Austin is located in south-central Texas, about 80 miles northeast of San Antonio, 165 miles west of Houston, and 200 miles south of Dallas. The (Texas) Colorado River drifts through town on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
High-tech industries have also migrated to the Austin area, making it Texas's Silicon Valley. Yet, Austin is still very much a town whose roots are buried in a colorful past that the city is proud to share with visitors.
A good place to begin a visit to Austin is downtown, where the pink granite Texas State Capitol, built in 1888, is the most visible structure. The Colorado River, which slices through Austin, was once unpredictable and prone to flooding, but has been rerouted into a series of lakes, including two within the city limits. 22 mile long Lake Austin, which lies in the western part of the city, flows into Town Lake, a narrow stretch of crystal clear water that travels for 5 miles through the center of downtown.
Downtown Austin is laid out in an orderly grid system. The main street Congress Ave, runs from the southern end of the city across the Colorado River and continues to the steps of the Texas State Capitol in the heart of downtown.
The grand University of Texas, one of the largest universities in the United States, flanks the capitol's north end. It is home to both the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum.
Rolling hills, a chain of lakes 150 miles long, 300 days of sunshine, and acres of parks all add up to the ideal setting for enjoyment of outdoor activities. Austin and the surrounding Texas Hill Country offer hiking and bike trails, swimming, and golf. In addition there is ballooning, bird watching, canoeing, excellent bass fishing, rock climbing, sailing, scuba diving, spelunking, and tennis. Austin has no professional teams, but there is minor league baseball as well as college football, basketball and hockey.
Since the 1960s, Austin has been a haven for artists, musicians and writers. been on the In 1984 Austin City Limits, a showcase for bands taped at the University of Texas campus, began airing nationwide. Every March, the city hosts the annual South by Southwest conference, which draws bands and record company executives from around the world. Local musicians are known for their innovative reworkings of Texas' country, folk and R&B heritage, use Austin's enthusiastic environment as a springboard to national recognition.
Austin has its own professional symphony, ballet and opera companies; dozens of theaters combining old favorites with ground-breaking new drama; dance companies, vocal ensembles, and orchestras producing events year round. Art museums, galleries and beautiful gardens of sculptures are among the treasures found in Austin.
Austin boasts more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States. Authentic Mexican food is served as well as fine cuisine from every part of the world. Texas style barbecue, slow cooked over a open pit wood fire, has its own international reputation. One restaurant even combines gospel music with its barbecued ribs and bills the affair as "Gospel Brunch."
Capital Metro is the city's public bus network, with a "rider friendly" system of inexpensive neighborhood, express and downtown routes. The latter, known as 'Dillos (short for Armadillo Express), are free.
The Texas Steam Train Association runs several tours aboard the Hill Country Flyer into and around Texas Hill Country. The train makes short half hour runs as well as a 30 mile circuit on weekends from March through December.
Austin is one of the few cities in the state where cycling is a viable alternative to driving. The city operates a free Yellow Bike Program, which repairs old bicycles, paints them yellow and makes them available free for public use. When you see a yellow bike you can pick it up, ride where you are going and leave it there for the next rider. There are about 150 yellow bikes at present and more are added all the time.
The winning combination of high tech industry, light manufacturing, and
abundant cultural resources has given Austin the reputation of being one
of the southwest's most livable cities. It is also one of the most visited
and most loved vacation sites.