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Texas’ capital is a city of paradoxes. Austin’s culture is down home, yet sophisticated. Laid back, but bustling with energy. Traditional and avant-garde at the same time.
Along with a world-renowned live music scene full of legends and local heroes, Austin offers plenty to do, discover and see.
Austin is the seat of Texas government. It’s home to The University of Texas, as well as the gateway to the 32,000 square-mile Texas Hill Country. It’s an arts and cultural center. A recreational treasure and a fast-growing technological mecca. Austin is a graceful, river city of wooded hills, tall trees and historic architecture, a modern metropolis with an atmosphere and rhythm all its own.
During the past decade, Austin has been showered with superlatives: the second best place to live in the U.S., the second fastest growing city in the U.S., the nation’s best-read and most computer-literate city, the most fit city in the U.S. and home to the most restaurants and bars per capita than any other American city. Austin embraces the offbeat, remains environmentally attuned and pursues “cool” like no other city in Texas.
People, Area & Climate
- Population as of April 1, 1998:
1,061,193 people in the Austin-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area.
613,458 in the city limits of Austin.
709,232 in Travis County.
Along with a world-renowned live music scene full of legends and local heroes, Austin offers plenty to do, discover and see. Austin is the seat of Texas government. It’s home to The University of Texas, as well as the gateway to the 32,000 square-mile Texas Hill Country. It’s an arts and cultural center. A recreational treasure and a fast-growing technological mecca. Austin is a graceful, river city of wooded hills, tall trees and historic architecture, a modern metropolis with an atmosphere and rhythm all its own.
During the past decade, Austin has been showered with superlatives: the second best place to live in the U.S., the second fastest growing city in the U.S., the nation’s best-read and most computer-literate city, the most fit city in the U.S. and home to the most restaurants and bars per capita than any other American city. Austin embraces the offbeat, remains environmentally attuned and pursues “cool” like no other city in Texas.
People, Area & Climate
- Population as of April 1, 1998:
1,061,193 people in the Austin-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area.613,458 in the city limits of Austin.709,232 in Travis County. |
- City of Austin Ethnicity:57.1% White27.3% Hispanic11.5% Black4.1% Other - Area: 2,705 square miles in metro areas.225 square miles within the city limits. |
- Location:
Austin is 225 miles from the Mexican borderand located within 200 miles of 3 of the 10 largest U.S. cities:79 miles to San Antonio162 miles to Houston192 miles to Dallas- The climate is temperate with 300 days of sunshine annually. Average temperatures range from 42 to 62 degrees in winter to 75 to 95 degrees in summer. Average rainfall is 32.49 inches. Snowfall is rare.
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened in May of 1999. Now any size plane can land in Austin.
- The average commute time in Austin is 15-20 minutes each way.
Business & High Tech
- Austin ranked #1 city for business (Fortune 1999).- Ranked 2nd best small US Metropolitan area to start and grow a business.
- Money magazine ranked Austin the 2nd best city in the country to live in.
- 63% of Austin adults own a personal computer, ranking Austin #5 in the country.
- Austin ranks #3 with 51.8% of Austin adults using the Internet, ranking just behind Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.
- Austin is the nation’s 2nd most wired city, behind San Francisco.
Employment
- MSA Employment by Sector: 27.3% Services, 23.2% Government, 21.4% Trade, 13.6% Manufacturing, 5.4% Finance-Insurance-Real Estate, 5.1% Construction, 3.2% Transportation/Utilities and .2% Mining
- The top 10 employers are: The University of Texas at Austin (20,277), Dell Computer Corporation (19,500), Motorola Inc (10,500), City of Austin (10,000), Austin Independent School District (9,417), IBM Corporation (7,500), HEB Grocery Company (7,500), Seton Healthcare Network (6,756), IRS/Austin Center (5,800) and Advanced Micro Devices, AMD, (4,300)
- The unemployment rate in 1998 was 2.6%
Education
- At least 88% of Austin’s workforce has some college education.- Austin ranked 5th in 1998 for its share of college graduates, the only Texas city to make the top 10.
- Higher Education in the area: The University of Texas at Austin, Huston-Tillotson College, St. Edward’s University, Concordia University, Southwest Texas State University, Austin Community College, Southwestern University.
Etcetera
- In 1998, Austin was the site for 12 major film and TV projects. Three feature films, Varsity Blues, Office Space and The Faculty were filmed in Austin in 1998.
- Austinites consume more salsa per capita than any other city in the world.
- Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World. Over 150 clubs dot the city.
- Home to North America’s largest urban bat population, up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats fly nightly spring through fall.