Austin American-Statesman
The Austin Newspaper
The Austin Chronicle

Austin’s alternative weekly newspaper 
Austin City Search

Information about entertainment, restaurants, nightlife, etc.
Austin360.com

Information about entertainment, restaurants, nightlife, etc.
Austin Business Journal

Austin City Links

City of Austin Website
Austin Chamber of Commerce

512.478.9383

Travis County Website

Austin Bergstrom International Airport

512.530.2242

Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau

474.5171 or 800.926.2282

Texas Workforce Commission

State of Texas Website 

Texas Factoids

• Area code: 512
• Time zone: Central
• Founding Date: 1839
• Original name: Waterloo (Capital of the Republic of Texas)
• City population: 1,896,291(2011 Austin Area Estimate by the US Census Bureau) 
• Total City of Austin land area: 298.03 sq. mi. (2006)
• County: Travis
• Average days of sunshine per year: 300
• Average temperature: 70° F
• Elevation: 125 to 1000 ft. above sea level
• Taxes: No corporate income tax, state or local
• No personal income tax, state or local
• Distance to the Border: It is 225 miles from the Mexican border. San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas are all within 200 miles of Austin.
• Dress: Spring, summer and fall are all suitable for shorts, short sleeves and light dresses. In winter, a sweater or light jacket may be needed. A few days of the year during the colder months may require a heavy coat.
• Official slogan: “Live Music Capital of the World”
• Unofficial slogan: "Keep Austin Weird"

Surrounding Counties

Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Blanco

A Brief History of Austin

• 1838: Austin was recommended as the site for the new capital by Mirabeau B. Lamar, Vice President of the young Republic of Texas. Lamar dreamed that the beautiful area around Waterloo, a city that once stood on the banks of the Colorado River, would become “the seat of a future empire.” As president of the Republic in 1839, Lamar recommended the site to a congressional commission appointed to pick the new capital. Despite Sam Houston’s objections, the commission chose Lamar’s site, now present-day Austin.
• 1840: Austin population is 856.
• 1881: Austin public schools admit their first classes.
• 1882: The cornerstone for Old Main, the first building at UT, was dedicated November 17. The following September, the first 221 UT students attended class.
• 1888: The Capitol building was dedicated on May 16.
• 1893: The Great Granite Dam on the Colorado River is constructed. This dam would later be replaced by a series of government-funded dams.
• 1917: Barton Springs Pool becomes part of the city park, which would be later known as Zilker Park.
• 1941: Lake Travis is created by the impounding of the Colorado River and the completion of Mansfield Dam.
• 1982: The 360 bridge is erected.

Climate and Environment
Austin is located on the Colorado River where the stream crosses the Balcones escarpment separating the Texas Hill Country from the Blackland Prairies to the east. Within the City of Austin, elevations range from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The climate is classified as “humid subtropical” with hot summers, while mild weather prevails during most of the winter. The coldest low was -2 on January 31, 1949. Luckily, freezing temperatures occur only about 25 days per year. Cold spells are short and seldom last more than two days. While summer days are hot, summer nights are usually pleasant. Most of the time, the moderate affects of the Gulf of Mexico limit daytime highs; however, they also add higher humidity. Precipitation is fairly evenly
distributed throughout the year. The heaviest amounts of precipitation occur in May and September.

Local up-to-date weather reports online:
www.news8austin.com/content/weather
www.fox7.com
www.kvue.com
www.weareaustin.com/weather/weather
www.kxan.com
www.weather.com

Population & Diversity
Austin boasts a diverse labor force in its young, growing and talented population. 46,958 students were enrolled at the University in Texas Austin in Spring of 2008. In fact, over one quarter of Austin holds a Bachelor’s Degree. Almost half the region’s population is in peak working age; 20-44, which lends itself to a strong entrepreneurial culture with creative energy.

Population by Age & Sex 
(Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2009 US Census Bureau)

Population by Race & Origin 
(Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area 2006, Estimates by the US Census Bureau)

■White 55.8 %,■Hispanic/Latino 30.7%, ■Black 7.3%, ■Asian 4.4.5%,
■Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.1%, 
■American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%
*Two or more races 1.3%

The Austin Economy

Austin is not only an enjoyable and enriching city in which to live,but a great place to work and do business. Many companies prefer Austin to places like New York City or Los Angeles because of the low cost of living, rapidly developing real estate market and well-educated and diverse workforce. Explore the major industries shaping our city and area employment opportunities.

Employment By Industry
(Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area 2009 US Census Bureau)

Major area employers: 
(Austin Chamber of Commerce 2008)

Employing 6,000 & over 
Austin School District 
City of Austin 
Dell Computer equipment 
Federal Government 
IBM Corporation
Seton Healthcare Network 
St. David’s Healthcare Partnership 
State of Texas Government 
University of Texas - Austin

Employing 2,000 - 5,999 
Advanced Micro Devices 
Apple Computer 
AT&T 
Austin Community College 
Flextronics (formerly Solectron) 
Freescale Semiconductor 
Leander School District 
National Instruments 
Pflugerville School District 
Round Rock School District 
Texas State University-San Marcos 
Travis County 
U.S. Internal Revenue Service

Employing 1,000 - 1,999 
3M Corp. 
Applied Materials 
Austin Energy 
Austin Regional Clinic 
Capitol Metro Transportation Authority 
Girling Health Care 
Harte-Hanks Response Management 
Hospira 
Keller Williams Realty 
Lower Colorado River Authority 
PPD Development 
Samsung Austin Semiconductor 
Sears Teleserve 
Spansion 
State Farm Insurance Co. 
Time Warner Cable Co. 
Whole Foods Market 
Williamson County

Largest Private Sector Employers in the Austin - San Marcos MSA are: 
Dell
Seton Healthcare Network
IBM Corporation
Freescale Semiconductor
AMD have their headquarters in Austin.
(Texas Workforce Commission)

Major industry sectors are biosciences, computers and peripherals, film, digital entertainment, logistics and 
distribution, multimedia, music, semiconductors, software, telecommunications and call centers. Government, travel and tourism are also significant industries in the area.