Austin, Texas- Capital and Silicon Hills

Austin is the capital of Texas, with a population ofCarnaval in February. Austin also has a wide
about 700,000, and 1.4 million in its metropolitanvariety of theatre productions with dozens of
area. The city has been part of the internet andcompanies producing a wide variety of work.
related technology boom, and sometimes bust.Austin Lyric Opera is known for its opera
With the concentration of companies in the city itproductions, including modernistic works such as
has been given the nickname, �Siliconpremieres of the Philip Glass opera, Waiting for
Hills�.the Barbarians. Other attractions in Austin include
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authoritythe Blanton Museum of Art, opened in 2006, and
(Capital Metro) provides public transportation tothe Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
the city, primarily by bus. Capital Metro is building aacross the street, opened in 2000. The Texas
commuter rail system that is scheduled forState Capitol is also worth visiting.
completion in 2008. The 332-mile commuter railAustin's biggest employers include the State of
line runs from the suburb of Leander toTexas, The University of Texas, the SETON
Downtown Austin. Capital Metro is planningHealthcare Network, Dell, IBM and Freescale
extensive commuter rail lines in the future to beSemiconductor. Other high-tech companies in
built. The system will be built on existing freight railAustin include Apple Inc., and AMD. Buildings that
lines and will serve downtown Austin, East Austin,comprise Austin's skyline are modest in height and
Northwest Austin, and Leander in its first phase.somewhat spread out. The latter characteristic is
This new mass transit can certainly raise thedue to a restriction that preserves the view of
value of accessibility of many areas in Austinthe Texas Capitol building from various locations
homes and real estate.around Austin. Austin's current tallest building, the
Austin is located on the Colorado River, with threeFrost Bank Tower, opened in 2004 and stands at
lakes created by dams in the city limits: Town515 feet and is located at the corner of Congress
Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long, allAvenue and 4th Street. Under construction are
along the Colorado River.the 55-floor Austonian at 700 feet, and the 5th
Austin has a humid subtropical climate,and Congress Tower at 705 feet tall. Many of
characterized by hot summers and mild wintersthese hi-rises are luxury condominium buildings.
A great place to have a picnic and get panoramicThe University of Texas at Austin is also the
views of Lake Austin is on Mt. Bonnell, whichflagship institution of The University of Texas
towers to the height of 780 feet, at least 250System, and tends to give at least some parts of
feet higher than the surrounding area. It is locatedAustin the feel of a college town, since it has
at 3800 Mt. Bonnell Roadabout 50,000 students. It has 16 schools, including
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annuala law school. Other institutions of higher learning
music and art festival held at Zilker Park. Otherinclude Austin Community College, and Concordia
annual events include Eeyore's Birthday Party andUniversity.