When Republic of Texas Vice-President Mirabeau B. Lamar accepted an invitation from his friend Jacob Harrell for a hunting trip to Central Texas, the buffalo were running aplenty around Harrell's trading post alongside the Lower Colorado River.
As Lamar surveyed the verdant, rolling landscape, he mused about all great cities following Rome's tradition of being built on seven hills. On that fall day in 1838, Lamar declared, "This should be the seat of future government."
When he succeeded Sam Houston as president a few months later, Lamar immediately set out to move the seat of government from Houston to the settlement that would soon be named Austin for Stephen F. Austin, who brought the first Anglo colonists to the area in 1821. Work on a new capitol began in May 1839, and the first 306 lots for the newly platted city sold on August 1, 1839.
The limestone hills and peridot-colored waters have always and continue to define Austin's legacy and charm. The original settlers, Tonkawa or Tickanwatic tribes who called themselves "those most like humans"-followed deer and buffalo herds to the fertile land. Spaniards explorers first arrived in 1709. They returned in 1730 to build a mission at the free-flowing, artesian-fed Barton Springs. Since prehistoric times, the springs have remained the lifeline, and according to most Austinites, the soul of the town.
The hills that circle the city and the play of sunlight on those hills inspired short story writer O. Henry, once a resident of Austin, to describe the town as looking as though it wore "a violet crown."
That purplish haze still settles over the city at sunset to paint a spectacular view, particularly from Mt. Bonnell. At 785 feet, it is one of the highest points within the city limits. Mystery, romance and tragedy surround the craggy landmark. Tales of ill-fated lovers leaping to their death from the precipice inspired the legend that the first time a couple climbs the 99 steps to the top of Mt. Bonnell, they fall in love. On the second trip, they get engaged. But, beware, the third climb could prove fatal. 
After winning independence from Mexico in 1836 and remaining an independent nation for a decade, Texas achieved statehood in 1845. During the Republic of Texas era, France sent Alphonse Dubois de Saligny to Austin as its charge d'affaires. Monsieur Dubois purchased 22 acres of land in 1840 on a high hill just east of downtown to build a legation, or diplomatic outpost. The French Legation stands as the oldest documented frame structure in Austin.
The mid-1800s brought growth to Austin, as the population increased from 629 in 1850 to nearly 3,500 in 1860. A flurry of construction on Capitol Hill resulted in several new landmarks-a new limestone capitol (1853), the Governor's Mansion (1856), and the Old General Land Office (1857).
After fire destroyed the old building, a gleaming new State Capitol opened in 1888. Built of distinctive Texas Sunset Red granite quarried in nearby Marble Falls, the $3.7 million building stood, then and now, as the largest of the country's statehouses. In dedicating the capitol on May 16, 1888, Sen. Temple Houston declared, "Here glitters a structure that shall stand as a sentinel of the years."
The 1880s signaled a boom period for Austin. In 1886, an impressive skyline began to take shape even prior to the start of construction on the new state capitol when cattle baron Col. Jesse Driskill opened the spectacular Driskill Hotel. Touted as "one of the finest hotels in the whole country," the Victorian structure remains one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. The hotel figures prominently in the careers of both U.S. Presidents with Austin connections. President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird shared their first date at the Driskill, and he also awaited results from the 1964 presidential election from the hotel. In 2000, then-Governor George W. Bush set up office at The Driskill while he awaited results from the contested election.
 In 1839, the Congress of the Republic ordered a site set aside for a "university of the first class." Not until 1882, however, did the construction begin on that university. From its humble beginnings as a single building on the original "Forty Acres," the University of Texas now ranks as one of the largest public university in the nation. Some 50,000 students attend classes each year on the sprawling campus.
Long regarded as a cultural, political, environmental and educational center of Texas, Austin attracts a diverse mix of writers, musicians, politicians, teachers, environmentalists and average citizens-all looking for a place where the water is clean, people are tolerant, the quality of life ranks higher than average and where pockets of small, unique neighborhoods exist within a larger, urban city.
By the late 1800s and into the early part of the 20th century, Austin's rolling hills to the west gave way to several prominent enclaves. Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Fairview Park, Tarrytown, Enfield and Pemberton Heights continue to be the preferred addresses for upscale living. Tucked away along the outskirts of the Old Enfield neighborhood was Clarksville, a community settled in 1871 by Charles Clark. Clark, a freedman, and his family settled on two acres of land that became the nucleus of Austin's African-American community.
Only a few descendants of Clarksville's original residents still live in the neighborhood today. The city's African-American community largely migrated east of downtown, and, from here, greatly influenced one of Austin's most bankable commodities. The early jazz and blues clubs that sprang up in the late 1920s, 30s and 40s birthed Austin's music scene. The late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan professed to honing his unique talent in East Austin haunts such as Victory Grill.
From the beginning, Austin's population has been made up of a variety of immigrant groups. Germans, Swedes and Mexicans were most  prominent in the early years. The Mexican influence became even more prominent during the mid-1900s as large numbers of immigrants fled unrest during the Mexican Revolution. That community continued to grow rapidly during the last part of the 20th century. Hispanics now make up nearly 35% of Austin's population. For the past two consecutive years, Hispanic magazine has named Austin the "number one city in the U.S. for Hispanics to live and work."
Throughout its history, Austin has doubled in population every 20 years. The past two decades were no exception. With 657,000 people living within the city limits, Austin now ranks as the country's 16th largest city. The total metropolitan area includes 1.2 million.
Much of the city's most recent growth is a result of a technology boom. In 1967, Tracor Industries set up shop in far northwest Austin. Others soon followed-IBM, Texas Instruments, 3M, Motorola, Advanced Micro Devices, Samsung, Dell. From buffalo chips to computer chips, the little trading post by the river has emerged as the focal point of the Silicon Hills.
For the past two decades, Austin has made history as a leader in both technology and creativity. The same entrepreneurial spirit that led 19-year-old Michael Dell to launch a Fortune 500 company from his University of Texas dorm room has also propelled Austin as a music and film center. Austin City Limits, now in its 31st season, continues as the longest-running music show on television. As the location of such feature films as Alamo, Spy Kids, Friday Night Lights and Secondhand Lions, Austin ranks as the top filmmaking city in Texas and second most popular in the country.
Walking Tours
 The painstakingly restored Capitol, which sports a flashy Extension, serves as the departure point March through November for two popular free guided-walking tours of downtown that help history buffs explore Austin's past which is being preserved for the future.
The 10-block Congress Avenue and nine-block Sixth Street (Pecan Street) National Register Districts deftly interweave modern skyscrapers with more ornate 19th century buildings such as the Old Bakery (1876), Millett Opera House (1878), Driskill Hotel (1886), Walter Tips Building (1876) and Robinson-Rosner Building (1856). Historically significant places of worship, such as St. Mary's Cathedral (1874) and St. David's Church (1854) reflect Old World architecture.
 Worth a short side trip is the O. Henry Home and Museum (1888), relocated from 308 E. 4th St. to 5th Street between Neches and Red River. The Victorian cottage served as the residence of famous short story writer William Sydney Porter and his family from 1893-95. The museum is free and open to the public from 12-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. The Historic Congress Avenue & Sixth Street tour times are 9 a.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
For a peek into the lives of Victorian-era high society, take a stroll through the Bremond Block Historic District, a residential enclave of stately homes built on the edge of the city's commercial district before the turn of the century. It contains a rare collection of homes belonging to members of the John Bremond, Sr. Family, a wealthy merchant, and his prosperous neighbors, the Robinsons and Hirschfields. Guided walking tours of the Historic Bremond Block take place at 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Other self-guided tours, using informative brochures, offer an inside look at historic Hyde Park, one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods, and the Texas State Cemetery, the resting place of many Texas heroes, and the West Austin area.
But whether you visit turn-of-the-century neighborhoods, state landmarks or the city's fine museums, you'll be walking in the footsteps of statesmen, cattle barons, outlaws, bankers, artists, gamblers and preachers who left an indelible mark on Austin.
In the state capitol of Texas, we pride ourselves on being far from ordinary. Live music echoes from every corner of the city. We're home to a singer named Willie, a cyclist named Lance and a Longhorn steer named Bevo. As the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, rolling hills and sparkling waterways form our natural landscape. Each night during the summer we celebrate the departure of some 1.5 million bats with abandon, the same as we do in fall for a University of Texas gridiron win. The pages of Texas history-fact and myth alike-unfold at the Texas State History Museum, while the legacy of a president lives on at the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum.
We invite you to sample a taste of Austin-from the kitchens of some of the country's best Tex-Mex and barbecue restaurants to the unique lifestyles of South Congress Avenue, or SoCo as it's known to the locals. We're an exciting 24-hour city where the music never stops and where's is considered normal to be a little out of the ordinary.
Musically Talented
A night on the town in the "Live Music Capital of the World"™ naturally includes music at more than 150 venues on any given evening. Country, blues, rock and roll, Western swing, hip-hop, Tejano and Latin jazz defines Austin's unique music genre. The largest concentration of venues is found downtown in the Warehouse District and along Sixth Street. Each March, thousands of musicians and fans alike converge on the city for the annual South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive festival.
In its 31st season, Austin City Limits continues to be the best free show in town. The PBS television series showcases American and Texas roots music. For information on tapings, call the ticket hotline at 512-471-4811. The music leaves the studio in September for the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park.
Naturally Appealing
Austin stakes a claim to being the "Gateway to the Hill Country." Along the western edge of the city, the Balcones Escarpment rises up to separate flat prairies from the rolling hills. Blessed with an undulating landscape and 300 days of sunshine a year, Austin lives for the outdoors. Three lakes surround the city, with Town Lake bisecting downtown. Some 10 miles of hike-and-bike trails border the lake.
Each night from March through October, more than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from beneath Congress Avenue Bridge that spans Town Lake. Zilker Park offers wide-open spaces for flying kites, playing frisbee or listening to music. Swimmers take a deep breath before plunging into the 68-degree waters of Barton Springs Pool. Inspired by hometown boy Lance Armstrong, cyclists pedal along bike lanes and trails throughout the city.
Historically Speaking
Originally a buffalo hunting ground for Native Americans, Austin was permanently settled in 1838 as a trading post on the Colorado River. Some 657 ,000 residents now live in the city named for colonist Stephen F. Austin.
The pink granite Texas State Capitol commands a stately presence in downtown and stands 14 feet taller than the nation's statehouse. Interactive exhibits at the Capitol Visitors Center, housed in the Old General Land Office, peek behind the scenes at the statehouse. The Lone Star State's history comes together under one roof at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Culturally Diverse
Recognized among the world's top creative cities, Austin supports a thriving arts and cultural scene. Ranked as the city having the highest creativity index score in Richard Florida's ground-breaking book "The Rise of the Creative Class," Austin nurtures scores of musicians, artists, entrepreneurs and a fabled laid-back lifestyle. Austin is one of only a few U.S. cities with professional ballet, opera, symphony and theater companies. The cultural offerings include some 20 museums, dozens of art galleries and more than 60 performance companies.
Mexic-Arte Museum exhibits art traditions of Mexico, while Arthouse features changing exhibits of contemporary Texas artists. The Austin Museum of Art maintains collections in two locations, downtown and at Laguna Gloria, a historic villa on Lake Austin. A newly expanded George Washington Carver Museum reveals the city's deep-rooted African-American heritage with permanent and changing exhibitions.
The former home and studio of 19th century sculptress Elisabet Ney is the city's oldest museum. Umlauf Sculpture Garden showcases the work of the city's most famous 20th century sculptor.
 The drama, comedy and music at the Paramount Theatre, a restored movie palace, span from Broadway to the much beloved Tuna, Texas. Outstanding stage productions spill over to the State Theatre next door. The company of Zachary Scott Theatre consistently produces rollicking entertainment. A multi-cultural world of music and dance takes the stage at One World Theatre.
Outstanding cultural resources are found on the campus of the University of Texas, where the Blanton Museum of Art opens a new facility in February 2006 to showcase an extensive collection spanning from Latin American folk art to contemporary masters. The renowned Harry Ransom Center ranks among the country's top cultural archives, housing such treasures as a rare Gutenberg Bible, the world's first photograph and Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate collection. The Lyndon B. Johnson Library & Museum chronicles the rise of a young Texas man from a humble upbringing to the pinnacle of power.
Ballet Austin, under the artistic direction of Stephen Mills, emerges among the country's leading ballet companies. In its 95th season, The Austin Symphony continues to entertain a vast audience with music ranging from children's concerts to pops series. The Austin Lyric Opera stages a full season of favorite classics as well as provocative new works.
Locally Prepared
Time was when eating out in Austin meant three choices-barbecue, Tex-Mex and chicken-fried steak. Granted, those are still the holy trinity of the local dining scene, but the cuisine here now simmers with a decidedly more sophisticated and international flair. The Wall Street Journal labels Austin as one of the country's "up-and-coming culinary hot spots." In the past four years, three Austin chefs (Tyson Cole of Uchi; David Bull of The Driskill Grill; and Will Packwood of 7) have been listed among Food & Wine magazine's "Top 10 Young Chefs." The classical French cooking techniques of Le Cordon Bleu are even taught at Texas Culinary Academy.
The University of Texas occupies center stage in the heart of Austin. Founded in 1883 on 40 acres, the campus now encompasses more than 350 acres. With nearly 50,000 students, UT boasts one of the country's largest student populations.
 As home to the reigning NCAA football national champions, the University of Texas produces outstanding athletic teams. The entire city bleeds burnt orange during fall football season, when more than 80,000 football fans converge on Royal Memorial Stadium for each home game and the accompanying tailgate parties.
The University's own Frank Erwin Center serves greater Austin with spectacular live entertainment. Two world-class museums, the Harry Ransom Center and Blanton Museum of Art are both located on campus.
For information on tours of the UT Tower, call 512-475-6633.
Last, but not least, a little about Texas
Texas, largest state in the coterminous United States. It is located in the S Central part of the country and is bounded by Oklahoma, across the Red R. except in the Texas panhandle (N); Arkansas (NE); Louisiana, across the Sabine R. (E); the Gulf of Mexico (SE); Mexico, across the Rio Grande R. (SW); and New Mexico (W).
Area, 267,338 sq mi (692,405 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 20,851,820, a 22.8% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital, Austin. Largest city, Houston.
Nickname, Lone Star State.
Motto, Friendship. State bird, mockingbird.
State flower, bluebonnet.
State tree, pecan.
Texas is roughly spade shaped. The vast expanse of the state contains great regional differences (the distance from Beaumont to El Paso is greater than that from New York to Chicago).
Mineral resources compete with industry for primary economic importance in Texas. The state is the leading U.S. producer of oil, natural gas, and natural-gas liquids, despite recent production declines. It is also a major producer of helium, salt, sulfur, sodium sulfate, clays, gypsum, cement, and talc.
Texas manufactures an enormous variety of products, including chemicals and chemical products, petroleum, food and food products, transportation equipment, machinery, and primary and fabricated metals. The development and manufacture of electronic equipment, such as computers, has in recent decades become one of the state's leading industries; the area around Dallas-Fort Worth has become known as “Silicon Prairie,” a name now also extended to Austin and its suburbs. Agriculturally, Texas is one of the most important states in the country. It easily leads the nation in producing cattle, cotton, and cottonseed. Texas also has more farms, farmland, sheep, and lambs than any other state.
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is in the Houston area. Other places of interest in the state include Big Bend National Park,Guadalupe Mountains National Park , Amistad and Lake Meredith national recreation areas, Padre Island National Seashore, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge, winter home of the whooping crane. Austin is the capital; Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are the largest cities.
Among the many institutions of higher learning in Texas are the University of Texas, mainly at Austin, but with large branches at Arlington, El Paso, and the Dallas suburb of Richardson. |