Austin Area Information

Local Area Information

Location

Austin is located in Central Texas along the Colorado River. Highways serving Austin include Interstate 35, U.S. Highway 183, Loop 1 (Mopac), Capital of Texas Highway (360) and Texas Highway 71/290 with the addition of two new Highways coming soon, SH45 and SH130. Altitude ranges from 425 feet at lakeside to 1,000 feet in the northwest hills.

Area

The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. Land area: City of Austin, 253 square miles; Austin MSA, 4,249 square miles.

Climate

Austin has a temperate climate, with 300 days of sunshine annually. Average temperatures range from 42° – 62° in the winter and 75° – 97° in the summer. Average annual rainfall is 32.1 inches.

Population

Austin is the 11th largest U.S. city based on the latest Census Bureau estimate. Its estimated population is 885,248 (2014 estimate). Austin is the cultural and economic center of the five-county Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 1,834,303 (2012 U.S. Census).

History

Founded in 1839, Austin was chosen as the capital of the Republic of Texas because of its central location, fresh water, natural beauty and the proximity of limestone and timber. Austin was named for Stephen F. Austin, a colonizer of the area. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th U.S. President, was born in Texas Hill Country and represented the 10th Congressional District in Congress. Austin has seven historic districts and 210 Historic structures, including the Capital and the Governor’s Mansion.

Austin Rankings

Arts, Music, Entertainment and Recreation

Austin ranks first in Texas and sixth in the U.S. in the number of artists and musicians per capital. Recognized as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin has spawned a multitude of Grammy winning performers. PBS’s “Austin City Limits” is viewed by as many as five million people weekly worldwide. Among Austin’s cultural offerings:

Recreational Highlights

  • 150 miles of Highland Lakes, winding through the Texas Hill Country into Austin
  • Town Lake in downtown Austin
  • 351 acres in Zilker Downtown Park
  • 174 parks and playgrounds, including a state park
  • 16,000 acres of dedicated park land
  • 18 golf courses, six municipal and 12 private
  • 156 public tennis courts
  • 28 miles of hike-n-bike trails

Education

Austin is the most highly educated U.S. city with a population of more than 850,000, with 35 percent of adults having 10 or more years of schooling. One in nine adults is currently enrolled in an Austin area college or university.

Public Schools in and around the Austin area include:

University of Texas

The University of Texas at Austin is a leading institution of research and higher education, and the third largest state university in the U.S.

Top 10 Employers

Taxes

Texas has no corporate or personal income tax, state or local. Retail sales tax in Austin is 8.25 percent. Property tax rates fluctuate yearly and vary according to residence location. For more information call the Tax Assessor-Collector in Travis County 512.473.9473, Williamson County 512.943.1603, Hays County 512.393.5545, Bastrop County 512.581.7161