Austin area was the
2003 Texas redistricting
The 2003 Texas redistricting refers to a controversial mid-decade state plan that defined new congressional districts. In the 2004 elections, this redistricting supported the Republicans taking a majority of Texas's House seats for the first ...
. Before then, Austin had been entirely or almost entirely within the borders of a single congressional district–what was then the 10th District–for over a century. Opponents characterized the resulting district layout as excessively partisan
gerrymandering
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
, and the plan was challenged in court by Democratic and minority activists. The
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
has never struck down a redistricting plan for being excessively partisan. The plan was subsequently upheld by a three-judge federal panel in late 2003, and on June 28, 2006, the matter was largely settled when the Supreme Court, in a 7–2 decision, upheld the entire congressional redistricting plan with the exception of a Hispanic-majority district in southwest Texas. This affected Austin's districting, as U.S. Rep.
Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Alton Doggett II (born October 6, 1946) is an American attorney and politician who is a U.S. representative from Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented a district based in Austin since 1995, currently numbered as T ...
's district (U.S. Congressional District 25) was found to be insufficiently compact to compensate for the reduced
minority influence in the southwest district; it was redrawn so that it took in most of southeastern Travis County and several counties to its south and east.
Environmental movement
The distinguishing political movement of Austin politics has been that of the
environmental movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...
, which spawned the parallel neighborhood movement, then the more recent conservationist movement (as typified by the Hill Country Conservancy), and eventually the current ongoing debate about "sense of place" and preserving the Austin quality of life. Much of the environmental movement has matured into a debate on issues related to saving and creating an Austin "sense of place."
In 2012, Austin became just one of a few cities in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
to ban the sale and use of plastic bags. However, the ban ended in 2018 due to a court ruling that regarded all bag bans in the state to contravene the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act.
Education
According to the 2015–2019 Census estimates, 51.7% of Austin residents ages 25 and over have earned at least a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
, compared to the national figure of 32.1%. 19.4% hold a
graduate or
professional degree
A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditat ...
, compared to the national figure of 12.4%.
Higher education
Austin is home to the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, the
flagship institution
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System (UT System) is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. The UT& ...
with over 40,000 undergraduate students and 11,000 graduate students.
Other institutions of higher learning in Austin include
St. Edward's University
St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition.
History Founding and early history
St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC, ...
,
Huston–Tillotson University,
Austin Community College
The Austin Community College District (ACC) is a public community college system serving the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas communities. The college maintains numerous campuses, centers, and distance learning opti ...
,
Concordia University
Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...
, the
Seminary of the Southwest
Seminary of the Southwest (formally the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest and informally SSW) is an Episcopal seminary in Austin, Texas. It is one of nine accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Seminary ...
, the
Acton School of Business
The Acton School of Business is a school for entrepreneurship located in Austin, Texas. Offering a full-time program, the school is based on experiential learning. Students analyze business case studies and participate in simulations, such as bu ...
,
Texas Health and Science University,
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is a private for-profit health sciences university headquartered in San Marcos, California. It was founded in 1979 as the Institute of Physical Therapy. It has campuses in San Marcos and ...
,
Austin Graduate School of Theology,
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary,
Virginia College's Austin Campus,
The Art Institute of Austin
The Art Institutes (AI) are a collection of private for-profit art schools in the United States. Since 2019, the schools have been owned by Education Principle Foundation (aka Colbeck Foundation), a non-profit that also owns South Universit ...
, Southern Careers Institute of Austin, Austin Conservatory and a branch of Park University.
The
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System (UT System) is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. The UT& ...
and Texas State University System are headquartered in downtown Austin.
Public primary and secondary education
Approximately half of the city by area is served by the
Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District (AISD) is a school district based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. Established in 1881, the district serves most of the City of Austin and surrounding towns, the City of Sunset Valley, the Village ...
. This district includes notable schools such as the magnet Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School of Austin, Texas (LASA), which, by test scores, has consistently been within the top thirty high schools in the nation, as well as The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. The remaining portion of Austin is served by adjoining school districts, including Round Rock Independent School District, Round Rock ISD, Pflugerville Independent School District, Pflugerville ISD, Leander Independent School District, Leander ISD, Manor Independent School District, Manor ISD, Del Valle Independent School District, Del Valle ISD, Lake Travis Independent School District, Lake Travis ISD, Hays Consolidated Independent School District, Hays, and Eanes Independent School District, Eanes Independent school district, ISD.
Four of the metro's major public school systems, representing 54% of area enrollment, are included in ''Expansion Management'' magazine's latest annual education quality ratings of nearly 2,800 school districts nationwide. Two districts—Eanes and Round Rock—are rated "gold medal," the highest of the magazine's cost-performance categories.
Private and alternative education
The Austin metropolitan area is also served by 27 charter school districts and over 100 private schools.
Austin has a large network of private and alternative education institutions for children in PreK–12th grade exists. Austin is also home to child developmental institutions.
Media
Austin's main daily newspaper is the ''Austin American-Statesman''. ''The Austin Chronicle'' is Austin's alternative weekly, while ''The Daily Texan'' is the student newspaper of the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. Austin's business newspaper is the weekly ''Austin Business Journal''. ''The Austin Monitor'' is an online outlet that specializes in insider reporting on City Hall, Travis County Commissioners Court, Austin Independent School District, AISD, and other related local civics beats. The ''Monitor'' is backed by the nonprofit Capital of Texas Media Foundation. Austin also has numerous smaller special interest or sub-regional newspapers such as the ''Oak Hill Gazette'', ''Westlake Picayune'', ''Hill Country News'', ''Round Rock Leader'', ''NOKOA'', and ''The Villager'' among others. ''Texas Monthly'', a major regional magazine, is also headquartered in Austin. The ''Texas Observer'', a muckraking biweekly political magazine, has been based in Austin for over five decades. The weekly ''Community Impact Newspaper'' published by John Garrett, former publisher of the ''Austin Business Journal'' has five regional editions and is delivered to every house and business within certain ZIP codes and all of the news is specific to those ZIP codes. Another statewide publication based in Austin is ''The Texas Tribune'', an on-line publication focused on Texas politics.
The ''Tribune'' is "user-supported" through donations, a business model similar to public radio. The editor is Evan Smith (journalist), Evan Smith, former editor of ''Texas Monthly''. Smith co-founded the ''Texas Tribune'', a nonprofit, non-partisan public media organization, with Austin venture capitalist John Thornton and veteran journalist Ross Ramsey.
Commercial radio stations include KASE-FM (Country music, country), KVET (AM), KVET (sports), KVET-FM (country), KKMJ-FM (adult contemporary), KLBJ (AM), KLBJ (talk), KLBJ-FM (classic rock), KFIT (variety hits), KFMK (contemporary Christian), KOKE-FM (progressive country) and KPEZ (rhythmic contemporary). KUT-FM is the leading Public broadcasting, public radio station in Texas and produces the majority of its content locally. KOOP (FM) is a volunteer-run radio station with more than 60 locally produced programs. KVRX is the student-run college radio station of the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on local and non-mainstream music and community programming. Other listener-supported stations include KAZI (urban contemporary), and KMFA (Classical music, classical).
Network television stations (affiliations in parentheses) include KTBC (TV), KTBC (Fox Owned-and-operated station, O&O), KVUE (ABC), KXAN (NBC), KEYE-TV (CBS), KLRU (PBS), KNVA (The CW), KBVO (TV), KBVO (MyNetworkTV), and KAKW (Univision Owned-and-operated station, O&O). KLRU produces several award-winning locally produced programs such as ''
Austin City Limits
''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...
''. Despite Austin's explosive growth, it is only a medium-sized market (currently 38th) because the suburban and rural areas are not much larger than the city proper. Additionally, the proximity of San Antonio truncates the potential market area.
Alex Jones, journalist, radio show host and filmmaker, produces his talk show ''The Alex Jones Show'' in Austin which broadcasts nationally on more than 60 AM and FM radio stations in the United States, WWCR Radio shortwave and XM Radio: Channel 166.
Transportation
In 2009, 72.7% of Austin (city) commuters drove alone, with other mode shares being: 10.4% carpool, 6% were remote workers, 5% use transit, 2.3% walk, and 1% bicycle. In 2016, the American Community Survey estimated modal shares for Austin (city) commuters of 73.5% for driving alone, 9.6% for carpooling, 3.6% for riding transit, 2% for walking, and 1.5% for cycling. The city of Austin has a lower than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 6.9 percent of Austin households lacked a car, and decreased slightly to 6 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Austin averaged 1.65 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.
In mid-2019, TomTom ranked Austin as having the worst traffic congestion in Texas, as well as 19th nationally and 179th globally.
Highways
Central Austin lies between two major north–south freeways: Interstate 35 in Texas, Interstate 35 to the east and the State Highway Loop 1 (Texas), Mopac Expressway (Loop 1) to the west. U.S. Highway 183 (Texas), U.S. Highway 183 runs from northwest to southeast, and State Highway 71 (Texas), State Highway 71 crosses the southern part of the city from east to west, completing a rough "box" around central and north-central Austin. Austin is the largest city in the United States to be served by only one Interstate Highway.
U.S. Highway 290 (Texas), U.S. Highway 290 enters Austin from the east and merges into Interstate 35. Its highway designation continues south on I-35 and then becomes part of Highway 71, continuing to the west. Highway 290 splits from Highway 71 in southwest Austin, in an interchange known as "The Y." Highway 71 continues to Brady, Texas, and Highway 290 continues west to intersect Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10 near Junction, Texas, Junction. Interstate 35 continues south through
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
to Laredo, Texas, Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border. Interstate 35 is the highway link to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in northern Texas. There are two links to Houston, Texas (Highway 290 and State Highway 71/Interstate 10). Highway 183 leads northwest of Austin toward Lampasas, Texas, Lampasas.
In the mid-1980s, construction was completed on State Highway Loop 360 (Texas), Loop 360, a scenic highway that curves through the hill country from near the 71/Mopac interchange in the south to near the 183/Mopac interchange in the north. The iconic
Pennybacker Bridge, also known as the "360 Bridge," crosses Lake Austin to connect the northern and southern portions of Loop 360.
Tollways
State Highway 130 (Texas), State Highway 130 is a bypass route designed to relieve traffic congestion, starting from Interstate 35 just north of Georgetown and running along a parallel route to the east, where it bypasses
Round Rock
Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census.
The city straddles the Balc ...
, Austin,
San Marcos and New Braunfels, Texas, New Braunfels before ending at Interstate 10 east of Seguin, Texas, Seguin, where drivers could drive west to return to Interstate 35 in San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio. The first segment was opened in November 2006, which was located east of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport at Austin's southeast corner on State Highway 71 (Texas), State Highway 71. Highway 130 runs concurrently with Highway 45 from Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville on the north until it reaches US Highway 183, US 183 well south of Austin, at which point State Highway 45 (Texas), SR 45 continues west. The entire route of State Highway 130 is now complete. The final leg opened on November 1, 2012. The highway is noted for having a maximum speed limit of for the entire route. The section of the toll road between Mustang Ridge and Seguin has a posted speed limit of , the highest posted speed limits in the United States, speed limit in the United States.
State Highway 45 (Texas), State Highway 45 runs east–west from just south of Highway 183 in Cedar Park, Texas, Cedar Park to 130 inside Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville (just east of Round Rock). A tolled extension of State Highway Loop 1 was also created. A new southeast leg of Highway 45 has recently been completed, running from US 183 and the south end of Segment 5 of TX-130 south of Austin due west to I-35 at the FM 1327/Creedmoor exit between the south end of Austin and Buda, Texas, Buda. The 183A Toll Road opened in March 2007, providing a tolled alternative to U.S. 183 through the cities of Leander, Texas, Leander and Cedar Park, Texas, Cedar Park. Currently under construction is a change to East US 290 from US 183 to the town of Manor. Officially, the tollway will be dubbed Tollway 290 with "Manor Expressway" as nickname.
Despite the overwhelming initial opposition to the toll road concept when it was first announced, all three toll roads have exceeded revenue projections.
Airports
Austin's primary airport is Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) (List of airports by IATA code: A#AU, IATA code AUS), located southeast of the city. The airport is on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process. Until 1999, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was Austin's main airport until ABIA took that role and the old airport was shut down.
Austin Executive Airport, along with several smaller airports outside the city center, serves general aviation traffic.
Intercity transit
Amtrak's Austin (Amtrak station), Austin station is located in west downtown and is served by the ''Texas Eagle'' which runs daily between Chicago and San Antonio, continuing on to Los Angeles several times a week.
Railway segments between Austin and San Antonio have been evaluated for a proposed regional passenger rail project called "Lone Star Rail". However, failure to come to an agreement with the track's current owner, Union Pacific Railroad, ended the project in 2016.
Greyhound Lines operates the Austin Station north of downtown near Highland Mall.
Grupo Senda's Turimex Internacional service operates bus service from Austin to Nuevo Laredo and on to many destinations in Mexico from their station in East Austin.
Megabus (North America), Megabus offers daily service to San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.
Public transportation
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) provides public transportation to the city, primarily with its Capital MetroBus, MetroBus local bus service, the Capital MetroBus#MetroExpress, MetroExpress express bus system, as well as a bus rapid transit service, Capital MetroRapid, MetroRapid. Capital Metro opened a regional rail, commuter rail system, Capital MetroRail, in 2010.
The system consists of a single line serving downtown Austin, the neighborhoods of East Austin, North Central Austin, and Northwest Austin plus the suburb of Leander, Texas, Leander.
Since it began operations in 1985, Capital Metro has proposed adding light rail services to its network. Despite support from the City Council, voters rejected light rail proposals in 2000
and 2014.
However, in 2020, voters approved Capital Metro's transit expansion plan, Project Connect, by a comfortable margin. The plan proposes 2 new light rail lines, an additional bus rapid transit line (which could be converted to light rail in the future), a second commuter rail line, several new MetroRapid lines, more MetroExpress routes, and a number of other infrastructure, technology and service expansion projects.
Capital Area Rural Transportation System connects Austin with outlying suburbs and surrounding rural areas.
Ride sharing
Austin is served by several Ridesharing company, ride-sharing companies including Uber and Lyft.
On May 9, 2016, Uber and Lyft voluntarily ceased operations in Austin in response to a city ordinance that required ride sharing company drivers to get fingerprint checks, have their vehicles labeled, and not pick up or drop off in certain city lanes.
Uber and Lyft resumed service in the summer of 2017.
The city was previously served by Fasten (company), Fasten until they ceased all operations in the city in March 2018.
Austin is also served by Electric Cab of North America's six-passenger electric car, electric cabs that operate on a flexible route from the Kramer station, Kramer MetroRail Station to The Domain (Austin, Texas), Domain Northside and from the Downtown station (Capital MetroRail), Downtown MetroRail station and MetroRapid stops to locations between the Austin Convention Center and near Sixth and Bowie streets by Whole Foods.
Carsharing service Zipcar operates in Austin and, until 2019, the city was also served by Car2Go which kept its North American headquarters in the city even after pulling out.
Cycling and walking
The city's bike advocacy organization is Bike Austin. BikeTexas, a state-level advocacy organization, also has its main office in Austin.
Bicycles are a popular transportation choice among students, faculty, and staff at the University of Texas. According to a survey done at the University of Texas, 57% of commuters bike to campus.
The City of Austin and Capital Metro jointly own a bike-sharing service, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority#Other services, Capital MetroBike, which is available in and around downtown. The service is a franchise of BCycle, a national bike sharing network owned by Trek Bicycle, and is operated by local nonprofit organization Bike Share of Austin. Until 2020 the service was known as Austin BCycle. In 2018, LimeBike, Lime began offering dockless bikes, which do not need to be docked at a designated station.
In 2018, scooter-sharing system, scooter-sharing companies Lime (transportation company), Lime and Bird (company), Bird debuted Scooter-sharing system, rentable electric scooters in Austin. The city briefly banned the scooters — which began operations before the city could implement a permitting system — until the city completed development of their "dockless mobility" permitting process on May 1, 2018. Dockless electric scooters and bikes are banned from Austin city parks and the Lady Bird Lake#Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk, Ann and Roy Butler Trail and Boardwalk. For the 2018
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/ PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...
, the city of Austin offered a designated parking area for dockless bikes and scooters.
Notable people
International relations
Austin has two types of relationships with other cities, Sister city, sister and friendship.
Sister cities
Austin's sister cities are:
* City of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia (1983)
* Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (2011)
* Antalya, Antalya Province, Turkey (2009)
* Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (2001)
* London Borough of Hackney, Hackney, London, England, United Kingdom (2014)
* Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (1991)
* Lima, Peru (1981)
* Maseru, Lesotho (1978)
* Ōita (city), Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Ōita, Japan (1990)
* Orlu, Imo, Orlu, South East (Nigeria), South East, Nigeria (2000)
* Pune, Maharashtra, India (2018)
* Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico (1968)
* Taichung, Taiwan (1986)
* Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China (1997)
The cities of Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Elche, Spain were formerly sister cities, but upon a vote of the Austin City Council in 1991, their status was de-activated.
Friendship cities
Covenants between two city leaders:
* Siem Reap, Cambodia (2011)
* Tehuacán, Mexico (2019)
* Villefranche-sur-Mer, France (2010)
See also
* List of companies based in Austin, Texas
* List of people from Austin, Texas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Travis County, Texas
* Williamson Creek Greenbelt
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
AustinTexas.gov- official city website
Austin Chamber of CommerceHistoric photographs from the Austin History Center hosted by th
Portal to Texas History*
*
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