Set
at the edge of Texas Hill Country, on the Colorado River,
the state capital is an unexpected pleasure to the
visitor. We all know that this is the home of country
music in Texas, the city where luminaries like Willie
Nelson and Doug Sahm (Texas Tornadoes and the legendary
Sir Douglas Quintet) got their start. There is a thriving
music scene in the city, with almost every style of
contemporary music available, including the purest of
Texas Country, plus music with Mexican
influences.
The
food is just about the best in the state, with every
cuisine represented, and the city's outdoor attractions
are no less than superb, with the river widening into a
series of long lakes. All this and a stronger historical
perspective than most cities in Texas (except for San
Antonio and Galveston) makes a visit to Austin extremely
rewarding. The presence of the University of Texas, St.
Edwards University (training camp for the Dallas
Cowboys), and Austin Community College add to the rich
cultural life of the city.
This
is a place where thousands of people look for the famous
bats that call the Congress Street Bridge home, and fly
into the evening sky in the hundreds of thousands. You
can even eat in several Austin restaurants with excellent
views of the bridge and the nightly flight. This is also
a place where you can experience "moonlight" every night,
even if the sky is overcast. Compared to Houston, built
on a swampy bayou, and Dallas/Fort Worth -- sitting on
bald prairie -- Austin's setting is perfect for a major
vacation stay: a launching point for adventures into Hill
Country including several larger lakes just an hour's
drive from the city center.
Austin
History
The
first settlement beside the Colorado River was named
Waterloo, founded by Jacob Harrell in 1835. It was an
advantageous place to develop a town, with three creeks
flowing from the hills into the Colorado. One of these,
Barton Creek, was named by another pioneer, William
Barton, for whom Barton's Springs were named. This large
spring (the fourth largest in Texas) lie a few hundred
yards from the Colorado, and is a natural treasure. A
large public pool takes water from the spring, providing
a fine swimming spot. The city is blessed with walking,
hiking and bike trails along both sides of the river, and
along the three creeks, as well as in other linear
parks.
Harrell
and Barton came here when the region was still in the
hands of the Commanche and Tonkawa tribes. The natives
used the springs for rest and relaxation. When the town
was designated Texas' capital, it was named for Stephen
F. Austin, the "father" of the Republic of Texas. In
1839, the town survey was completed in three months, and
the process of building the city began. The city was
built facing the Colorado River. A wide grand avenue,
Congress Street, was to run from the banks of the river
to the top of the highest hill. All streets running north
and south were named for Texas Rivers, and streets
running east and west were named for Texas trees. The
tree streets were later given numbers -- an unfortunate
outcome for naturalists.
Austin
lost its status as the capital in 1841 when Mexican
Troops took San Antonio and the government was moved to
other towns to avoid it being overtaken by Mexican
invaders. When Texas became a state, on July 4, 1845, the
Austin again became the capital, but only provisionally.
Two subsequent state-wide referenda (in 1850 and 1872)
were held to finalize the decision. The Highland Lakes,
including Lake Austin and the much longer Lake Travis,
Lake Marble Falls, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, Inks Lake, and
Lake Buchanan (all northwest of the city), are the result
of a series of dams built by the Lower Colorado River
Authority beginning in 1893.
