Life in Austin

About Austin, Texas

Austin is a city that offers diversity both in the people that live here and the things they like to do. With a mix of artists, businessmen, musicians, lobbyists, politicians, students, educators and high tech workers, it’s no surprise the diverse 1.4 million residents of Austin, also known as Austinites, are part of a city demographers refer to as a “City of Ideas”. You will also find that a huge majority of the people that call themselves “Austinites” are actually not from Austin or even Texas, in fact, many are even from out of the country.

“Keep Austin Weird”, “Silicon Hills” and “The Live Music Capital of the World” are official and unofficial slogans you will hear spoken in and about the city, and Austin certainly lives up these titles.

There is always something to do in Austin. One Saturday you might be screaming for the Longhorns at the Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, and the next week you might be eating TexMex while listening to one of Austin’s local bands. If you love the outdoors, you might spend time running or kayaking at Lady Bird Lake, rock climbing at Mount Bonnell, hiking or biking the Austin Green Belt or swimming in Barton Spring’s 68-degree natural spring fed pool. Whether you’re looking for live music, the outdoors, art, food or anything else your heart might desire, you will find it in or around the university and Austin.

Live Music Capital of the World

Austin has been known as the Live Music Capital of the World since 1991 when it was discovered that Austin has more live music venues per capita than anywhere else in the nations. The city has nearly 200 venues and hope to thousands of musicians.

Austin also hosts two major music events each year, South by Southwest (SXSW) the spring and the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival in the fall. SXSW showcases the best in indie film, music and interactive from around the world. 1,800 bands are featured on 80 stages in the heart of downtown Austin.

The ACL Music Festival features more than 100 bands over three days on eight stages. The original ACL TV show is a PBS series that brings well-known and up-and-coming artists to its stage. The show is currently filmed on the University of Texas campus, but will be moving downtown to the W Hotel in the future.

If festivals aren’t your thing, you can head over to Sixth Street area or the Warehouse Districts to hear live music at some of Austin’s well known music venues, or even stop into a restaurant, coffee shop or bar where you’re sure to hear something any night of the week.

Exploring Nature in and Around Austin

Those that love the outdoors can find many things to do around Austin, or take a short drive to hill country, the lake or even the Gulf of Mexico.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt is made up of 7.8 miles wildlife and plant species, biking trails and hiking. You can also bike on the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin where many people also choose to walk and run on the 10 miles of trail.

Lady Bird Lake, located next to Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool (perfect for swimmers that like 68-degree, spring-fed waters) is a great place to rent a canoe or kayak for the afternoon.

With 220 parks in Austin, there are many places to picnic and play. And if 68-degrees is a little too cold for you, Austin is home to many free pools that are a little warmer!

Both Lake Travis and Lake LBJ, about 30 miles outside of Austin are a great place to camp, boat, swim and water ski during the summer.

Culture: Food, Art, and Weird Stuff

While Tex-Mex and BBQ is abundant in Austin, you can find many top rated restaurants that serve anything from Indian to Italian, burgers to fine cuisine. Local coffee shops are dispersed throughout the city as well and are the perfect setting for studying.

Learn more about some of Austin’s top restaurants.

Whether you need clothes, shoes, music or books, you will find many great shops in Austin, both nationally owned and locally owned. South Congress is a great stop for a mix of eclectic shops, boutiques, antiques, art galleries and restaurants. The new second street holds many high-end retail stores, restaurants, bars, condos and apartments.

The drag, the street across from the University, is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat, coffee or spend an afternoon browsing some of the boutiques. Local artists often set up tents as well to sell their arts and crafts.

If art is your thing, you will find many museums and galleries around Austin, many located on the University campus. The Blanton Museum is recognized as one of the country’s top university fine art collections and has a permanent collection of more than 17,000 works.

The Performing Arts Center on campus sees many musicals and classical musicians hit the stage. Or you can visit the newly renovated Long Center as well for performances year round.

Consistently a Top-Rated City

(Information courtesy of www.austintexas.org)

• Travel + Leisure names Austin among the Top 25 Cities in America. Austin was among the top five in: singles scene, barbecue, people, live music, safety, cheap eats, fun, food/dining (overall), underground arts, nightlife, clubbing, happy hour, affordability, environmental awareness, cleanliness, public parks, athleticism, attractive people, friendliness, vintage shopping and "wild weekend."
• Austin is listed among the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S. according to a survey by Popular Science.
• According to MovieMaker magazine, Austin is the #1 city in America to live in and make movies, due to its industry infrastructure and "film friendly" attitude.
• Travel + Leisure named Austin’s Lake Austin Spa Resort as one of the top 10 coziest spas with the most inviting treatments in the country.
• Austin’s perfect weather and great courses helped the city to be named #1 Golf City in America on CNN’s golf.com.
• Earthtimes.org lists Austin as the 6th best city in the U.S. for people who eat organic food.
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport listed among best spots for airport dining around the U.S. on Condé Nast’s Portfolio.com.
• Great wines and Southern hospitality combine to rocket Austin and the Texas Hill Country to #2 on Orbitz.com’s list of the Top Ten Fastest Growing Wine Regions.
• Forbes.com cites Austin’s nightlife, culture and low cost of living as major reasons it appears again on Forbes’ annual list of Best Places for Singles.
• National Geographic Adventure names Austin as Texas’ #1 Adventure Town in its list of "50 Best Places to Live & Play."
• Austin is one of the top four cities to watch as a retirement-friendly community, according to AARP The Magazine.
• MSN.com gives Austin top billing among America’s Greenest Cities, citing the city’s green energy program and climate protection plan.
• Sherman’s Travel lists Austin at #5 among its Top Ten Easy Spring Getaways.
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was named Best Domestic Airport at the 2006 Airports Council International Airport Service Quality Awards held in Dubai.
• Latina Magazine ranks Austin 10th among the top 25 healthiest cities. The magazine lauds the city’s many public parks, exercise facilities and low stress factor.
• Men’s Journal names Austin as one of the top five places to "embrace urban life."
• Austin ranks #2 on Prevention Magazine’s list of the "top ten cities for taking a stroll."
• Austin is ranked #17 among Cooking Light’s Top 20 Healthiest Cities in America. Cities were judged on nutrition, physical health and holistic well-being.
• Natural Home magazine ranks Austin #2 among America’s Top Ten Eco-Friendly Communities. These "neighborhoods you want to live in" feature walkability, green planning and outdoor orientation.