Austin, Texas

Extracted Attributes

• Area

  305 square miles (7.2 square miles water)

• Status

  Capital city of Texas

• Location

  Central Texas, within the greater Texas Hill Country

• Nickname

  "Silicon Hills"

• Named After

  Stephen F. Austin

• County Seat Of

  Travis County

• Housing Policy

  Pro-building policies, credited with lowering rents

• Government Type

  Council–manager

• Official Slogan

  "The Live Music Capital of the World"

• Unofficial Slogan

  "Keep Austin Weird"

• Geographic Features

  Lady Bird Lake, Lake Travis, Colorado River, Barton Springs, McKinney Falls, Lake Walter E. Long

• Geographic Distinction

  Southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States

• Population (2020 Census)

  961,855 residents

• Global City Classification

  Gamma + level (Globalization and World Cities Research Network)

• U.S. City Population Rank (2020)

  13th most populous

• Texas City Population Rank (2020)

  5th most populous

• Metropolitan Area Population (Estimated)

  2.55 million residents (25th largest in the U.S.)

• U.S. State Capital Population Rank (2020)

  2nd most populous (after Phoenix, Arizona)

Timeline

• Early habitation by Clovis peoples in the area. (Source: Wikipedia)

  9200 BC

• Early Spanish missions established in the region. (Source: Web Search Results (nchstats.com))

  1730

• The area was settled. (Source: Web Search Results (en.wikipedia.org))

  1835

• Established as Waterloo and subsequently renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin. (Source: Web Search Results (nchstats.com))

  1839

• Austin was incorporated. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1839-12-27

• Defense electronics contractor Tracor (now BAE Systems) began operations in the city, marking early technology roots. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1962

• IBM opened a facility in Austin. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1967

• Texas Instruments set up operations in Austin. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1969

• Motorola (now NXP Semiconductors) started semiconductor chip manufacturing in Austin. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1974

• Adopted the nickname "Silicon Hills" due to a rapid influx of technology and development companies. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1990s

• Began a period of being one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2010

• The U.S. Census recorded Austin's population at 961,855 residents. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2020

• Became home to Austin FC, the city's first major professional sports team. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2021

Austin, Texas

Austin ( AW-stin) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 13th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, and second-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona), while the Austin metro area with an estimated 2.55 million residents is the 25th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Austin is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States since 2010. Located in Central Texas within the greater Texas Hill Country, it is home to numerous lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake and Lake Travis on the Colorado River, Barton Springs, McKinney Falls, and Lake Walter E. Long. Austin's history dates back to at least 9200 BC, with early habitation by Clovis peoples and later by Indigenous groups such as the Tonkawa. Austin and San Antonio are approximately 80 miles (129 km) apart, and both fall along the I-35 corridor. This combined metropolitan region of San Antonio–Austin has approximately 5 million people. Austin is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States and is considered a Gamma + level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Residents of Austin are known as Austinites. They include a diverse mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, and blue-collar workers. The city's official slogan promotes Austin as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to the city's many musicians and live music venues, as well as the long-running PBS TV concert series Austin City Limits. Austin is the site of South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals. The city also adopted "Silicon Hills" as a nickname in the 1990s due to a rapid influx of technology and development companies. In recent years, some Austinites have adopted the unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird", which refers to the desire to protect small, unique, and local businesses from being overrun by large corporations. Ongoing rapid development and gentrification challenge its bohemian roots and fuel nostalgia for “Old Austin.” Since the late 19th century, Austin has also been known as the "City of the Violet Crown", because of the colorful glow of light across the hills just after sunset. Emerging from a strong economic focus on government and education, Austin has become a center for technology and business since the 1990s. The technology roots in Austin can be traced back to the 1960s, when defense electronics contractor Tracor (now BAE Systems) began operations in the city in 1962. IBM followed in 1967, opening a facility to produce its Selectric typewriters. Texas Instruments was set up in Austin two years later, and Motorola (now NXP Semiconductors) started semiconductor chip manufacturing in 1974. A number of Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or regional offices in Austin, including 3M, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Agilent Technologies, Amazon, Apple, Dell, Expedia, Facebook (Meta), General Motors, Google, IBM, Intel, NXP Semiconductors, Oracle, Tesla, and Texas Instruments. With regard to education, Austin is the home of the University of Texas at Austin, one of the largest universities in the U.S., with over 50,000 students. In 2021, Austin became home to Austin FC, the first (and currently only) major professional sports team in the city.

Web Search Results

• Austin, Texas - Wikipedia

  Austin (/ˈɔːstɪn/ ⓘ AW-stin) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 13th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, and second-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona), while the Austin metro area with an estimated 2.55 million residents is the 25th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Austin is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, with portions extending into [...] | Austin Location in Texas Show map of Texas Austin Location in the United States Show map of the United States | | Coordinates: 30°16′02″N 97°44′35″W / 30.26722°N 97.74306°W / 30.26722; -97.74306 | | Country | United States | | State | Texas | | Counties | Travis, Hays, Williamson | | Settled | 1835; 190 years ago (1835) | | Incorporated | December 27, 1839; 185 years ago (1839-12-27) | | Named after | Stephen F. Austin | | Government | | • Type | Council–manager | [...] Austin, the southernmost state capital of the contiguous 48 states, is located in Central Texas on the Colorado River "Colorado River (Texas)"). Austin is 146 miles (230 km) northwest of Houston, 182 miles (290 km) south of Dallas and 74 miles (120 km) northeast of San Antonio.

• Map of the City of Austin, Texas – Geography, Attractions & Stats ...

  Austin, Texas, is the southernmost capital in the contiguous U.S., of the state of Texas along the Colorado River. Nestled at the foot of the Balcones Escarpment, Austin covers 305 square miles, with 7.2 square miles being water. The city’s landscape is defined by three artificial lakes within its borders: Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long, all created by damming parts of the Colorado River. [...] Settled in the 1830s, Austin has roots dating back over 11,000 years with early Spanish missions in the region by 1730. Established as Waterloo in 1839, the town was renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin and selected as the capital of the Republic of Texas. Throughout the 20th century, the city evolved from a segregated society into a multicultural urban center, with a significant rise in its Hispanic population. : Austin population chart [...] Today, Austin has a population of around 984,567 with about 2,274,000 residents in the greater Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area according to Macrotrends. The city is also home to the University of Texas at Austin, a major research university and the flagship institution of the UT System. Table of Contents Toggle ## Geography Map Of City : Source: gisgeography.com, Austin spans 305 square miles, including 7.2 square miles of water

• Things To Do in Austin, Texas - November 2025

  Experience the breathtaking beauty of Austin, Texas, like never before with Austin Heli Tours. Their helicopter tours offer a unique perspective of the city's stunning skyline and iconic landmarks with sunset, evening, options to view the UT stadium, hill country, COTA, and downtown. Prices start at $169 per person with a 2 person minimum. View Austin Heli tours ## 19. Taste and Tour Texas Hill Country Distilleries [...] Experience the breathtaking beauty of Austin, Texas, like never before with Sky Tours. Their airplane tours offer a unique perspective of the city's stunning skyline and iconic landmarks with several options to the UT stadium, hill country, COTA, Pennybacker Bridge, and downtown. View Sky Tours Adventures ## 8. Explore Twisted Texas Tours [...] ## 10. Zip Over Land and Lake with Lake Travis Zip Lines

• Things to Do in Austin, TX | Attractions & Live Music

  Austin is home to unique attractions, world-class museums and beautiful outdoor spaces. Don't miss the places and things that give Texas' capital city a soundtrack all its own. Here are a few visitor favorites to get you started: Bats: Yes, you read that right! Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Watch these little guys and gals fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge nightly spring through early fall. [...] Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World® but that's just the beginning. Home to unique attractions and world-class museums, Texas' capital city has a soundtrack all its own. Spend a day exploring sculpture gardens and historic homes, zipline through the Hill Country or give the kids a hands-on experience at a number of STEM museums. Discover Austin attractions. #### Neighborhoods & Entertainment Districts [...] Known as the Live Music Capital of the World®, Austin, Texas is home to hundreds of live music venues and some of the premier music festivals in the country. But that's not all Austin has to offer. Austin has also become popular for its vibrant arts scene, award-winning dining and beautiful outdoor areas and activities. Plan Your Trip Now How Do I Spend a Day in Austin?

• 21 Fun Things to Do Alone in Austin - Outsider Odyssey

  Fredericksburg is about an hour and 40 minutes away from Austin. This cute German town in Texas Hill Country is perfect for any day trip out of Austin for those who want to escape the city for some peace and quiet. Dallas and Houston are both about 3 hours away from Austin. If you’re looking to knock out your Texas bucket list, either would make a great day trip! ## Things to know about Austin, TX

• Instance Of

  Q125191

• Inception Date

  1/1/1974