Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World", a title anyone that has visited here can attest to! The heart and soul of Austin is in its music. Take a walk down 6th Street after dark and witness the action. If you love music, this is the place to be. The Austin Chronicle is the music bible here. Thursdays have a special meaning - it's the day the new weekly edition of the Chronicle is released! Be sure and pick one up if you visit.
We have also become a major film production center....thanks to the likes of Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez and British director Alan Parker. Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, and Johnny Depp, love the city so much, they have or have had homes here. "Michael", "Dazed and Confused", "The Faculty", "Hope Floats", "Blood Simple", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Mortal Kombat", "Home Fries", "Slacker", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", "Miss Congeniality", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre", " Spy Kids 1 & 2 & 3", "Alamo", "The Rookie", "Courage Under Fire", "Varsity Blues", "The Life of David Gale", and "Cheers", are just a few of the popular movies made in or near Austin.
Our population as of the most current census (2000) was 656,562 in Austin city limits and 1,249,763 people in the metropolitan (5-county area) Austin area. We enjoy over 11,800 acres of greenbelt areas of uncultivated land used for recreation around the community. Unfortunately, most of this land is being quickly encroached by over-zealous builders that find loop holes in the protection ordinances that have been twice approved by Austin voters. On a lighter note, we average 300 days of sunshine each year and about 34 inches of rainfall. The summers are very, very HOT and LONG (it hit 91 degrees just this April 7th). Most people are affected with allergies due to the high mold and tree pollens year-round.
Among 250,000+ population cities, Austin is the most highly educated community. Austin has also moved up a notch in a ranking of the nation's most-wired cities - we are #3 behind San Francisco and San Jose. We also claim the highest bookstore sales per household in the U.S. and the city with the most restaurants and bars per capita (good thing since I don't cook much!) We are also home to some of the best and fastest growing high-tech companies. The median home price and average monthly rent have risen sharply over the past few years due to low supply and high demand . The popularity of Austin has caused excessive growth and has taxed the air quality (and for those who knew the 'old Austin', the life quality). We may soon be declared a non-attainment city by the EPA due to air pollution levels.
With the good comes the bad - all in all, it's still a beautiful place to be!
Some of our favorite places to see and things to do (of course we can't tell you EVERYTHING!):
- Lake Travis, Lake Austin & Town Lake
- 6th Street
- Bats under the Congress Avenue bridge during the summer (summer is April to October)
- Eclectic South Congress Avenue
- The view at The Oasis restaurant (and the drive along FM 2222 to get there)
- Mt. Bonnell
- Barton Springs Pool
- Zilker Park
- El Arroyo (aka The Ditch) for excellent Mexican food and margaritas
- Maudie's for most excellent and consistent Mexican food (can you tell we eat alot of Tex Mex?!)
- Antone's - Austin's Home of the Blues
- Continental Club - small bar, excellent live performers
- Saxon Pub - cool dive with the BEST Austin local musicians performing nightly!
- Stubb's - great smaller venue to catch a national tour
- Scholz Garden - the oldest bar in Austin
- Liberty Lunch - great live music venue - OH! I forgot, they tore it down last year to build a mega-insurance complex!
Select Austin Links:
- Austin Chronicle
- Austin 360
- Austin Parks & Recreation
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- State Parks close to Austin
- University of Texas, Austin
- Save Our Springs
- SUN Radio Solar Powered - best radio station in Austin
- KGSR - best commercial radio in Austin
- City of Austin
- Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
- Local News - KXAN
- Museums
- SXSW
Copyright © 2000-2016 Austin
Natural Soap All rights reserved. You may not duplicate any portion of this
website.
Questions or comments? Contact
Austin Natural Soap at
annette@austinsoap.com
