Living in Austin / Local Government

Living in Austin

The city of Austin is the capitol of the great state of Texas. The fourth largest city in the state is the home of university professors, students, politicians, musicians, state employees, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers - the city has something to offer for all Austinites. Residents of the city are known for being laid-back and eclectic, many of whom have adopted "Keep Austin Weird" as the city's unofficial slogan.

Austin Skyline

The city is the center force of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area. A few Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here, including Whole Foods and Dell. Google, Apple, 3M and Hewlett-Packard also have operations within the city. Austin is the home of the University of Texas. In 2010, the university had the fifth-largest single-campus enrollment in the country. The city has been named America's #1 College Town by the Travel Channel.

Being the college town that it is, the Austin nightlife scene is booming with the help of its live music scene and 6th Street. Known as "The Live Music Capital of the World," Austin has a number of venues in the area and hosts music festivals like South By Southwest and Austin City Limits.

6th Street is the entertainment heartbeat of the city. The area is home to bars, clubs, music venues, restaurants and shopping. Generally the street is blocked off to traffic on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and pedestrians take over roaming the street to find the hot spot. The 6th Street experience is necessary for any Austin visitor, making it the best way to begin exploring the city.

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