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Austin By Numbers |
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Dane |
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2007-11-08 |
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Austin is one of America's hot list cities. The housing is affordable. The landscape is pretty with rolling hills to the west and fields to the east. The weather is pleasant in the spring, fall, and winter, with summer being bearable, even welcomed by heat-lovers. The music, art, and film scenes are thriving and growing with new festivals like Austin City Limits and those established like the worldwide conference South By Southwest, otherwise known as SXSW. There's something for everyone from rockabilly to folk music and cycling clubs to marathon teams. So, in short, it's a cool place to hang your hat. But what are the facts? Let's talk about some of Austin's numbers regarding education, jobs, and other random numbers.
39.1 have graduate degrees. A large part of this is that one of the largest universities (if not the largest now) is located in the heart of the city, just north of downtown. With almost 50,000 students, the University of Texas at Austin supplies the city with all kinds of top talent, being a top school for many of its divisions like computer science, business, nursing, pharmacy, architecture, and engineering.
Also due to the large university, Austin has a high number of research and development firms. There 4.9 R&D employees per capita, which is 120, and of the 100 largest economic cities in the nation, Austin came in at 39 for the number of total jobs. The unemployment rate is 4 of the total Texas GDP and 0.5 renewable energy. Austin is known for its green incentives. They pay for over half of your solar panels, if you are willing and your home qualifies for enough sun. Free low-flow toilets are available. And rebates are given out to those who get higher energy efficient A/Cs and washers / dryers. There are 2.5 airplane boardings per capita. Austin's new international airport provides the city with more than enough services with room to grow. There is 79.8 miles of public transit per capita, which is quite less than half the national average. Austin does have a bit of traffic woes at 8am and 5pm, but nothing like 5 hour commutes. The city aims to absorb growth vertically rather than sprawl to help relieve the traffic issues. 75.2% of the population lives in high-broadband areas. This fact is probably roots from UT being part of the pre-cursor to the internet, attracting high-tech businesses and starting Austin on its tech track.
There is no doubt that Austin has become one of the most livable and attractive cities to move to over the past couple years. The secret is out. Not only is Austin a great place to live because of the hills, lake, and pretty sunsets, but there are numbers to back it up.
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Austin By Numbers Real Estate Finance |
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Related Article:Austin By Numbers |
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Dane Smith |
2007-10-12 |
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Like most catch phrases, “Keep Austin Weird” has a basis in reality. Austin is many things: political, vibrant, intelligent and fun, but it is also undeniably weird.
For example, where else in the world would you find a cross-dressing vagrant who wears high-heeled shoes and runs for mayor? Leslie Cochran, a man who has been dubbed “The Queen of Austin,” is one of its most beloved characters—so beloved, in fact, that local stores sell “Leslie’s What to Wear Refrigerator Magnets” that act as a magnetic version of a paper doll kit.
Leslie is not the only local attraction that keeps the city interesting. There is Hippie Hollow, the only “clothing-optional” beach in all of Texas, as well as the fact that Austin, in addition to being the state capital, is supposedly the Frisbee Golf capital as well. Also consider the Alamo Drafthouse, a series of movie houses-slash-restaurants-slash-performance theatres, which has an eclectic event calendar and funny promotions to keep patrons coming back for more. There are not many places where you can attend a showing of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” that includes all the miniature burgers you can eat.
Down in South Austin, one can visit the infamous “Cathedral of Junk,” which was started in 1988 and is constructed of an array of throw-away items like bottles, bumpers and wheels (oh my!). Despite its appearance, the cathedral is structurally sound, passing inspection by the city each year. While in that part of town, there is also the Museum of Ephemerata, which has hosted such weird items as the last cigarette Marilyn Monroe ever smoked.
Each year, Austin plays host to biker rallies, burlesque shows, rodeos, political demonstrations, theatre events, street markets, live music performances and festivals, poetry readings and barbecues. There truly is never a dull moment.
And yet, perhaps it is simply the people of Austin who keep it weird. Austinites, both native and self-made, continually contribute to the city’s atmosphere, full of flair, fun and energy. It is they who buy from the funky shops, they who attend the crazy shows, and they who take pride in occupying such a unique place in the world
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RJacobsen acobsen |
2008-04-23 |
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Title: Real Estates in Austin, Texas
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Among the largest cities in the United States, Austin stands in the 16th position and is the capital city of Texas. It is in fact the fourth-largest city of the state. There was a survey conducted during the period of 2000-2006 and it was reported that Austin was the 3rd rapidly growing largest city in the nation. Also, Austin’s calculated population was nearly 710,000 as per the statistics of 2006. The very famous ‘University of Texas at Austin’ finds its home in Austin and there are lots of venues for music per capita while comparing with any other cities in the USA. Austin is an arising and spirited city and it plays the role of host to various technology organizations that has yielded the nickname to Austin as the “Silicon Hills”. During 2000, Austin acquired the 2nd place from the list of “Best Places to Live” conducted by Money Magazine and it was also opted as the “America’s Greenest City” by the MSN. In spite of the hi-tech businesses operating on the global arena, Austin owns flourishing companies that are independent in the local business territory which forms the Austin Independent Business Alliance. Austin’s real estate industry offers families and residents thinking to relocate, vast options for new homes and values. People who are interested in buying homes are able to select from the larger homes and the type of homes available within and around the city. Also, there are listings which help the buyers to buy or resell condominium, single family, tradition and lively adult homes. Moreover, the investors of real estate could identify enormous opportunities in investment which promise a bright future. Thus, one could find a home in Austin to equip every want, lifestyle and need. People who are interested to buy a home in Austin should first determine the property type they are in need of and by implementing this way, homebuyers would be beneficial to save lots of time for the research process. The second step to be taken by a possible homebuyer is to be pre-eligible for a home loan as this creates awareness on the amount needed for the home. After determining the type of house and price range, the next step is to look in to advertisements that announce great openings coming out for sale so that comparison of incentives, pricing, new home and territory locations can be made. Hence, the final step would be to make to visit to the homes which they are about to buy in order to obtain a feel for the home and neighborhood. It can dearly prove a profitable experience when purchasing a home in Austin. More importantly, research should be done on the home builders, local market and home locations by the home buyers before they are committed to buy a home. Also, it is crucial that a homebuyer is equipped, educated and can afford well enough to buy a new home. In case, the buyer doesn’t have enough money as balance, it would be better to wait for some more time when their time works better. Finally, a huge responsibility is the home mortgage and even though homeownership is profitable, it can be fiscally overwhelming. Visit New Homes Section to view Austin Texas real estate, Austin quick move-in homes for sale, and Austin home builders.
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Dane Smith |
2008-03-26 |
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Title: Filmmaking in Austin
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For a long time, Austin has been considered the “Third Coast” in the film industry, with more filmmakers on the rise in Austin, and more Hollywood types coming to Austin to shoot their movies. One of the biggest proponents of the up and coming filmmakers is UT’s Radio-Television-Film department. Though the film courses are a challenge to get into, with many vying for a slot and low numbers of students per class, many consider the red tape worth it, as UT has become a highly regarded film school, comparable to UCLA or NYU. Though UT’s film school is on the rise, Austin is still not the heart of the movie industry, but some graduate students have taken it upon themselves to get UT’s student films in from of Hollywood big shots, and created their own film festival called CinemaTexas. The award winners of the UT student film festival, with help from prominent UT alumni, get their movies screened before the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles, solidifying CinemaTexas as a true festival. In 2003, the University of Texas Film Institute (UTFI) was set up. Not only does it help students keep up with the newest film technologies, but it is also partnered with Burnt Orange Productions, allowing students to participate directly on feature length big budget independent films. Some local budding filmmakers looking to gain some skills, but not deal with UT’s bureaucracy find themselves enrolling at Austin FilmWorks. Their 14 week-long course is taught by former UT professor, Steve Mims. When Robert Rodriguez couldn’t get into UT’s film school due to a low GPA, he turned to Mims’ classes for insight, and considers him a crucial influence on his filmmaking skills. In the mid 1980s, local filmmaker and creator of cult hit Slacker Richard Linklater, helped create the Austin Film Society as a non-profit educational organization. Though the organization began strictly as a film appreciation group, today the Austin Film Society holds their own filmmaking camps for Austin’s youth, has discussion panels with experts in different aspects of moviemaking, and offers an internship program. In 1999, Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, and other movie making heavy hitters approached the Austin City council explaining that Austin was becoming a moviemaking hotbed which could lead to several million dollars for the city. Linklater and Rodriguez went on to point out that office and studio space was hard to come by, due to Austin’s constant popularity and the tech boom of the time. In November of 2000, the Austin Film Society leased the old Robert Mueller airport from the city for a mere 100 dollars a year, and has turned the old hangars into official sound stages called Austin Studios. Sandra Bullock was the first to bring Hollywood to town with her Warner Brothers movie “Miss Congeniality” which used two stages for 5 months. Since then, several feature length movies have been shot at the studios, as well as documentaries, television commercials, music videos, and photo shoots. With over 100,000 square feet of production space, and a tolerance for productions at any budget level, the Austin Studios have become popular among multimillion dollar blockbusters and local low budget creations alike. With the variety of filmmaking options to local Austinites, and the amount of high end productions coming into town, the possibility of becoming a filmmaker, or running into a Hollywood movie star, are ever increasing. Ki is a real estate agent in Austin. His site has a free search of the Austin MLS along with background information on Austin real estate and downtown Austin condos
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Joe Cline |
2008-03-07 |
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Title: Austin For Your Next Move
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Well, it seems that whatever you're looking for in a city, Austin not only has it, but Austin has it the best! Yes, if you are searching for a place with good business opportunities, lots of sustainable living practices, career opportunities or just a great place to live, then Austin is the declared winner. Recently, Austin has been winning so many awards for so many different attributes that it seems it could be used as a role model for other cities. On top of all these brilliant awards, Austin has been told that the real estate market is also amongst the top markets all across USA. This real estate news was projected by P.M.I. (Private Mortgage Insurance Co.) who quoted ten US cities as having less than a one percent chance of declining realty prices in the next eighteen months. The list was compiled to help PMI decide which areas would likely be bad housing risks for their mortgage insurance business. Ten cities tied for top place and Austin was one of them. This projection is backed up by actual statistics published by First American Loan Performance who state that the average Austin home listed at 8% more, and sold for 5% more, than at this time last year. It is not surprising that Austin was voted 'Greenest City in America' by MSN, as the city has been making genuine attempts to become 'greener'. The 'Green Building Program' developed and watched over by Austin Energy is one example of this. The largest (so far) retail outlet in the Catellus Development Group's new Mueller redevelopment has implemented the recommended guidelines. The 141,000 square foot Home Depot is the first Home Depot to be built that has followed a specific 'green' guide. Austin's foresight in having these guidelines put in place has deservedly earned it the title of 'Greenest City'. To their credit, Home Depot took up the challenge and is aiming for the three star rating from Austin Energy. In terms of 'Economic Vitality', Moody's Economy awarded the #1 spot in their index to Austin and they chose from 400 different American cities. From a business viewpoint, just last month, Austin ranked #1 in the 'The Best Places for Business and Careers' by Forbes magazine. However, this has interesting implications for the average family that may be thinking of moving to Austin. When Forbes magazine designed their survey, they realized that other factors come into play for businesses looking to re-locate. Many of them are social factors. To this end, Forbes magazine took into account a broad selection of indicators. After including the usual statistics about the price of office space, labor, energy and taxes, they looked into the social side of Austin. Rankings were taken on crime rates, net migration and housing costs as well as the quality of the pool of labor. The fact that Austin ranked as #1 must mean that it is simply a great place to live. Money Magazine conducted research into the 'Best Big City' in which to live; surprisingly, Austin came in second place - do you think it was a typing error? Meet Joe Cline and his team at AffinityProperties.com, your one-stop source for information about Austin Texas real estate. This diversified team of highly skilled real estate agents is ready to answer all of your questions regarding Cat Mountain Texas real estate
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Brain Enright |
2007-06-08 |
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The loft & condo market in Austin is heating up, and that's not just because summer is on the way! For some time, Austin has been seeing a surge in the real estate market and much of this is attributed to the development of new loft & condo developments. As the state's capital, Austin has no shortage of desirable drawing points. With a great economy and a strong job market Austin has asserted itself as one of the most favorable cities in which to live, not only in Texas but in the entire nation One of the most attractive aspects of Austin is easily the educational climate. Austin is home to a number of highly regarded universities including the University Of Texas. This environment has greatly benefited the economic sector, providing Austin businesses with a steady stream of highly educated workers. The result of this can be readily seen as Austin has a thriving industrial core with strong foundations in the biotechnology, the high-tech industry and defense contracting. Austin has numerous multi-national companies that operate from bases in the city such as Apple Inc, AMD, IBM, Dell, Intel, Sun Microsystems and Samsung to name a few. These companies along with a great number of locally owned corporations and companies have formed a solid economic base that will assure the secure future of business in Austin. A good business environment naturally means that there is a great call for quality housing options. With transportation and increasing oil prices, living within the city has become more and more popular as the short commute equals saved money. Enter the condo. Condos are the perfect solution to this concern as most are built around major economic centers. They provide a lower cost of living and an ease that is highly desirable in a time where the average working individual has little time for yard work and home maintenance. Condos and lofts offer an attractive lifestyle and modern architecture or old world loft styling. Take your pick! Brian Enright is a representative of Highrises.com your first stop for Austin, TX Lofts . Highrises.com provides customers with all the information they could ever need to find the perfect loft in Dallas. For more information contact Brian or visit the website at www.highrises.com
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Dane |
2007-10-12 |
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Like most catch phrases, “Keep Austin Weird” has a basis in reality. Austin is many things: political, vibrant, intelligent and fun, but it is also undeniably weird.
For example, where else in the world would you find a cross-dressing vagrant who wears high-heeled shoes and runs for mayor? Leslie Cochran, a man who has been dubbed “The Queen of Austin,” is one of its most beloved characters—so beloved, in fact, that local stores sell “Leslie’s What to Wear Refrigerator Magnets” that act as a magnetic version of a paper doll kit.
Leslie is not the only local attraction that keeps the city interesting. There is Hippie Hollow, the only “clothing-optional” beach in all of Texas, as well as the fact that Austin, in addition to being the state capital, is supposedly the Frisbee Golf capital as well. Also consider the Alamo Drafthouse, a series of movie houses-slash-restaurants-slash-performance theatres, which has an eclectic event calendar and funny promotions to keep patrons coming back for more. There are not many places where you can attend a showing of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” that includes all the miniature burgers you can eat.
Down in South Austin, one can visit the infamous “Cathedral of Junk,” which was started in 1988 and is constructed of an array of throw-away items like bottles, bumpers and wheels (oh my!). Despite its appearance, the cathedral is structurally sound, passing inspection by the city each year. While in that part of town, there is also the Museum of Ephemerata, which has hosted such weird items as the last cigarette Marilyn Monroe ever smoked.
Each year, Austin plays host to biker rallies, burlesque shows, rodeos, political demonstrations, theatre events, street markets, live music performances and festivals, poetry readings and barbecues. There truly is never a dull moment.
And yet, perhaps it is simply the people of Austin who keep it weird. Austinites, both native and self-made, continually contribute to the city’s atmosphere, full of flair, fun and energy. It is they who buy from the funky shops, they who attend the crazy shows, and they who take pride in occupying such a unique place in the world
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Ki Gray |
2007-12-04 |
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Title: Christmas in Austin Texas
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Like most towns during the holiday season, Austin brings out their festive lights. However, there are two areas in town known for displaying an awesome array of lights- 37th Street, and the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park.
Starting back in the early 80s, neighbors on 37th Street in Hyde Park came together to create a completely unique Christmas light experience that is creative, wacky, and fun- what today would be deemed as, "Keeping Austin Weird." Resident Jamie Lipman began wildly decorating his home, and his neighbors followed suit. Discarded motorcycles have been wrapped in hundreds of lights, bushes were sculpted into automobiles (including headlights), BBQ cookout scenes were created, and several strands of lights crisscrossed the street.
From the rooftop of one house, massive amounts of lights were strung, and every 5 minutes a volcano erupted with a cloud of smoke, and the lights turned red, mimicking lava pouring down a mountain. Lipman would go all out, decorating his front and backyard, with thousands of lights, and covering his home in black plastic to have his homemade creations show up better and brighter.
Though the street has gained national attention for its creativity, it has gone through many changes in recent years. Old residents have moved out, and a new crowd moved in. Even Lipman himself moved from 37th Street last year, though he has offered to come back and help set up his famous lights. Time will tell if the new neighbors will keep the spirit of 37th Street alive.
Boasting 300,000 lights, The Trail of Lights is put on by the city of Austin, and grows bigger every year. The Trail of Lights was originally named Yule Fest in 1965, and is a one mile strip of static and moving displays located in Zilker Park.
"The 12 Days of Christmas" display was the first created, and still holds a prominent position at the beginning of the trail. Many of the beautiful craggy oak trees have brightly colored lights from the bottom of their trunks to the tips of their highest branches. Along with the 43 lighted displays, shops selling trinkets, hot food and apple cider dot the trail. A variety of local dance troupes perform on the entertainment stage, Santa holds court for a throng of youngsters, and a massive Yule log burns night after night.
For most visitors to the Trail of Lights, their trip begins or ends at the Zilker Tree. Located just south of the trail, the Zilker Tree stands 155 feet tall, and is not really a tree at all, but one of Austin's original moonlight towers. The towers were erected in 1894 as the city's first illumination system, and 17 of the original 31 still stand.
The tree hosts 3,309 lights, and children and adults alike can be found underneath the tree with their heads up staring at the lights, and spinning in circles until they crash to the ground. This year's tree lighting ceremony will be held on December 2nd at 6pm, with the Trail of Lights open evenings through December 31st.
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Eric Bramlett |
2007-11-25 |
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Title: Downtown Austin: Austin Museum of Art
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"A mainstay of Austin culture and art since 1916, and in its present location since 1996, the Austin Museum of Art has provided the community with accessible artwork to enlighten and educate its citizens. Echoing the words of museum patron Clara Driscoll, the museum is a place that “brings pleasure in the appreciation of art to the people of Texas.”
Today, the Austin Museum of Art-Downtown continues to educate a broad audience on 20th century and contemporary art, with a world-class gallery, continually changing exhibits and even an Art School. For you and your family, it’s a place to appreciate loveliness and creativity in many forms, as well as release your inner artist. You will find that the museum is centrally located downtown and housed in a contemporary-style building, perfectly reflecting the modern art inside. Each exhibition at this Austin, Texas museum is generally paired up with listening or reading stations, interpretive programming and museum guides who can reveal the unique and important impact that the visual arts create. Past exhibits have included everything from photography, sculpture, paintings, charcoal drawings and pottery collections.
The downtown location is a permanent expansion from the original museum, and provides a broad range of community-oriented features. The Community Room can be rented or reserved for activities or private functions as needed. The Art School holds classes in many different mediums for all ages. Try a beginner’s class in watercolors, or enroll your child in the 3-D Art class designed for kids. The museum store is also located on-site and provides art-related gifts, books, toys and jewelry. It’s perfect when you need a gift for the person who has everything or simply for browsing after an afternoon of viewing the latest exhibits in town.
The Austin Museum of Art is also dedicated to education enhancement, in the form of teacher seminars, adult education, group tours and family programs. It’s a way for Austin, Texas residents to connect with the arts on a personal level and walk away with an increased understanding of their world. With an active volunteer program that enables Austin, TX citizens to act as museum docents, it’s easy for just about anyone to get involved.
The museum is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday hours are from noon to 5:00 p.m, and closed Mondays and holidays. Located at 823 Congress Avenue at 9th Street, the museum is adjacent to a convenient parking garage at 9th and Brazos. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students and free for children 12 and under. "
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Dane |
2007-10-18 |
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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.
Like most catch phrases, “Keep Austin Weird” has a basis in reality. Austin is many things: political, vibrant, intelligent and fun, but it is also undeniably weird.
For example, where else in the world would you find a cross-dressing vagrant who wears high-heeled shoes and runs for mayor? Leslie Cochran, a man who has been dubbed “The Queen of Austin,” is one of its most beloved characters—so beloved, in fact, that local stores sell “Leslie’s What to Wear Refrigerator Magnets” that act as a magnetic version of a paper doll kit.
Leslie is not the only local attraction that keeps the city interesting. There is Hippie Hollow, the only “clothing-optional” beach in all of Texas, as well as the fact that Austin, in addition to being the state capital, is supposedly the Frisbee Golf capital as well. Also consider the Alamo Drafthouse, a series of movie houses-slash-restaurants-slash-performance theatres, which has an eclectic event calendar and funny promotions to keep patrons coming back for more. There are not many places where you can attend a showing of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” that includes all the miniature burgers you can eat.
Down in South Austin, one can visit the infamous “Cathedral of Junk,” which was started in 1988 and is constructed of an array of throw-away items like bottles, bumpers and wheels (oh my!). Despite its appearance, the cathedral is structurally sound, passing inspection by the city each year. While in that part of town, there is also the Museum of Ephemerata, which has hosted such weird items as the last cigarette Marilyn Monroe ever smoked.
Each year, Austin plays host to biker rallies, burlesque shows, rodeos, political demonstrations, theatre events, street markets, live music performances and festivals, poetry readings and barbecues. There truly is never a dull moment.
And yet, perhaps it is simply the people of Austin who keep it weird. Austinites, both native and self-made, continually contribute to the city’s atmosphere, full of flair, fun and energy. It is they who buy from the funky shops, they who attend the crazy shows, and they who take pride in occupying such a unique place in the world
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Eric Bramlett |
2007-07-30 |
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Title: What''s Up in Austin? (pt 1)
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Austin Texas is an expanding and exciting city that has much going on to interest any home buyers. Austin has continued to show it's dedication to the future of it's citizens and residents. Austin is known to be a country leader in stable and strong real estate. There are a number of exciting projects going on in Austin that are of note. One of these projects is the new addition to the Seton Medical Center, Austin. This new addition will house an Obstetrics center and will expand the capacity of 440 beds by 30 in the short term and 60 in the long term. This is the second phase of a project that was started in 2000 to upgrade the services of the hospital. This type of development is definitive of Austin's commitment to improve the quality of life for it's residents.
Another development of note is the new Fab2 complex, the new 1.6 million square foot Samsung chip manufacturing plant. Samsung is a global leader in digital technology such as Tv's and other audio/visual and consumer electronics. This is the largest factory of this type in Texas and one of the largest offshore investments in the United States. The complex will supply 900 new jobs in addition to the 700 that are already being provided. Samsung is looking to be a major player in the economy of Texas.
It is these kinds of developments that are serving to make Austin such a great place to live. In conjunction with Austin's famous scholastic system and the abundance of post secondary education facilities such as The University of Texas at Austin, Concordia University, Austin Community College and Huston-Tillotson University; Austin has the ideal high-tech environment for companies such as Samsung to flourish. Austinites are looking ahead to a bright future with a wealth of employment, good education and stable and affordable real estate. Austin is a great place to live and raise a family.
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