Austin

In 1839, five mounted scouts ranged over a broad area of wilderness seeking a site for a new capital city for the Republic of Texas. The location on the north bank of the Colorado River was chosen where rich blacklands meet scenic hills. The site was occupied at the time by a four-family settlement called Waterloo. The name honors Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas.” In early September 1839, the archives and furniture of the Texas government were transported from Houston to Austin by 50 ox-drawn wagons.

Institutions of higher learning include Austin Community College, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Concordia University at Austin, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Huston-Tillotson College, St. Edward’s University, and The Univeristy of Texas at Austin.

Major annual events include South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive conferences in March, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September.

Austin is the starting point for the Presidential Corridor via U.S. 290, Texas 21 to Texas 6 in Bryan/College Station connecting the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum with the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin.

The city bills itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Austin has it all – blues, country, reggae, jazz, conjunto, Tejano, swing and rock. The music is performed in various clubs around the city and at nightspots along Sixth Street.

High tech and up beat, that’s Silicon Hills. Austin is home to many computer chip makers and other computer industries. The city is home to the nation’s largest urban bat colony found under the Congress Avenue bridge during the summer. A kiosk on the north shore of Town Lake’s hike-and-bike trail near the Four Seasons Hotel and one on the south shore inform visitors when and where to watch for the nocturnal mammals.