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Austin, Texas is known by many names, including "Live Music Capital of the World," "The Next Silicon Valley," "Capital of Texas," and "Home of the University of Texas." With a population of around 1 million, Austin is a city with many identities. One thing that brings all these identities together is the exceptional quality of life in Austin. In 2020, U.S. News & World Report named Austin the best place to live in the country. What makes Austin such a special place?
The recreational opportunities in Austin are endless. With over 250 parks, people can walk, jog, cycle, or relax in the park. The most prominent of these parks is Zilker Park, a 351-acre park in downtown Austin. Here, people can rent watercraft and glide along Lady Bird Lake or run on the neighboring 10-mile Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Zilker Park hosts the popular Austin City Limits Music Festival each year, along with musical acts as part of the South by Southwest conference.
Aside from outdoor activities, Austin offers an abundance of job opportunities, especially in the tech industry, earning it the nickname Silicon Hills. Major tech employers in Austin include Amazon, AMD, Apple, Facebook, Google, and IBM. Austin is also home to hundreds of startups, making it a top city for entrepreneurs.
In addition to the great outdoors and job opportunities, Austin is known for its incredible food scene. Specialties include barbecue, Tex-Mex, Mexican, and Southwest cuisine. Some of the country's best chefs operate in Austin at restaurants such as Dai Due, Hoover's Cooking, Uchi, and Odd Duck.
The city is also known for its music scene, with dozens of venues concentrated in the Sixth Street, West Sixth Street, and East Austin entertainment corridor. Among the best-known music venues are Antone's, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, the Continental Club, the Mohawk, and the Historic Scoot Inn. Austin is also home to over 200 live music venues and hosts South by Southwest, a week-long festival of music, film, business, technology, and social issues.
With a population median age of 31, Austin is a youthful, vibrant community with an active event calendar and nightlife. Many of Austin's people are dedicated fitness enthusiasts, and athletic events are held on weekends throughout the year. The city is also environmentally conscious, with an influential environmentalist movement dedicated to preserving its natural beauty.
Austin's neighborhoods are as diverse as its housing options, with apartments, condos, and houses for sale. Mueller is a mixed-use development built on the site of the city's former airport, featuring homes, townhouses, apartments, restaurants, stores, entertainment venues, hotels, and even a children’s hospital. The Clarksville neighborhood, dating back to the 1870s, is a charming pocket of West Austin with an eclectic collection of fine restaurants and hip businesses, including Nau’s Enfield Drug, which operates a drugstore and classic soda fountain dating back to the 1950s.
Austin's future looks bright, as it consistently appears on lists of the best cities to move to and best places to retire. In 2010, Kiplinger ranked it the best city for the next decade, and The Street, a leading financial news website, named Austin one of the U.S. cities poised for greatness. With a population that has been approximately doubling every decade since 2000, Austin is a groovy city that offers something for everyone.