City of Austin - the capital of Texas

The capital of Texas (USA) is the city of Austin. It was founded in 1839 and is now the center of administrative and political activity of the whole state. Named this metropolis in honor of one of its founders. The local population is just over 885 thousand people. Along with this, in recent decades, there has been a tendency to increase the number of its inhabitants. This is mainly due to the constant migration processes in the country.

Geographical position

The capital of Texas is located on the coast of the contented large lake of Lady Bird, in the central part of the state. Its total area is more than 770 square kilometers. Not far away its waters carry the Colorado River. It should be noted that in the city there are several more artificial reservoirs. They are surrounded by numerous parks and gardens with dense greenery, which in many ways promotes active sport (especially aquatic species) by local people. In addition, for about 300 days a year there is warm, sunny weather.

Short story

As early as the beginning of the sixteenth century, the land on which the current capital of the state of Texas (USA) was built, was of great interest to Spanish navigators. The fact is that among them there were legends about large gold reserves in this territory. However, the conquerors were replaced by tribes of aboriginal cannibals, very hostile to the conquistadors. Be that as it may, for the next 300 years, Spain managed to maintain control over this region.

Just before the start of the war for the independence of Texas, in 1835, at the present location of the city, in the area of the northern shore of the Colorado River, a village was founded, called Waterloo. Four years later, after the proclamation of the independence of the republic, its Vice-President Mirabeau Lamar made a proposal to choose a settlement as an administrative center. Although many of his opponents were supporters of Houston, this proposal was still accepted. In 1839, the already expanded city was renamed to Austin. The capital of Texas retained its status after its accession to the United States in 1845.

City of bats

One of the most famous nicknames of Austin is "Batcity", which in English means "city of bats". This is due to the fact that every year thousands of these animals settle under the local bridge of Ann Richards, on Congress Avenue. The fact is that its design is an ideal place for breeding bats. Thousands of people constantly come here to watch their evening flight on a hunt against the backdrop of the setting sun.

Tourist attraction

The capital of Texas attracts a large number of tourists with its natural beauty, art galleries, museums, historical buildings and active nightlife. One of the most beautiful places is the State Capitol. In addition to it, the residence of the French ambassador, erected in 1841, the campus of the University of Texas, and the oldest hotel in the city "Driskill", which was opened in 1886, are very popular with travelers.

Not far from the center of Austin is its largest natural area - "Tsilker Park". It is a very popular place among the locals. All its visitors have the opportunity to play football here, rent a bicycle or canoe, or simply stroll through the beautiful garden.

University of Texas

One of the best educational institutions of all North America is the University of Texas, whose location is the capital of Texas. In its complex, in total, there are seven museums and thirteen libraries. The opening of this educational institution occurred in 1883. It served as a strong impetus for the development of the entire state. In 1924, on the ground that belonged to the university, considerable oil reserves were found . This made him one of the leading in the whole country, which led to a rapid popularization and technological development of the city.

Development of modern technologies

At the beginning of this century, the capital of the state of Texas has become one of the largest American centers of advanced technology. Due to the high concentration of enterprises operating in this area, the city is sometimes called the "Silicon Hills". It is impossible not to mention the role of the above-mentioned University of Texas. This educational institution annually produces thousands of specialists in programming and engineering. Before all of them, there are wide opportunities for employment in leading IT companies, whose representative offices are in Austin.

Sport

As mentioned above, the capital of Texas is an ideal place for sports. This is facilitated by the presence of not only parks and forest zones, but also a well-developed infrastructure. In particular, the city has built more than 45 kilometers of bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well as a large number of sports grounds, the total area of which exceeds the mark of seven thousand square meters. In addition, there are numerous tennis courts and clubs in Austin.

Interesting Facts

Despite the well-developed sports infrastructure, the city is the largest metropolis in the US, which is not represented by its team in any major league of the American championship. In this regard, the local people, as a rule, are sick for the teams of the University of Texas.

The phrase "Keep the city unusual" is the motto of Austin, which can be found on any souvenir purchased here.

The height of the local Capitol exceeds the analogous figure of the Washington building of the US Congress, which has the same architecture, by seven meters.

The capital of Texas in 2008 was named the most drinking city in the US according to the version of the publication "Forbes". As studies have shown, more than 60% of its residents at least once a month used alcoholic beverages.