The city size is 252 square miles. The population is 656,562 people (2000), making Austin the 16th largest city in the U.S.A. The larger metropolitan area is 1,249,763 people (2000), making it the 37th largest Metro area in the country. A diverse city, it is almost 31% Hispanic. The city is served by several railroads, an interstate highway, and the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. A new facility, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, opened in the spring of 1999. Austin lies on the Colorado River where the river emerges from the Texas hill country and the Balcones Escarpment.

In 1730 Franciscan missionaries established three temporary missions in the area, at sites which for centuries had been occupied periodically by groups of Native Americans. The site of the present city was settled in 1838 on the north bank of the Colorado River by five families, who named the community Waterloo. In 1839 Waterloo was chosen as the site of the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas. In December 1839 the city was incorporated and its name was changed to Austin. This was in honor of Stephen F. Austin, who is considered the father of Texas. The capital was moved to Houston in 1842 because of a threatened Mexican invasion. Later, the capital was returned to Austin in 1845, the year Texas became a state. Despite the fact that its county voted against secession, Austin was the site of several Confederate army facilities during the American Civil War (1861-1865), and volunteers from the city organized a company of light infantry. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad reached Austin in 1871, and other railroads soon followed. Industrialization continued between 1880 and 1900. After major flooding in the 1930s, the Colorado River Authority constructed a series of dams and reservoirs on the river. This chain of reservoirs, known locally as the Highland Lakes, stretches for 153 km (95 mi) inland from Austin and is a major recreation and tourist attraction for central Texas. During World War II (1939-1945) population growth was enhanced by the establishment of several military bases in and near the city. During the decades since the war Austin has experienced unprecedented growth as the result of its economic diversification, its climate, its numerous recreational and cultural opportunities, its significance as an international city, and its allure as a haven for retired people.

Austin is the northern hub of a major economic and population region that extends southward to include the San Antonio metropolitan area. Austin houses major state and federal government offices and serves as a manufacturing, commercial, recreational, educational, and convention center. The city’s economy was dominated by the state and federal government and the University of Texas. Beginning in the 1980s, the arrival of several computer technology corporations and research organizations helped diversify the economy. Since 1990 additional high-tech companies have moved to the city. Austin’s other manufactured goods include food products, printed materials, furniture, and office supplies. As a state capital close to Mexico, Austin benefited from increased international trade resulting from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin (1883), the largest branch of the University of Texas. Other educational institutions include Huston-Tillotson College (1875), Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (1902) and Concordia University at Austin (1926). Austin’s cultural institutions include the Elisabet Ney Museum, the home of O. Henry, the Texas Memorial Museum, the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, the Paramount Theatre for Performing Arts and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum of the 36th president of the United States. In the early 1970s many country-and-western musicians moved to Austin. The city has since assumed the nickname “The Live Music Capital of the World,” and each March it hosts the South by Southwest music festival, which serves as a venue for new bands of various musical styles. The city also has an extensive park system covering a total of about about 21,000 acres.

Temperatures in July average a high of 35°C (95°F) and a low of 24°C (74°F); January averages a high of 15°C (59°F) and a low of 3°C (39°F). Precipitation is plentiful, with 33 inches falling annually.

All pictures are from Austin, using various film and digital cameras. The pictures below on this page are all from the downtown area.

Visit numerous other Parks and Cities by World from the Web.

The state capital from 11th and Congress.
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The state capital from 11th and Congress.
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Inside the Texas state capital.
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Inside the state capital.
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The Congress inside the state capital.
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The Senate inside the state capital.
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The Frost Bank from 5th and Congress.
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Downtown Austin from Congress and Milton.
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Texas State History Museum at 18th and Congress.
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Tailgate party during football game at the U of T, 18th and Congress. The football stadium is in the background.
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Further information on Austin can be found at the Austin 360 website, or
Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.