Austin Texas can be described in many ways – it’s the State Capital, home to the University of Texas, the Violet Crown, the Silicon Hills, the Live Music Capital of the World and even has an unofficial city slogan “Keep Austin Weird." How has Austin earned all of these monikers? Through extensive planning, steady growth, and respect for the environment that has blessed us with its unique oasis - like atmosphere in the central part of Texas, Austin continues to stand out within the state as a vibrant place to live.

The SMSA (Statistical Metropolitan Service Area) of Austin is a five county area and is referred to as Central Texas. The counties included in the SMSA are Travis (City of Austin), Williamson (City of Round Rock and City of Georgetown), Hays (City of San Marcos), Bastrop (City of Bastrop), and Burnet (City of Marble Falls).

Because Austin is the State Capital, for many years the state and federal government buildings that housed thousands of employees in downtown Austin were our single largest employer. The center of State government is marked by the State Capitol Building which is the only one in the United States that is taller than the US Capitol Building.

Austin is proud to be home to the University of Texas Longhorns. The University of Texas is the second largest (in terms of student population) in the United States. Currently its enrollment is 50,000+ students. The University of Texas is a world renowned research university supported by the second largest endowment of any university in the world. The university has 325,000 living graduates and 175,000 of these graduates choose to live in the Austin SMSA area.

Austin is also known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” You cannot go to any restaurant in town without hearing a musician or musicians playing an instrument and singing. There are numerous venues that hold concerts and many commercial developments create amphitheatres to accommodate and promote productions.

Another thing that makes Austin special is all the water sports and outdoor activities that make up the landscape. There are 740 miles of fresh water shoreline in the SMSA and properties on any of the lakes are more affordable the farther they are from Austin. These lakes are referred to as the chain of "Highland Lakes" and were created by damming the Colorado River in the 1930s.

Lady Bird Lake divides Austin north and south and is just adjacent to the Central Business District. No motorized boating is allowed on this lake. Lake Austin is a constant level lake that is 22 miles long. There are parts of this lake that are 5 minutes from downtown and it is considered to be the best waterskiing lake in Texas. Some of the most expensive waterfront property in Austin can be found on this lake. Lake Travis is a large 20,000 acre lake that goes west from Travis to Burnet County and is the best sailing lake in Texas. For many years, Lake Travis was the place to have a lake house or second home but in recent years has become a favorite primary residence destination for families and entrepreneurs who can live and work from anywhere in the world.

Lake Marble Falls is the smallest lake in the chain and is the middle of the small city of Marble Falls, Texas which is about 45 minutes from the center of Austin. Around this area, you will also find Lake Buchannan that is well known for its fishing. Lake LBJ & Inks Lake are the last two lakes in the chain of Highland Lakes and these are also well known for their fishing and camping.

The business environment in Austin is very vibrant and in the eighties, due to its influx of technology based industries, was nicknamed Silicon Hills. It is the headquarters of Dell Computers and National Instruments, and companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Freescale, Applied Materials, BAE Systems have regional headquarters here as well. Austin also has the largest semi conductor manufacturing facility in the US for Samsung International.

Texas has no personal or corporate income tax which along with it being a "right to work" state attracts a great number of entrepreneurs and corporations. Our major employers are the State of Texas (which includes the University of Texas system) and then private companies such as HEB, Dell Computers, Ascension Health Care, AMD, Applied Materials, Freescale, etc.

The spirit of Austin is impacted by its young, well-educated population. It is no surprise that Austin is either home or considered a second home to such celebrities as Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Quaid, Willie Nelson, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Lance Armstrong, Andy Roddick and many others. Austinites enjoy the outdoors whether jogging on our 6 mile hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake or water activities on one of our 7 lakes.

So whatever name you want to call Austin – the Silicon Hills, the Live Music Capital of the World or the State Capital – our favorite name to call it is "home." We hope you will visit our city, enjoy our beautiful hills and lakes and decide to call it home as well.