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Why Choose Austin

Welcome to Austin. Get ready to experience historic Texas charm, hip and edgy music, film and art, the most vibrant and celebrated athletics program in the state, an exceptionally diverse population, and over 300 days a year of sunshine and blue skies. Get ready to find out what really makes Austin unique in this big city meets laid-back college town.



Home to over 1.6 million people, the State Capitol, and The University of Texas, Austin is a major urban center of commerce, culture, education, and government for the State of Texas. However, with a smaller population than the fellow Texas cities of Dallas and Houston, coupled with the great influence of the 50,000 person student body of The University of Texas, Austin lacks the grittiness and impersonal nature of a typical large city. Instead, Austin has been noted as a top city for singles by Forbes magazine, and a top city for relocating families by Primacy and Worldwide ERC. Further, per Forbes magazine, Austin has been relatively unaffected by the current recession. While most of the country is suffering from the economic downturn, Austin boasts falling unemployment rates and a stable housing market.



Texas is famous for its warm, sunny weather, and Austin residents love to take full advantage of this. Austin has a thriving run and bike culture and hosts dozens of races and marathons each year. Runners can be found working the well-worn trail circling the clear, sparkling Lady Bird Lake, a popular spot for fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, and cyclists enjoy the challenge of biking the rolling, expansive hills of central Texas. When they're ready for a more leisurely way to take in the outdoors, Austinites like to cool off at the famed Barton Springs Pool, a three-acre, spring-fed pool carved into the Austin rockbed with crystal-clear, sparkling blue water that naturally maintains a temperature of about 68 degrees year-round.

When the sun goes down, many Austinites gather around the Congress Avenue bridge over the Colorado River to watch in amazement as 1.5 million tiny bats fly out from under the dark crags of the bridge and into the night to collectively eat nearly 30,000 pounds of insects. And to cap off a day of taking in the beautiful Austin outdoors, Austin residents are met with an expansive array of restaurants. Due to the diverse mix of people here, Austinites can find a restaurant to suit any taste and budget. And while Austin is famous for having plenty of excellent barbeque and Tex-Mex spots, one doesn't have to look hard to find Cuban, Jamaican, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, or Colombian cuisine, just to name a few. Adventurous diners will never be bored here.

Austin truly embraces, supports and celebrates its thriving and diverse music and art culture. Literally every night of the week, year-round, Austin clubs are humming with live music from every genre imaginable, from both local and out-of-town acts. Austinites love to take in sultry jazz and a martini at the Elephant Room (a favorite of Wynton Marsalis), up-and-coming and edgy acts like The Cool Kids and Crystal Castles at Emo's or La Zona Rosa, or have a beer, a chicken-fried steak and an evening of some of Texas' best country acts at the Broken Spoke. The famous Sixth Street, seven blocks packed with bars, nightclubs, restaurants, billiard halls and theaters, is consistently brimming with college students and young people each weekend, so much so that the street is closed to vehicle traffic to accommodate the influx of foot traffic spilling into the roadway as Austinites hop from one club to the next. And that's only the start of Austin's music scene.

Every March, Austin opens its doors to thousands of visitors for South by Southwest, a week of nonstop music in every corner of the city, representing every genre. Everything from major music halls to small churches open their stages to the hundreds of hopefuls that literally come from all over the world to perform for music industry representatives, pick up some new fans, network with fellow musicians, and have a week of fun, Austin style. As a bonus, South by Southwest reserves the lion's share of passes to these performances for locals, one of the many perks of this great city. The hardest thing about this dynamic week is choosing which performances to go to; there simply aren't enough hours in the day. During South by Southwest week the city not only comes alive with music on every corner, but bars and restaurants often give out free food and drinks to attract tourists, and many bands give free performances. It is truly a week when Austinites get spoiled! And not to be overlooked, South by Southwest also hosts a film festival alongside the music, and film buffs get to take in new, independent and fresh films from some of the top indie filmmakers in the industry. And in the fall, Austin once again gears up for a major music festival in the form of the Austin City Limits music festival; a huge, three-day event with dozens of major acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists, and DeVotchka. Held in the beautiful, lush Zilker Park, a large public park that borders Lady Bird Lake and Barton Springs Pool and serves as a great place to throw a Frisbee with friends, have a picnic after a swim, or roast marshmallows at one of the outdoor grills in the winter, the ACL festival has grown considerably in recent years and now reliably attracts big name performers and large crowds. As an Austin resident, there's no need to travel to this major music festival destination.



If you're looking for arts and culture of a more traditional variety, you're still in luck with Austin. The city is home to a professional ballet, a symphony, a lyric opera, and several theater venues. And thanks to The University of Texas at Austin's excellent music, theater and dance programs, hundreds of outstanding student performances are available to the public for free or for a small fee year-round. Dozens of art galleries and museums dot the Austin map, and the Blanton museum, which houses Austin's most prominent collection of art, is conveniently located on The University of Texas at Austin campus. The University is also home to a breathtaking collection of unique cultural materials at the Harry Ransom Center, also located on campus. Open to the public, the Ransom center boasts a Frida Kahlo portrait, the Gutenberg bible, the first photograph ever taken, and hundreds of other unique, priceless cultural items. Artistry and craftsmanship is also celebrated in Austin via a thriving handmades market. Several times a year Austinites gather at fairs and markets to search through unique, beautiful handmade goods from the studios of Austin's many artisans and craftspeople. It is never difficult to find hand-created jewelry, stained glass, handbags, art, clothing, hair ornaments, or leather goods. Austin is known for being the destination for some great shopping as well. Hot spots like South Congress Avenue and 2nd Street feature dozens of small, locally-owned boutiques that stock their shelves with one-of-a-kind vintage pieces and unusual wares, or you can always indulge with a splurge at Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, or Neiman Marcus.

Undeniably, when many people think "Austin" they think "Longhorn football." The University of Texas at Austin is fortunate to have one of the best collegiate athletics programs in the country, and the City of Austin definitely loves their Longhorns! Whether it's football, basketball or baseball, there are exciting, engaging athletic events to attend year-round, and a city full of fellow fans to cheer along with you. And as a student, you will be able and encouraged to attend all athletic events, and since these games are so popular with students, it's a great place to go with friends or meet fellow students.



Austin is at once a big city and a casual, laid-back college town. Austin residents are fortunate to have the best of everything in this wonderful city: 300 days a year of sunshine, mild winters, gorgeous rolling hills and sparkling lakes, an outstanding university, one of the most diverse populations in the state, a wealth of restaurants, shopping choices, museums and art galleries, live music in every corner of the city every night of the year, a stable, flourishing economy and housing market, a wealth of activities, the designation of simultaneously being a top city for singles and a top city for relocating families, all wrapped up in good ol' Texas charm. Welcome to Austin. Once you get here, you may have a hard time leaving.


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