City of Austin
Seal
Nickname(s): Live Music Capital of the World,[1] The ATX,[2] City of the Violet Crown[3]
Location in the state of Texas
Coordinates: 30°16'2?N 97°45'50?W? / ?30.26722, -97.76389
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Travis Williamson Hays
Settled	1835
Incorporated	December 27, 1839
Government
- Type	Manager-Council
- Mayor	Will Wynn
- City Manager	Marc Ott
Area
- City	296.25 sq mi (767.28 km²)
- Land	251.5 sq mi (651.4 km²)
- Water	6.9 sq mi (17.9 km²)
- Metro	4,285.7 sq mi (11,099.91 km²)
Elevation	489 ft (149 m)
Population (2007)[4]
- City	743,074 (16th)
- Density	2,396.3/sq mi (925.21/km²)
- Metro	1,598,161
- Demonym	Austinite
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	78701-78705, 78708-78728, 78730-78739, 78741-78742, 78744-78769
Area code(s)	512
FIPS code	48-05000[5]
GNIS feature ID	1384879[6]
Website: www.ci.austin.tx.us

Austin is the capital in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Travis County. Situated in Central Texas, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States of America, as well as the third fastest growing large city in the nation from 2000 to 2006.^[7] As of the 2007 U.S. Census estimate, Austin has a population of 743,074.^[4] The city is the cultural and economic center of the Greater Austin metropolitan area with a population of about 1.6 million people.

The area was settled in the 1830s on the banks of the Colorado River by white settlers, who named the village Waterloo.^[8] In 1839, Waterloo was chosen to become the capital of the newly independent Republic of Texas. The city was renamed Austin, after Stephen F. Austin.^[8] The city grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas.^[9] After a lull in growth from the Depression, Austin resumed its development into a major city and emerged as a center for technology and business.^[8] Today, Austin is home to many companies, hi-tech or otherwise, including three Fortune 500 listed corporations.^[10]

Austin was selected as the No. 1 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and the "Greenest City in America" by MSN.^[11][12] Also, according to CNN Headline News and travel and leisure Austin ranks #2 on the list of cities with the best people referring to the personalities and attributes of the citizens.^[13] Austin was also voted America's #1 College Town by the Travel Channel.^[14] Austin was ranked the 5th safest city in part because annually, there are fewer than 3 people murdered per 100,000 people.^[15][16]

Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites," and include a diverse mix of university professors, students, politicians, lobbyists, musicians, state employees, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers. The main campus of the University of Texas is located in Austin. The city is home to enough large sites of major technology corporations to have earned it the nickname "Silicon Hills." Austin's official slogan promotes the city as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to its status as home to many musicians and music venues.^[1][2] In recent years, many Austinites have also adopted the unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird"; this refers partly to the eclectic and progressive lifestyle of many Austin residents, but is also the slogan for a campaign to preserve smaller local businesses and resist excessive commercialization.^[17]

[edit] History

Main article: History of Austin, Texas

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into History of Austin, Texas . (Discuss)

Stephen F. Austin.

Prior to the arrival of settlers from the United States, the area that later became Austin was inhabited by a variety of nomadic Native American tribes, including the Tonkawa tribe, the Comanches, and the Lipan Apaches.^[18]

Edward Burleson laid out the town of Waterloo in the mid-1830s. In 1838 Mirabeau Lamar, vice-president of the Republic of Texas, visited Waterloo, where he stayed with one of the earliest settlers, Jacob Harrell. Lamar was elected president shortly thereafter. When the Texas Congress formed a commission to seek a site for a new capital to be named Austin, Lamar advised the commissioners to investigate Waterloo, which was then indeed chosen. In May 1839 Lamar's designated government agent Edwin Waller organized and led a workforce of about 200 men from Houston to Waterloo to construct the new city.

At first, the new capital thrived. By the early 1840s the population stood at about 850 people. But when Lamar's political enemy Sam Houston regained the presidency in 1841, he used two Mexican army incursions to San Antonio as an excuse to move the government to Washington (now known as Washington-on-the-Brazos). Within months Austin's population had shrunk to about 200, and many Texans assumed that the city would die. Remaining Austin residents responded to the threat by forcibly keeping the national archives in their city in defiance of President Houston's attempts to bring them to Washington.

Anson Jones became president in 1844. The following year he called a convention in Austin to discuss annexation to the United States as well as to consider a new constitution. Once annexation became official, delegates wrote a new state constitution in which Austin was again named the seat of government.

The Texas State Capitol was completed in 1888 advertised as the 7th largest building in the world. Funded by the famous XIT Ranch, the building still remains part of the Austin skyline. The state capitol is smaller than the United States Capitol in total gross square footage, but is actually 15 feet taller than its Washington D.C. counterpart.

In September 1881, Austin public schools held their first classes. The same year, Huston-Tillotson College opened its doors. The University of Texas at Austin held its first classes in 1883.

In the 1950s, Austin's first research labs and think tanks were built. As Austin's economy prospered, several movie theaters, public pools, and a local library system were opened.

The Austin music scene began attracting national attention in the 1970s with artists such as Willie Nelson and venues such as the Armadillo World Headquarters.

Today, Austin is known as much for its cultural life as its high-tech innovations. The same success that has gained the city a national reputation has brought with it many difficult choices as the city struggles to grow in sustainable ways.^[8]

[edit] Geography

Hill Country

Austin is located at 30°16'N 97°45'W? / ?30.267, -97.75 ^[19] and is approximately 541 feet (165 m) above sea level. According to the 2000 census, the city has a total area of 258.4 square miles (669 km²). 251.5 square miles (651 km²) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km²) (2.67%) is water.

Austin is situated on the Colorado River, with three man-made (artificial) lakes wholly within the city limits: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis, including Mansfield Dam, is located within the city's limits. Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are each on the Colorado River. The city is also situated on the Balcones Fault, which, in much of Austin, runs roughly the same route as Loop 1 (Mopac Expressway). The eastern part of the city is flat, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of scenic rolling hills on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Because the hills to the west are primarily limestone rock with a thin covering of topsoil, portions of the city are frequently subjected to flash floods from the runoff caused by thunderstorms. To help control this runoff and to generate hydroelectric power, the Lower Colorado River Authority operates a series of dams that form the Texas Highland Lakes. The lakes also provide venues for boating, swimming, and other forms of recreation within several parks located on the lake shores.

Austin is located at the intersection of four major ecological regions and is consequently a temperate-to-hot green oasis but has some characteristics of the desert, the tropics, and a wetter climate. It is very diverse ecologically/biologically and is home to a variety of beautiful animals and plants, notably the wildflowers that blossom throughout the year but especially in the spring, including the popular bluebonnets, some planted in an effort by Lady Bird Johnson.

The view from Mount Bonnell

A popular point of prominence in Austin is Mount Bonnell. At about 780 feet (238 m) above sea level, it is a natural limestone formation overlooking Lake Austin on the Colorado River, about 200 feet (61 m) below its summit. From the observation deck, many homes are visible.

The soils of Austin range from shallow gravelly clay loams over limestone in the western outskirts to deep fine sandy loams, silty clay loams, silty clays or clays in the city's eastern part. Some of the clays have pronounced shrink-swell properties and are difficult to work under most moisture conditions. Many of Austin's soils, especially the clay-rich types, are slightly to moderately alkaline and have free calcium carbonate.

See also: List of Austin Neighborhoods

Downtown Austin from the summit of Mt. Bonnell

[edit] Climate

Austin has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers and mild winters.^[20] On average, Austin receives 33.6 inches (853.4 mm) of rain per year, with most of the precipitation in the spring, and a secondary maximum in the fall.^[21] During springtime, severe thunderstorms sometimes occur, though tornadoes are rare in the city. Austin is usually at least partially sunny.

Austin summers are usually hot and humid, with average temperatures of approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) from June until September. Temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are common. The highest recorded temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) on September 5, 2000.^[20][22][23] For the entire year there is an average of 111 days above 90 °F (32 °C) and 198 days above 80 °F (27 °C).^[20]

Winters in Austin are mild and dry. For the entire year, Austin averages 88 days below 45 °F (7 °C) and 24 days when the minimum temperature falls below freezing. The lowest recorded temperature was -2 °F (-19 °C) on January 31, 1949.^[20] Snowfall is rare in Austin, but approximately biannually Austin may suffer an ice storm that freezes roads over and shuts down much of the city for 24 to 48 hours.^[20]