Austin is the state capital of Texas, second most populous state in the U.S. with more than a million residents, the Austin metropolitan area is a center for academic, political, research and technology endeavors, as well as for music, entertainment and cultural activities. Sparkling lakes and dramatic Central Texas terrain combine to draw legions of sports and recreation enthusiasts to the area. The University of Texas at Austin and six other local colleges and universities contribute to Austin's status as one of the most highly educated cities in the nation.

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 the Texas Hill Country and represented the 10th Congressional District, which includes Austin. Austin has seven historical districts and 210 historic structures, including the Capitol and Governor's Mansion.

• Forbes ranks Austin the best place to do business and advance your career. The list was weighted heavily toward job and salary growth, as well as technology - measures that favor cities such as Austin. (Forbes magazine, 5/00)
• With robust finances and well-trained public work forces, Austin, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona, are the best-managed major American cities, according to an analysis by Syracuse University (ABC News, 1/00)
• Austin ranks #5 on a list of U.S. cities that executives are considering for office, industrial and distribution sites, according to the December/January issue of Plants Sites & Parks magazine. (Plants Sites & Parks, 12/99)
• Fortune ranked Austin #3 on its 1999 list of Best Cities for Business in North America. Four criteria were closely considered - caliber of the local workforce, quality of life, overall business environment, and cost of doing business. (Fortune, 12/99)
• "Good Living, Good People" play a large factor in making Austin Inc.'s #2 Best Small Metro in America for starting and growing a business. (Inc. magazine, 12/99)

According to a 1999 Austin newcomer study, that was conducted by the Benchmark Company, 68% of households have computers and 61% access the Internet. In February 2000, Yahoo! Internet Life named Austin as the fourth most wired city in the U.S.

Austin is located in Central Texas along the Colorado River. Highways serving Austin include Interstate 35, U.S. 290, U.S. 183, and Texas 71. Altitude ranges from 425 feet at lakeside to 1,000 feet in the northwest hills.

Within 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Austin are 3 of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio). Austin 225 miles from the U.S./Mexico border.

Austin lies in one of three geologically stable areas in the U.S. The inactive Balcones Escarpment extends through Austin, creating the dramatic hills and environmental features that characterize the area.

The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. Land area: City of Austin, 263.59 square miles; Austin MSA, 4,226 square miles.
Sources: City of Austin; U.S. Census Bureau (MSA)

Austin has a temperate climate with 300 days of sunshine annually. Average temperatures range from 42-62 degrees in the winter to 75-95 degrees in summer. Average annual rainfall is 32.49 inches. Snowfall is rare.

The U.S. Census Bureau ranks Austin 21st in the nation in population size. As a metropolitan area, it ranks 41st. Historical data show that Austin's population doubles about every 20 years.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (1990 MSA); * Population estimates by the City of Austin, Dept. of Panning (city) and Regional Financial Associates (1999 MSA).

1999 Median Household Income             $42,370
1999 Average Household Income            $70,782
Source: Regional Financial Associates

150 miles of Highland Lakes wind through the Texas Hill Country and Austin for sailing, rowing, fishing, and canoeing. * Town Lake in downtown Austin * 351-acre Zilker Park near downtown includes Barton Springs Pool, children's playscape, miniature railroad, soccer fields, botanical gardens, and the Austin Nature and Science Center * Parks & playgrounds include McKinney Falls State Park * 16,000 acres of dedicated parkland * 34 golf courses, (15 municipal, 19 private or semi-private) * More than 200 public tennis courts * 32 miles of hike and bike trails (18 well-surfaced, 14 natural surface) * Westcave Preserve * Hamilton Pool * The Wild Basin * Mount Bonnell * The Austin Zoo * Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Research Center * The Hill Country Flyer Steam Train
Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Austin ranks first in Texas in the number of artists and musicians per capita. Recognized as the Live Music Capital of the World, with 105 live music venues and a host of professional recording studios, Austin has produced a multitude of Grammy-winning performers. The locally produced PBS program "Austin City Limits", is viewed by more than 5 million people worldwide and is the longest running music program on PBS. A thriving movie industry attracts filmmakers from around the world, while encouraging local talent. Austin has more than 150 theatre companies and nearly 70 art galleries.

* Austin is home to the world's largest urban bat colony

More than 16 million people visit Austin each year, creating an economic impact of $1.6 billion. The tourism industry employs more than 27,000 people generating a payroll of $513 million. Austin has about 20,000 hotel/motel rooms and a recently renovated, state of the art downtown convention center that will double in size to 881,000 square feet. It will have 247,000 square feet of exhibit space and will accommodate gatherings of 14,000 people. For more information, contact the Convention and Visitor's Bureau at 800/926-2282 or 512/474-5171

About 9 million volumes can be found at the John Henry Faulk Central Public Library and its 21 branches (including Austin History and Records Center), UT-Austin libraries, and the State Library. The Faulk branch also has 14 computers for public Internet use and four devoted strictly to MS Office or word processing.

Austin is one of the nation's most highly educated communities among cities with a population of 250,000 or more, with more than a third of adults having 16 or more years of schooling.

Source: Texas Education Agency, 2000

Sources: Information obtained from individual institutions

The University of Texas at Austin is a leading institution of research and higher education and in the academic year 1999-2000, it was the largest state university in the nation. Fall 1999 enrollment reached 49,009. During the 1999-2000 academic year, UT students who were National Merit Scholars and National Achievement Scholars totaled 930.

Colleges with the largest enrollments, including undergraduate and graduate students, were Liberal Arts (12,965), Natural Sciences (9,576), Engineering (6,506), and Business (5,y782). Undergraduate tution fees for 1999.2000 at UT were $76 per semester hour for in-state residents and $292 per semester hour for out-of-state. In-state tuition is based on a one-year residency in Texas. For information, call General Information at 512/471-3434, the Freshman Admissions office at 512/475-7439.

* as of July 2000

Patents

An often-used innovation measure is the number of patents issued in a city or region. Over the last year, Austin ranked second only to San Jose in the number of patents issued, while Austin's population is one of the smallest.

Patents: High-Tech Center Comparisons

Source: Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP

Venture Capital

Venture capital companies are publicly or privately-owned companies that invest the funds of pensions, corporations, individuals, and insurance companies in new companies through the purchase of equity or long-term debt. According to PricewaterhouseCooper's 1999 Venture  Capital Survey, 109 Austin companies received venture capital totaling $794.6 million in 1999, almost four times the $200.7 million raised during 1998. This increase in venture capital funding is a reflection of Austin's growing entrepreneurial nature. Among benchmarked regions that are, like Austin, high-tech centers, Austin companies have received one of the highest levels of venture capital funding.

1999 Venture Capital Financing

The City of Austin has a council/manager form of government, with a mayor and six city council members, elected at large, serving staggered three-year terms.

The numbers continue to show the good health of Austin's economy, which had an average annual job growth rate of 5.4 percent, adding approximately 250,000 jobs to employer payrolls over the decade. In the Austin-San Marcos MSA 1999 employment stood at 633,500, and the MSA had a low unemployment rate of 2.0%, as compared with a statewide unemployment rate of 4.6%. Projected employment growths of 5.3% in 2000 and 4.4% in 2001 are based on analyses from Regional Financial Associates and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Jobs By Sector (in thousands)

Source: Texas Workforce Commission

* Sources: Travis Central Appraisal District; City of Austin, Development & Review Dept; Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Texas has no state or local corporate or personal income tax. Retail sales tax is Austin is 8 1/4% (6 1/4% state, 1% city, and 1% transit authority).

Source: Travis Central Appraisal District

The City of Austin owns and operates the electric, water and wastewater utilities serving most of Austin.

• Electricity- Total capacity is 2,540.3 Megawatts
  Monthly Electric Bill
  

  	500 KWH	1,500 KWH
  Residential Commercial	$30.61 11,000 KWH $749.12	$113.53 240,000 KWH $13,781.40

• Water (in-city)- The average residential monthly water bill is $19.50. Average usage is 8,000 gallons per month. Peak load capacity is 227 MGD.
• Wastewater (in-city)- The average residential wastewater bill is $22.56. Average customer discharge: 6,000 gallons per month. Current permitted wastewater discharge is 120 MGD.
  Source: City of Austin, Water & Wastewater Utility
• Gas- The primary natural gas supplier is Southern Union Gas. An average residential customer bill is $27 and commercial gas sales rates are $.40-.50/ccf
  Source: Southern Union Gas Company

Currently 10 major carriers serve the airport. The number of nonstop flights to major markets is expected to grow as the new airport increases its capacity. Austin offers nonstop service to 37 cities.
Source: Austin-Bergstron International Airport

Rail service includes Amtrak, Georgetown Railroad, and Longhorn Railway Company.

With more than 60 bus routes, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority provides a comprehensive public transit system throughout the Austin area.
Source: Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Information provided by The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
Copyright © July 2000, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce