Welcome to Austin, Texas

Austin Real Estate

The hip and trendy City of Austin, Texas is unlike any other city in the state. Austin is the capital of Texas, located in Travis County along Interstate 35. Austin real estate is a high-tech community and very laid back. It’s also culturally rich and politically charged. Visitors will find Austin to be creative by design and electric by nature. However, most of all, visitors will find that Austin is the perfect place to have a good time. Austin is well-known for being the “Live Music Capital of the World,” which is also the city’s official slogan.

Austin’s economy is boosted each year by the thousands of graduates from the University of Texas at Austin who specialize in computer science and engineering. The university helps drive a steady stream of employees to help fuel the community’s defense and technology sectors. Some of Austin’s biggest employers include The University of Texas, IBM, AMD, Intel, Cirrus Logic, United Devices, Apple Inc., Dell, the State of Texas, SETON Healthcare Network, the Silicon Hills, National Instruments, Silicon Laboratories, Samsung, Hoover’s and many more. There are also many locally-owned organizations and firms that are very successful within Austin real estate.

History of Austin

The area that we now know as Austin, Texas was once inhabited by several Native American tribes. Some of these tribes included the Comanches tribe, the Tonkawa tribe and the Lipan Apaches tribe.

In the 1830s, the town of Waterloo was laid out by Edward Burleson. Soon afterward, the Texas Congress formed a commission who began to seek a site for Texas’ new capital. A man by the name of Mirabeau Lamar advised the commission to check out the site of Waterloo. The commissioners were so pleased with Waterloo that they chose the town for the new capital and renamed it Austin, Texas.

In 1881, school was held for the first time in Austin real estate and, that same year, the Tillotson Collegiate and Norman Institute opened its doors. The state capital building was complete in 1888. It was also claimed to be the seventh largest building in the world at the time. Austin’s music scene began attracting attention by the 1970s. However, by the 1990s, Austin had moved into the high-tech generation, but never lost its musical appeal.

Education in Austin

Austin real estate is primarily served by the Austin Independent School District. There are 79 elementary schools, 21 middle schools and 16 high schools in the school district. Many of the schools in the district have earned the “National Blue Ribbon School” award. There are also many magnet schools within the city limits of Austin. Some parts of Austin are also served by other school districts including Del Valle ISD, Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD and Round Rock ISD.

When in need of an alternative to public education, several private schools fit the bill, including many Montessori schools, Trinity Episcopal School, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, St. Mary’s, St. Austin Catholic, San Juan Diego Catholic High School, The Griffin School and many more.

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the nation. However, it’s not the only university in the area. Concordia University, Austin Community College, Park University, Acton School of Business, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and several more help scholars achieve their goals.

Austin was ranked the 23rd most literate city in the nation in 2007. And, Austin was given the title “America’s #1 College Town” by the Travel Channel.

Things to See and Do in Austin

There is an abundance of activities and recreation to take advantage of in Austin real estate. Since Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World,” there are plenty of nightclubs on 6th Street. Austin plays host to the annual film/music/multimedia festival called South by Southwest (SXSW). Austin is also very supportive of arts and culture. The locals have even adopted the motto “Keep Austin Weird”. Visitors will see this motto on numerous bumper stickers and T-shirts around the city.

Several outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy are readily available in Austin. In 2004, the city was given the Gold Medal Awards from the National Recreation and Park Association. Parks can be found all over the City of Austin. Many parks feature ball fields, ball courts, community centers, senior centers, playgrounds, picnic shelters, barbeques and walking trails. Austin is even home to over 50 public swimming pools, including the nation’s largest natural swimming pool, Barton Springs Pool. Barton Springs is spring-fed with an average temperature of 68 degrees in the winter and 71 degrees in the summer.

For those who are open to new adventures, Hippie Hollow can be found on Lake Travis. Hippie Hollow is the state’s only officially sanctioned clothing-optional public park. Hippie Hollow offers several activities to enjoy, including swimming, hiking along the greenbelt, rock climbing, exploring and kayaking.

The multitude of shopping areas provide endless hours of entertainment for the shopping lover. Foodies will love the many restaurants throughout the city, ranging from fast-food to fine-dining. You’ll always find what you need in Austin. It’s the perfect place to live, work and play.

Guadelupe River is a great place to enjoy rafting in Austin real estate.