Ki Gray

Austin, Texas is no longer a hidden destination buried in travel books. It is projected to grow in population by about 30 of the Austin population has college degrees compared to the US average of 27.0 have graduate degrees compared to the US average of 9.9%. A lot of this has to do with the University. Many students who come to Austin for school end up not wanting to leave their beloved city.

One cannot possibly spend time in Austin, Texas without hearing its motto repeated countless times: "Keep Austin Weird". The phrase, which was coined by an Austin Community College librarian who uttered it while calling in to a radio show, spread like wildfire and was picked up and used by the Austin Independent Business Alliance as a means of encouraging the support of local businesses.

Many of the historic buildings in Austin are either privately owned, have been turned into modern-day businesses, or are open to the public in the form of museums. Luckily for those looking to actually live in such a building, even if for just one night, both the Driskill hotel and the Stephen F. Austin hotel are waiting downtown.

In 1886, cattle baron Jesse Driskill purchased the land, and built the Romanesque Driskill hotel in the heart of downtown Austin.

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the five largest universities in the country, and currently nearly fifty thousand students attend the university, which is home to the U.T. Longhorns. Most of the students live in the U. T. campus area, which encompasses an area from Interstate 35, which runs along the eastern perimeter, to Lamar Boulevard, which circles the western edge of the campus, including numerous fraternity and sorority houses.

Every year, Austin is descended upon by thousands of music, film, and web industry professionals, artists, and fans, all attending the annual South by Southwest Festival. Although it started as a local music festival, as it now enters its third decade, SXSW has become one of the premier industry conferences, and has gained a reputation for launching the careers of the artists involved.

The French Legation Museum provides a uniquely historic experience. Both a historic site and a house museum, the story behind the establishment of the museum is fascinating, and helps to illuminate a way of life experienced by the residents of old Austin before Texas was a state. Visiting the house and grounds, with its carefully chosen artifacts, brings the story to life.

Charming pockets of single family homes are studded throughout this hidden gem of a neighborhood, and although certain parts of the area are given over to apartment complexes, duplexes and fourplexes, this is an overlooked area with enormous potential. Bounded by I35 to the west, Ben White to the south, Riverside to the north, and Montopolis to the east, this rising star offers a wide range of restaurants, a big park with loads of amenities, an ACC campus, and the promise of an area on the way up.

Anyone who has been in Texas for very long has heard someone say, "If you don't like Texas weather, just wait a minute."

Austin and the surrounding Hill Country enjoy some of the most temperate weather in Texas. Summers are hot, winters are mild and spring and fall months are typically quite pleasant. Sun shines in the Austin area for 300 days or more and 90 degree plus temperatures occur on about 110 days out of the year.

The residential neighborhood around Barton Springs which is now called Barton Hills is one of the earliest settlements in the Austin area, and the community was originally a small town itself. This unique neighborhood is so old that dinosaur footprints dating back millions of years have been found on the banks of the creek and springs!

More recently, shortly after the Texas Revolution in 1836, William Barton, for whom the community was named, patented the land near Barton Springs and named the springs for his three daughters.

Every year, during the sweltering late summer months, bands from across the country converge on Austin, Texas for one weekend of music, food and hot, sweaty fun. Thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, flock to Austin each year for the massive music event that is the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Some of the biggest names in music show up every year.