History

Austin was founded in 1838, two years after Texas became independent of Mexico, and was originally called Waterloo. It was chosen as the new capital city of the Republic of Texas in 1839 and was renamed in honour of Stephen Austin, a Texan leader commonly known as the ‘Father of Texas’. It was an important stop on the Chisholm cattle-drive trail in the 1860s.

Features

Austin has 150 entries on the National Register of Historic Places, including the French Legation (1840); the State Capitol (1888), which at 94 m/ 308 ft high is the largest

of any state; and the Lyndon B Johnson Library and Museum. Other attractions include the Austin Lyric Opera, the Austin Symphony, the Austin Zoo, and the city's historic Districts. It is the seat of the University of Texas (1883) and several other colleges, including the independent Catholic institution, St Edward's University (1878). In the 1970s Austin became a centre for country music. The large bat colony under Congress Avenue bridge is a tourist attraction; there are about 1.5 million bats and their activity is at its most spectacular in August.

weblinks

Austin