Austin, Texas

Austin is the of the  of  and the  of. Situated in and part of the, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the , as well as the 3rd fastest growing large city in the nation between 2000-2006. As of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, Austin has a population of 709,893. The city is the cultural and economic center of the metropolitan area with a population of more than 1.5 million.

Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by  magazine in 2006, and the "Greenest City in America" by MSN ("Greenest" referring to a commitment to sustainable living).

Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites," and include a mix of university, students, , , , state employees, high-tech workers, , and. 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. In recent years, many Austinites have also adopted the unofficial slogan ""; 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.

History
Before the arrival of settlers from the, the area that later became Austin was inhabited by a variety of , including the  tribe, the s, and the s.

Edward Burleson laid out the town of Waterloo in the mid-1830's. 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 1840's 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 ). Within months Austin's population had shrunk to about 200, and many Texans assumed that that 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 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 building is taller than the building.

In September of 1881, Austin public schools held their first classes. The same year, opened its doors.

In the 1950's, 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 was born in the 70's when artists such as brought national attention.

Today, Austin is known as much for its cultural life as its high-tech innovations. It is also known for the senators and schoolteachers who shaped its beginnings. The same success that has gained the city a national reputation has brought with it many difficult choices.

Geography
Austin is located at °N, °W and is approximately 541 ft (165 m) above sea level. According to the 2000 census, the city has a total area of 258.4 mi² (669.3 km²). 251.5 mi² (651.4 km²) of it is land and 6.9 mi² (17.9 km²) (2.67%) is water.

Austin is situated on the, with three man-made (artificial) lakes wholly within the city limits: , , and. Additionally, the foot of, including , 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, which, in much of Austin, runs roughly the same route as the State Highway Loop 1 (Texas) or Mo-Pac Expressway. The eastern part of the city is relatively flat, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of scenic rolling hills on the edge of the. Because the hills to the west are primarily 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 operates a series of dams that form the. 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 mostly 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 the home of 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.

A popular point of prominence in Austin is. At about 780 feet above sea level, it is a natural limestone formation overlooking on the Colorado River, approximately 200 feet 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.

Climate
Austin has a, characterized by hot summers and mild winters. 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. 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 on,. For the entire year there is an average of 111 days above 90 °F (32 °C) and 198 days above 80 °F (27 °C).

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 on,. Snowfall is rare in Austin, but once every year or two Austin is hit with an ice storm that freezes roads over and shuts down much of the city for around a day.


 * Averages are from the 30 year average from 1971–2000 at, and records are from Camp Mabry and from previous climate sites, spanning from 1897 to present.

Law and government
Austin is administered by a of seven members, each of them elected by the entire city, and by an elected  under the  system of municipal governance. Council and mayoral elections are non-partisan, with a runoff in case there is no majority winner. Austin remains an anomaly among large Texas cities in that council members are elected on an "at large" basis by all voters, as opposed to elections by districts.

The current mayor of Austin is. His second term ends in 2009.

Wynn is a member of the, a group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Mayor  and  Mayor.

Austin is located in Travis County, Texas.

Politics
The main political actors in Austin city politics are interest groups such as the pro-environmental, Save Barton Creek Association, Equality TX, the Austin Police Association, and the Austin Business Council. Texas Democrats are very active here as well are several youth groups, including the Youth Activists of Austin.

The controversy that dominated Austin politics during the 1990s was the conflict between s, strong in the city center, and advocates of urban growth, who tend to live in the outlying areas. The city council has in the past tried to mitigate the controversy by advocating, but growth and environmental protection are still the most divisive issues in city politics. Today conservatives in Austin argue that the city's various highway traffic problems are rooted in the denial of past highway/infrastructure development by political action committees who do not support highway expansion. Environmentalists counter that their efforts contributed to the city's large green spaces, which many Austinites enjoy. Progressives also maintain that unlike several other cities in Texas, Austin's smart growth policies have contributed to a rapidly-increasing population density in and around the downtown area.

Austin is well known as a center for politics in a generally  state. Suburban neighborhoods in Austin, especially to the west and north, and several satellite municipalities, however, tend toward political conservatism.

As a result of the major party realignment that began in the 1970s, central Austin became a stronghold of the while the suburbs tend to vote. One consequence of this is that in the most recent redistricting plan, formulated by former U.S. Rep. and enacted by the Republican-majority legislature, the central city has been split among multiple, sprawling districts. Opponents characterized the resulting districting layout as excessively partisan ing, and the plan was challenged in court on this basis by Democratic and minority activists; of note, the 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, , 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 may later affect Austin's districting, as U.S. Rep. 's district was found not to be sufficiently compact to compensate for the reduced in the southwest district.

Overall, the city is a blend of downtown liberalism and suburb conservatism, but leans strongly to the political left. In the 2004 presidential election, Senator won a substantial majority of the votes in Travis County as illustrated in this pictorial of votes by-county. Of Austin's six state legislative districts, three are strongly Democratic and three are swing districts all of which are held by Democrats. However, two of its three congressional districts are presently held by Republicans; this is largely due to the 2003 redistricting, which left downtown Austin without an exclusive congressional seat of its own. Travis County was also the only county in Texas to reject Texas Constitutional Amendment Proposition 2 — effectively outlawing gay marriage and status equal or similar to it — and did so by a wide margin (40% for, 60% against).



Austin is also an active area for the. Although the Libertarians remain a third party, they occasionally garner substantial votes, and one of the past Libertarian presidential candidates, comes from Austin, while another,  represented a congressional district that includes part of the greater Austin area.

Two of the candidates for President in the 2004 race call Austin home. Michael Badnarik, mentioned above as the Libertarian Party candidate, and of the  both have lived in Austin. During the runup to the election in November, a presidential debate was held at the student union involving the two minor party candidates. While the only invites Democrats and Republicans to participate in televised debates, the debate at UT was open to all presidential candidates.

Sister cities
List of  of Austin, Texas, designated by.


 * 🇦🇺, - since 1983
 * 🇩🇪, - since 1991
 * 🇵🇪, - since 1981
 * 🇱🇸, - since 1978
 * 🇯🇵, - since 1990
 * 🇲🇽, - since 1968
 * , - since 1986
 * 🇳🇬, - since 2000
 * 🇰🇷 ,
 * 🇨🇳, - since 1997

Cities whose claims to sister city status are not recognized officially by the City of Austin
 * 🇨🇦 ,
 * 🇹🇷 ,
 * 🇨🇦, - since 1991
 * 🇧🇷, - since 1965
 * 🇧🇷 ,

Economy
Thousands of graduates each year from the engineering and computer science programs at provide a steady source of employees that help to fuel Austin's technology and defense industry sectors. The metro Austin area has much lower housing costs than, but much higher housing costs than many parts of rural Texas. As a result of the relatively high concentration of high-tech companies in the region, Austin was strongly affected by the boom in the late 1990s and subsequent bust. The general consensus is that high-tech recovery is proceeding rapidly. Austin's biggest employers include the State of Texas,, the SETON Healthcare Network, , and  (spun off from  in 2004). Other high-tech companies with operations in Austin include (headquarters),, , , , , , , , , , , , , , and. The proliferation of technology companies has led to the region's nickname, "the Silicon Hills," (Austin was originally "Silicon Gulch", but already had that distinction) and has spurred rapid development that has greatly expanded the city to the north, south, east, and west.

In addition to global companies, Austin features a strong network of independent, locally-owned firms and organizations such as the. The success of these businesses reflects the high level of commitment by the citizens of Austin to preserving the unique spirit of the city, and has been tied to the "" campaign. Small businesses from restaurants to clothing shops to salons to arts companies in Austin enjoy a lively existence gained by direct competition with large national and global rivals. The state government, non-profits, and schools (the university and colleges, preschool-12th grade) also provide many jobs. , a market/grocery store specializing in organic, local, and natural foods and other goods (now a corporation) started in and is based out of Austin, and work in the food industry/farming/culinary arts also provides a surprisingly high amount of employment/income for many people.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 656,562 people, 265,649 households, and 141,590 families residing in the city (roughly comparable in size to, , and ). The was 1,007.9/km² (2,610.4/mi²). There were 276,842 housing units at an average density of 425.0/km² (1,100.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36%, 10.05% or , 4.72% , 0.59% , 0.07% , 16.23% from. 2.99% were from. 30.55% of the population were or, who can be of any race.

There were 265,649 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,689, and the median income for a family was $54,091. Males had a median income of $35,545 vs. $30,046 for females. The for the city was $24,163. About 9.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. From the year 2000 to 2005, the median house price in Austin grew 34%.

The had 1,513,565 people as of 2006. Combined with the population of the metropolitan area (nearly 75 miles to the southwest; the two areas together are commonly referred to as South Central Texas), the region is home to about 3.6 million people.

Austin is consistently ranked among the three safest cities per capita of any size in many categories and for many reasons, especially because annually, per 100,000 people there are fewer than 5 people murdered.

Culture
As Austin's official slogan is The Live Music Capital of the World, the city has a vibrant live with more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city. Austin's music revolves around the many s on and an annual // festival known as. The city also has a burgeoning circle of live performance theater venues such as: Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Vortex Repertory Company, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Arts on Real, Scottish Rite Children's Theater, Hyde Park Theatre, and the comedy & magic show which has been operating for over 3 decades now. The longest-running concert music program on American television, , is videotaped on the campus. Austin City Limits and Capital Sports & Entertainment run the, an annual music and art festival held at in Austin. The long-running outdoor musical, the Summer Musical expects to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008. The Urban Music Festival is held during the Texas Relays weekend every April. Other annual events include and the Austin Reggae Festival (previously named Bob Marley Festival) in April and  in February. Halloween, the two Mexican independence days (Cinco de Mayo and El 16 de Septiembre), St Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras, July 4, and Juneteenth (Emancipation Day) are all widely celebrated. First Thursday is a popular festival which takes place the first Thursday of each month.

Austinites take pride in eccentricities and celebrate differences and being different (in lifestyle, character, beliefs, etc.). "" has become a local in recent years, featured on innumerable 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 and independent businesses. is the fourth largest ballet academy in the country. Each year Ballet Austin's twenty member professional company performs ballets from a wide variety of choreographers, including their international award winning artistic director,. Ballet Austin has traveled around the world performing in Europe, twice at the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), and in New York City's famous Joyce Theatre.

Nationally known Austinites include, , , , , , ,  and. Other well-known Austinites can be found in the.

Media
Austin has been the location for a number of motion pictures, partly due to the influence of The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Radio-Television-Film. Films produced in Austin include ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ',The Wendall Baker Story and most recently, ' and How To Eat Fried Worms . In order to draw future film projects to the area, the has converted several airplane hangars from the former Mueller Airport into filmmaking center Austin Studios. Projects that have used facilities at Austin Studios include music videos by and feature films such as ' and '. Austin also hosted the series, The Real World: Austin in 2005.

Austin's main daily is the . ' is Austin's, while ' is the student newspaper of the University of Texas. Austin also has smaller newspapers such as the, Austin Business Journal, and Texas Family Magazine. , a major regional magazine, is also headquartered in Austin.

Austin hosts the annual, as well as the nationally acclaimed , which draw films of many different types from all over the world. In 2004 the city was first in Moviemaker Magazine's annual top ten cities to live and make movies. The 2007 festival included, , , and.

Austin also hosts the annual, based on its own television show, which has been produced for over 30 years at their resident  affiliate. The festival and television show alike attract musical artists from around the world.

Austin also has a strong theater culture, with dozens of itinerant and resident companies producing a wide variety of work. From on E. 6th Street to Zachary Scott on S. Lamar, live entertainment can be found around the city. Many, many other theater groups exist and often perform publicly, collaborating often with dance and music groups. Public art and performances of many kinds in the parts and on bridges is popular and it is easy to find a myriad of diverse and creative free productions.

Local businesses and artists produce a lot of interesting handmade indie-fashion and organic-and-eco-friendly fashion, as can be seen on the 32nd street artist market, at festivals, and in many shops. Independent film is prominent in the city. Wes Anderson, the director of The Royal Tennenbaums and other cult films, lived in Austin.

In January 2007, Austin Lyric Opera hosted the American Premiere of the opera, . Waiting for the Barbarians is an allegory of oppressor and oppressed based on the novel by of South Africa. Coetzee, the Nobel Prize Winner for Literature in 2003, is a University of Texas at Austin graduate and former UT professor.

Sports
Austin is the largest city in the United States without a franchise in the, the , , or the. However, many Austinites enthusiastically support the ' sports programs. The University of Texas football and baseball teams each won their respective during the 2005-2006 seasons. Minor-league professional sports came to Austin in 1996, when the began playing at the Travis County Expo Center. Since then, they have been joined by many other teams.

Austin is home to many rock-climbers, swimmers, divers, snorkelers, mountain bikers, cyclists, as the cities numerous trails and limestone rock formations support such outdoor activities. Cycling is popular partly due to an environmental awareness and also due to the popularity of, who lives in the suburb of. It is a city of volunteering, activism, intellectualism, charity, and giving to the community; the sense of community is strong and people participate in many events to help their neighbors and many causes.

In addition to team sports, the combined draws of the bicycle-friendly that begins in Northwest Austin, the centrally-located, and local pools like  make Austin the home of several endurance and multi-sport races and communities. The Capitol 10,000 is the largest 10 K race in Texas, and approximately fifth largest in the nation. The Austin Marathon has been run in the city every year since 1992. The Austin-founded hosts an open water swimming event, the Academy Capital 2K, and other closed-course, open water, and cable swim races around town. Austin is also the hometown of several cycling groups and the champion cyclist Lance Armstrong. Combining these three disciplines is a growing crop of triathlons, including the Capital of Texas Triathlon held every on and around, , and downtown Austin, even crossing 6th Street on several legs of the race.

Tourist attractions
Many of the tourists that visit Austin come for its vibrant nightlife; however, there are many other attractions in Austin, including the, the (opened in 2006), the galleries at the , and the  across the street (which opened in 2000). The itself is also a major tourist attraction. The built in 1886, located at 6th and Brazos, was finished just before the construction of the Capitol building. is a musical hub for the city but also includes annual festivals such as the and Halloween night. A very strange and eccentric, unique Austin haven for weird arts such as fire-dancing and circus-like-acts is the Enchanted Forest, which hosts many outdoor art and performance events.

The also brings many tourists from around the nation.

The houses the world's largest urban population of s. Starting in late February, 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. 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 each winter.

Considering Austin's "Earth-friendly" persona, it is appropriate that the, located in the Oak Hill neighborhood just north of U.S. 290, is a rescue zoo that provides sanctuary to displaced animals from a variety of unfortunate and often neglectful situations.

Austin also has several well-known swimming locations. These include, Texas' oldest man-made swimming pool, and , the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area. Both are spring-fed and maintain a constant temperature of 69 degrees year-round -- swimming in Barton Springs at Christmas is an annual tradition for many Austinites. , a county park situated along Lake Travis, is the only clothing-optional public park in Texas. Activities include rockclimbing, kayaking, swimming, exploring, and hiking along the greenbelt, a green, lush, long-spanning area that runs through the city. Hamilton Pool is a gorgeous and cool (temperature-wise) pool and wildlife park located about 30 minutes from the city and is strongly recommended by many locals.

Farmers markets are popular attractions, provided a variety of locally grown and often organic goods.

Architectural landmarks
Buildings that make up Austin's skyline are modest in height and somewhat spread out. The latter characteristic is due to a restriction that preserves the view of the building from various locations around Austin. The city's tallest building,, is under construction and topped out in late 2007. Austin's second tallest building and tallest completed structure, the, opened in 2004 and stands at 515 feet and is located at the corner of and 4th Street. Austin is currently undergoing a skyscraper boom, which includes construction on the 360 Condominiums at 563 feet, the Austonian at 683 feet, and the 5th and Congress Tower at 705 feet tall. By 2011, the Frost Bank Building will be the only skyscraper built before 2005 to remain in the top ten tallest buildings in the city.

The iconic, also known as the "360 Bridge," crosses Lake Austin to connect north and south.

At night, parts of Austin are lit with "artificial moonlight." Several 165-foot s, built in the late 19th century and recognized as historic landmarks, illuminate the central part of the city. Only 17 of the 31 original towers remain standing. The towers featured in the film, . Austin's Zilker Park Tree is a display made of lights strung from the top of a Moonlight Tower in. The Zilker Tree is lighted in December along with the "Trail of Lights," an Austin Christmas tradition.

Transportation
Central Austin is bracketed by to the east and the  to the west. runs from northwest to southeast, and crosses southern part of the city from east to west, completing a rough "box" around the central and north-central city. Austin is the largest major city in the United States to be served by only one Interstate Highway.

enters Austin from the east and merges into I-35. Its highway designation continues south on I-35 and then becomes part of Highway 71, continuing on to the west. Highway 290 becomes its own road again southwest of the city, when it splits from highway 71 in a busy interchange in Oak Hill known as "The Y." Highway 71 continues as far west as Brady, TX, and Highway 290 continues west to intersect near Junction. Interstate 35 continues south through San Antonio, TX, and continues to its culmination at Laredo, TX, which is on the Texas-Mexico border. Interstate 35 is the highway link to the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex in the northern Texas. There are two links to Houston, TX (Highway 290 and State Highway 71/Interstate 10). Highway 183 leads northwest of Austin and is a route with other major highways to such cities as Abilene, San Angelo, Lubbock, Amarillo, Albuquerque and Denver.

In the mid-1980s, Austin completed construction on, 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.

In November 2006, Austin opened the first segments of its first-ever tollway system: runs from, , , , where it connects with 45, passes US 290 just between the city limits of Austin and , extending around the east side of the city until it ends at 71 just east of the airport. The next segment will loop around the airport to the east and meet with US 183 south of, then the last few segments will continue southward until it reaches Interstate 10 in , east of.

runs east-west from just west of 183 in to 130 inside  (just south of Round Rock). From there it becomes 45 North/South and is cosigned with 130, currently where 130 ends.

The project also included a tolled extension to Mopac that allows direct access to I-35.

The 183A Toll Road opened as of March 2007, providing a tolled alternative to 183 through the congested cities of and Cedar Park.

Remaining segments of 45 and 130 are scheduled for completion in 2007. A separate segment of 45 still under development (Texas 45 SE) will eventually connect U.S. 183/Texas 130 to I-35, in south Austin.

Austin's airport is (IATA code AUS), located 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the city.

(Capital Metro) provides public transportation to the city, primarily by bus. Capital Metro is building a system that is scheduled for completion in 2008. The system will be built on existing freight rail lines and will serve downtown Austin, East Austin, Northwest Austin, and Leander in its first phase. An   is located west of downtown. Segments of the Amtrak route between Austin and San Antonio are under evaluation for a future passenger rail corridor as an alternative to the traffic congestion of Interstate 35.

Many citizens are demanding a light-rail system, better and more common bike-rails to be made all over the city that will be easily accessible/rideable and safe, better pedestrian sidewalks and lanes, and alternative modes of transportation, as car congestion is quite bad recently due to the sudden population boom and people refusing to carpool, take the bus, seek alternative modes and/or alternative modes being unavailable. Solutions are being worked on.

Education
Given the title of America's #1 College Town by the, Austin is home to , one of the largest universities in the country. It is also the flagship institution of &mdash; the largest state system of higher education in Texas. Other institutions of higher learning include, , , , the , the , , and a branch of.

Most of the city is covered by the. Parts of Austin are served by other districts, including, , , , , and. Researchers at ranked Austin the 16th most literate city in America for 2005.

Private and alternative education is also available for children in preschool-12th grade. Institutions include Garza (which is public), the Waldorf schools, The Griffin school, St. Stephen's, St. Mary's, St. Michael's, St. Andrew's, St.Francis School, Huntington-Surrey, and many Montessori schools. has been considered by many magazines and scholars to be one of the best public high schools in the country, and Kealing and Fulmore middle schools participate in similar and similarly nationally-acclaimed programs known as the magnet programs. There are also some elementary, middle, and high schools that ofter gifted & talented, and International Baccalaureate programs.

Media and entertainment

 * Public Access Community Television (PACT)
 * Austin American-Statesman
 * Oak Hill Gazette
 * Austin Business Journal
 * Austin Chronicle
 * Austin Hip-Hop Scene
 * Austin Museum of Art
 * Austin Museum of Digital Art
 * Austin Music
 * Austin Karaoke
 * Austin Independent Media Center
 * Austinist (blog)
 * Austin Gay/Lesbian Film Festival
 * Burnt Orange Report (blog)
 * The Daily Texan ( student newspaper)
 * Do512.com (Art, Music, Theater Event Listings)
 * 107.1 KGSR
 * KLRU ( member TV station)
 * KLBJ 93.7FM
 * KMFA Classical 89.5FM (listener-supported, non-commercial, classical radio)
 * KOOP 91.7FM Community Radio
 * KUT 90.5FM (Eclectic music and News)
 * KVR News 9 ( broadcast news show)
 * KVRX 91.7FM ( student radio)
 * News 8 Austin (24-hour local cable news channel)
 * KXAN-TV Austin (NBC Affiliate for Austin)
 * SOUNDCHECK Magazine (all music-print/online monthly)
 * The Texas Travesty ('s student humor magazine)
 * Texas Family Magazine
 * Texas Monthly
 * That Other Paper (online alt-weekly)
 * The North Texas Journal

Nature and environment

 * Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory
 * Bat Conservation International page on the Congress Avenue Bats
 * Austin chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas


 * The Austin Map Project
 * Current Austin weather
 * Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Resources

 * Austin Airport
 * University of Texas at Austin
 * Austin Public Library
 * Travis County Law Library
 * Austin TX at About.com - Living in, Moving to, Visiting the City of Austin. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin Independent Business Alliance- Network of locally-owned, independent businesses in Austin.
 * Austin History Center. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Historic photographs from the Austin History Center, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
 * AustinPostcards.com - Postcards, photographs and ephemera of historic significance to Austin. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Memoirs of old Austin - From MemoryWiki. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin Area Parks. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin City Data – Demographic and geographic info, crime data, housing, businesses and other research material.
 * Capital Metro - Public transportation in Austin. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * KLRU: Brief History of Austin. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin House Statistics. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Austin - Best Place to Live - How Austin Ranks Among US Cities. Retrieved 16 May 2006
 * Urban Austin - Information about architecture and urban design in Austin
 * Austin Skyscraper Forum - Discussion forum about skyscrapers, transportation and urban development in Austin
 * Austin Dog Friendly - Keeping Austin Dog Friendly
 * AustinTowers Database of Downtown Condos - Online database of new and existing high-rise condo projects
 * Emporis database of Austin skyscrapers - Skyscraper database of facts and information about Austin's skyscrapers
 * Population Estimates for Metropolitan, Micropolitan, and Combined Statistical Areas
 * Population Estimates for Metropolitan, Micropolitan, and Combined Statistical Areas