|
|
|
|
Welcome to Austin, Texas
|
|
|
|
About
Austin is the capital of Texas and the seat of Travis County. It is the 4th largest city in Texas and the 15th largest in the U.S. According to the 2009 U.S. Census Estimate, Austin had a population of 757,688. The city is the center of the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area which has an estimated population of over 1.6 million making it the 36th largest metropolitan area in the nation.
|
|
|
History
The area was settled in the 1830s on the banks of the Colorado River by pioneers who named the village Waterloo. In 1839, Waterloo was chosen to become the capital of the newly independent Republic of Texas. The city was renamed after Stephen F. Austin, known as the father of Texas. The city grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas. After the Great Depression, Austin resumed its development into a major city and emerged as a center for technology and business. Today, Austin is home to many companies, high-tech and otherwise, including the headquarters of three Fortune 500 corporations, Dell, Whole Foods Market, and Freescale Semiconductor.
Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and No. 3 in 2009, also the "Greenest City in America" by MSN. According to CNN Headline News and Travel & Leisure magazine, Austin ranks No. 2 on the list of cities with the best people, referring to the personalities and attributes of the citizens. Austin was also voted America's #1 College Town by the Travel Channel. Austin was ranked the fifth-safest city in part because there are fewer than five murders per 100,000 people annually. Furthermore, in 2009, Austin was determined to be the least stressful large metro area by Forbes magazine.
Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites" and include a diverse mix of university professors, students, politicians, musicians, state employees, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers. The city is home to enough large sites of major technology corporations to have earned it the nickname "Silicon Hills." Austin's official slogan promotes the city as "The Live Music Capital of the World," a reference to its status as home to many musicians and music venues. In recent years, many Austinites have also adopted the unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird"; this refers partly to the eclectic and liberal lifestyle of many Austin residents but is also the slogan for a campaign to preserve smaller local businesses and resist excessive commercialization.
|
|
Geography
Austin is located at 30°16′N 97°45′W? / ?30.267°N 97.75°W? / 30.267; -97.75 and is approximately 541 feet (165 m) above sea level. According to the 2000 census, the city has a total area of 258.4 square miles (669 km2). 251.5 square miles (651 km2) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km2) (2.67%) is water.
Austin is generally bisected East to West by Interstate Highway 35. It is situated on the Colorado River, with three man-made (artificial) lakes within the city limits: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis, including Mansfield Dam, is located within the city's limits. Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are each on the Colorado River. The city is also situated on the Balcones Fault, which, in much of Austin, runs roughly the same route as Loop 1 (Mopac Expressway).
|
|
Demographics
As of the 2005-2007 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, White Americans made up 63.7% of Austin's population; of which 49.9% were non-Hispanic whites. Blacks or African Americans made up 8.5% of Austin's population; of which 8.3% were non-Hispanic blacks. American Indians made up 0.5% of the city's population; of which 0.3% were non-Hispanic. Asian Americans made up 5.6% of the city's population; of which 5.5% were non-Hispanic. Pacific Islander Americans made up 0.1% of the city's population. Individuals from some other race made up 19.5% of the city's population; of which 0.4% were non-Hispanic. Individuals from two or more races made up 2.1% of the city's population; of which 1.3% were non-Hispanic. In addition, Hispanics and Latinos made up 34.2% of Austin's population.
As of the census of 2000, there were 656,562 people, 265,649 households, and 141,590 families residing in the city (roughly comparable in size to San Francisco, Memphis, and Columbus). The population density was 2,610.4 people per square mile (1,007.9/km²). There were 276,842 housing units at an average density of 1,100.7/sq mi (425.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.4% White, 10.0% Black or African American, 4.7% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 16.2% from other races. 3.0% were from two or more races. 30.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino, who can be of any race. About 52.9% of the population were non-Hispanic whites.
There were 265,648 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,689, and the median income for a family was $54,091. Males had a median income of $35,545 vs. $30,046 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,163. About 9.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. The median house price was $185,906 in 2009, and it has increased every year since 2003.
According to the US Census Bureau, as of July 2008 the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area had 1,652,602 people. It is one of the top 5 fastest growing metro areas in the nation. If combined with the population of the adjacent San Antonio metropolitan statistical area (approximately 78 miles (126 km) to the southwest), the region is home to about 3.7 million people.
|
|
|
|