Austin, Texas
The college town that became a boom town and kept the swimming hole
Austin is the capital of Texas, home of its flagship university and, for a generation now, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It is casual, liberal, loud with music and increasingly expensive, and it worries out loud about all of it.
The Tonkawa and Comanche held the land where the Colorado River leaves the Hill Country, and a hamlet called Waterloo stood there in 1837 when Mirabeau Lamar, president of the Republic of Texas, chose it as the new capital in 1839 and named it for Stephen F. Austin. The location was contested — Sam Houston tried to move the archives out in 1842 and the townspeople stopped him at gunpoint — but it stuck; the University of Texas opened in 1883 and the granite Capitol in 1888. For most of a century it was a quiet government-and-college town; dams on the Colorado created the Highland Lakes and, in 1960, the lake in the middle of town now named for Lady Bird Johnson. The music scene arrived in the 1970s with Willie Nelson and the Armadillo World Headquarters, the tech industry with IBM, Texas Instruments and Dell, and South by Southwest in 1987. Since 2010 it has been the fastest-growing large metro in the country.
The river — Lady Bird Lake as it passes through town — divides Austin. North of it is downtown: the Capitol at the top of Congress Avenue, the bars of Sixth Street, the Warehouse District, Second Street and the converted bungalows of Rainey Street. The University of Texas campus sits just north of the Capitol, with the Drag along Guadalupe and Hyde Park beyond. South over the Congress Avenue bridge, where the bats fly out at dusk, is South Congress and the old neighbourhoods of Bouldin and Travis Heights; South Lamar and Zilker Park, with Barton Springs, are west of that. Interstate 35 is the historic dividing line: East Austin, once the segregated Black and Mexican-American city, is now the fastest-changing part of town. MoPac runs north–south on the west side, the Domain is the 'second downtown' up north, and the hills of Westlake and the Hill Country begin at the edge of the city. The airport is south-east.
'Live Music Capital of the World' is a slogan, but the Continental Club, the Broken Spoke and a hundred smaller rooms make it true most nights; South by Southwest takes over March and Austin City Limits fills Zilker in October. Barbecue is the pilgrimage — the queue at Franklin starts at dawn — and breakfast tacos are the everyday food, along with Tex-Mex, food trucks and a restaurant scene that has grown up with the money. Barton Springs, a spring-fed pool at about 20°C all year, is the civic heart. Longhorns football draws 100,000 to Darrell K Royal Stadium; Austin FC has given the city its first big-league team, and the US Grand Prix runs at Circuit of the Americas. It is a running, cycling, kayaking city, casual to a fault, a blue island in a red state, and 'Keep Austin Weird' is a lament as much as a motto now that much of the weird has been priced out.
The hard parts are heat and growth. Summers run above 38°C for weeks at a time, the drought years are getting longer, and the February 2021 freeze that took down the state grid is not forgotten. House prices roughly doubled between 2015 and 2022 before easing; the city that was cheap is not any more. Traffic on I-35 is among the worst in Texas and transit is thin — CapMetro buses, a single commuter rail line and a light-rail plan that has been shrunk and litigated since voters approved it in 2020 — so most people drive. The state legislature overrides the city on policing, homelessness and much else, and the tension is constant. What it offers is a strong job market, a young and friendly population, the springs and greenbelts, the Hill Country an hour away, no state income tax, and a music scene that remains, against the odds, the best in the country for a city its size.
Where People Live
Downtown, Sixth Street & Rainey
The Capitol, the bars of 'Dirty Sixth', the Warehouse District's cocktail rooms, the Moody Center and Rainey Street's bungalow bars, now hemmed in by towers. Convention crowds, bachelor parties and legislators in session.
South Congress & Bouldin
SoCo's boot shops, food trailers, the Continental Club and the 'I love you so much' wall, with the bungalow streets of Bouldin Creek and Travis Heights either side. The postcard, and priced accordingly.
East Austin
Across I-35: the old Black and Mexican-American east side, now the bar, coffee, taco and gallery district along East Sixth, East Cesar Chavez and Manor Road. Gentrification is the neighbourhood's defining argument.
The University & Hyde Park
UT's campus, the Tower, the Drag along Guadalupe and the Blanton Museum; Hyde Park's bungalows north of it are where professors and long-time residents live, around Quack's bakery and Avenue B Grocery.
Zilker, Barton Hills & South Lamar
Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool, the Barton Creek greenbelt and the ACL festival grounds, with South Lamar's restaurants and the Alamo Drafthouse. Runners, swimmers and dogs.
The Domain & North Austin
The 'second downtown' off MoPac: Apple's campus, offices, apartments, chain restaurants and Q2 Stadium at McKalla Place next door. Also the North Lamar and Rundberg strips, with the best cheap Asian and Latin food in the city.
Westlake & the Hill Country edge
The limestone hills west of MoPac: big houses, Lake Austin, the 360 bridge overlook and the road out to the Hill Country wineries and swimming holes. Money, and the schools that go with it.
Must-see attractions
Texas Capitol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz6fq0_QsbY
Eat & drink
Tiny Grocer
Restaurant
Vigilante Bar, Gastropub & Games
Bar — 7010 Easy Wind Drive, Austin, TX 78752
Restaurants & places to go
Franklin Barbecue
bbq restaurants, brisket, brisquet · . Curbside only - we take extra precautions to protect you and our staff from corona virus · franklinbbq.com
June's All-Day
. Dine-in & Curbside Weekdays 12-10p & Weekend Brunch 10a ~ Bar open til 11p on Saturday ~ Happy Hour 4-6p ~ Sunday Pub Night ~ After Dinner Specials · junesallday.com
Nickel City
. 1133 E. 11th Street Buffalo, NY -> Austin, TX. Open 12pm - 2am Daily. The Anytime Bar · nickelcitybar.com
Lamberts Downtown Barbecue
<p class="ProfileHeaderCard-bio u-dir" dir="ltr">Located in the Historic Schneider Brothers Building, Lamberts serves inventive BBQ, modern Texas cooking,… · lambertsaustin.com
Garage
. Currently open for delivery and pickup through Assembly Kitchen. · garagetx.com
Fogo de Chão Austin
Brazilian steakhouses, Brazilian steak restaurants · 309 E. 3rd Street, Austin, TX 78701 · fogodechao.com
Taverna (Downtown), Austin
Italian restaurants · 258 W. 2nd Street Austin, TX 78701 · tavernabylombardi.com
Big Laugh Comedy
comedy clubs, comedies, comedys · blcomedy.com
BOA Steakhouse - Austin, Texas
steakhouses, steak restaurants, hamburgers, seafood restaurants · boasteak.com
Boteco Austin
steak food trucks · 1209 E 6th Street, Austin, Texas, 78702 · botecoatx.com
Cap City Comedy Club
comedy clubs, standup comedians, standup comics · 11506 Century Oaks Terrace, Bldg B Unit 100, Austin TX 78758 · capcitycomedy.com
The Creek and the Cave
comedy clubs · creekandcave.com
Espadas de Brazil
Rodizio on wheels, steak food trucks, picanha sandwiches, steak sandwiches · espadasdebrazil.com
Estância
Brazilian steakhouses · estancia.com
Lonesome Dove Austin
restaurants, bistros · lonesomedoveaustin.com
Perry's Steakhouse & Grille
fine dining restaurants · perryssteakhouse.com
Red Rose Cabaret
stripclubs, strip clubs, strippers, gentlemens clubs, gentlemans clubs · redroseaustin.com
The Salt Lick BBQ
BBQ restaurants, barbecue restaurants · saltlickbbq.com
SP Brazilian SteakHouse
Brazilian steakhouses · spbrazilian.com
Stubb's Bar-B-Q
BBQ restaurants, barbecue restaurants, live music, comedy clubs · stubbsaustin.com
Airports
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) 7.6 mi to the centre
3600 Presidential Blvd, Austin, TX 78719 — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 19 airlines (Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines…) · direct flights to 42 destinations incl. Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, London, New York… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 19 airlines, 42 direct destinations
- Southwest Airlines WN (737-700, 73C, 737-300, 735, 737-800) · 22 routes: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Harlingen, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Lubbock, Nashville, New Orleans, Newark, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Tampa, Washington
- AirTran Airways FL (737-700, 737-700, 735, 73C) · 10 routes: Atlanta, Cancun, Chicago*, Denver*, El Paso*, Harlingen*, Oakland*, Orlando*, Sacramento*, San Jose*
- American Airlines AA (737-800, M83, A319, MD-80, 787, CRJ-900…) · 9 routes: Charlotte*, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix
- United Airlines UA (737-900, A320, 737-800, CRJ-700, A319, 737-700…) · 9 routes: Cancun, Chicago, Cleveland*, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles*, Newark, San Francisco, Washington*
- Delta Air Lines DL (A319, 717, M90, MD-88, CRJ, CRJ-700) · 7 routes: Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis*, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando*, Salt Lake City
- US Airways US (737-800, M83, A319, MD-80, CRJ-900, Embraer 190) · 7 routes: Charlotte*, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix
- JetBlue Airways B6 (A320, Embraer 190) · 6 routes: Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach, New York, Orlando, San Francisco
- Alaska Airlines AS (737-800, 737-900, M83, 737-800) · 2 routes: Los Angeles*, Seattle
- Aeromar VW (CRJ) · 1 route: Mexico City
- Air France AF (M90, MD-88) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Alitalia AZ (M90, MD-88) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Allegiant Air G4 (757, MD-80) · 1 route: Las Vegas
- British Airways BA (787-8) · 1 route: London
- Finnair AY (787-8) · 1 route: London
- Frontier Airlines F9 (A319) · 1 route: Denver
- Iberia Airlines IB (787-8) · 1 route: London
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (M90, MD-88) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Virgin America VX (A319) · 1 route: San Francisco
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (M90, MD-88) · 1 route: Atlanta*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
San Marcos Regional Airport 28 mi to the centre
San Marcos, TX, US — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Giddings-Lee County Airport 46 mi to the centre
Giddings, TX, US
Bud Dryden Airport 6.8 mi to the centre
Austin, TX, US
Hoes Ranch Airport 9.4 mi to the centre
Austin, TX, US
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) 68 mi to the centre
San Antonio, TX, US — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 14 airlines (Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines…) · direct flights to 35 destinations incl. Atlanta, Mexico City, Phoenix, Chicago, Denver… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 68 mi from Austin · Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines · Getting around San Antonio, Texas →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 14 airlines, 35 direct destinations
- Southwest Airlines WN (737-700, 73C, 737-300, 735, 737-800) · 16 routes: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Harlingen, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa
- AirTran Airways FL (737-700, 737-700, 73C, 737-300, 735) · 14 routes: Atlanta, Baltimore*, Cancun, Chicago*, Dallas*, Denver*, Houston*, Las Vegas*, Los Angeles*, Mexico City, Orlando*, Phoenix*, St. Louis*, Tampa*
- Delta Air Lines DL (A320, CRJ-900, 757, M90, CRJ, EMJ…) · 9 routes: Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis*, Mexico City, Minneapolis*, Monterrey*, New York, Orlando*, Salt Lake City
- United Airlines UA (CRJ-700, 737-700, A319, 737-800, 737-900, A320…) · 7 routes: Chicago*, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles*, Newark, San Francisco*, Washington*
- American Airlines AA (A319, Embraer 175, CRJ-700, MD-80, M83, Embraer 190…) · 5 routes: Charlotte, Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Phoenix*
- US Airways US (A319, Embraer 175, MD-80, M83, Embraer 190, CRJ-900) · 5 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Phoenix*
- Interjet (ABC Aerolineas) 4O (A320) · 4 routes: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Toluca
- AeroMéxico AM (EMJ, ERJ) · 2 routes: Mexico City*, Monterrey*
- Air France AF (A320, 757, M90) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Alaska Airlines AS (737-800, 73J) · 1 route: Seattle
- Alitalia AZ (757, M90) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (757, M90) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (A320, 757, M90) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Volaris Y4 (A319, A320) · 1 route: Guadalajara
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Local transit
CapMetro
Bus, rail · Austin's buses and the Red Line commuter rail. · Fares: CapMetro app · Airport: Route 20 bus from the airport
Capital Metro
Metro · Austin, Texas · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Trains & rail
Amtrak
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Greyhound
Intercity coach
Jefferson Lines
Intercity coach
MegaBus
Intercity coach
Trailways
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Aero
Semi-private scheduled · Embraer 135 (16 seats) · First-class-only scheduled flights from Van Nuys to Aspen, Sun Valley, Cabo and Europe in summer.
Airshare
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Phenom 300, Challenger 350 · Fractional and jet card programme centred on the US Midwest and East.
Blade
Helicopter, by-the-seat · Helicopters, seaplanes, jets via partners · By-the-seat helicopters Manhattan–JFK/Newark and the Hamptons; jet charter through partners.
Clay Lacy Aviation
Charter, management, FBO · Managed fleet, light to ultra-long-range · Charter, management and FBOs at Van Nuys and Orange County; the original Hollywood jet operator.
Flexjet
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Tours & experiences
Austin Bat Tours
Sightseeing
Living Here
Getting about
- CapMetro runs the buses, the MetroRapid frequent lines and the Red Line commuter train from Leander to downtown; pay with the CapMetro app or a reloadable card. Coverage is decent in the core and thin beyond it; the light-rail plan, Project Connect, is years away.
- Austin-Bergstrom (AUS) is about 15–20 minutes south-east of downtown on Highway 71; CapMetro route 20 goes there, or take a rideshare from the app pick-up zone. Amtrak's Texas Eagle passes once a day; San Antonio is 80 minutes by road, Houston and Dallas around three hours.
- Downtown, the campus, South Congress and East Austin are walkable and bike-friendly; MetroBike share and the Lady Bird Lake hike-and-bike trail, ten miles round the water, are the pleasant way across town. Scooters are everywhere.
- I-35 through the centre is being rebuilt and is a daily misery; MoPac (Loop 1) is the alternative and is not much better at rush hour. Most residents drive, and parking downtown is expensive.
Health
- Dell Seton Medical Center at UT, beside the Dell Medical School, is the Level 1 trauma centre; St David's and Ascension Seton are the big systems, and Dell Children's is the paediatric hospital.
- Dial 911. H-E-B, the beloved Texas grocery chain, has pharmacies everywhere, along with CVS and Walgreens; urgent-care clinics take walk-ins.
- Visitors need travel insurance — American hospital bills are large. Heat is the real hazard from June to September: drink water, avoid midday exertion, and treat the cedar pollen season in January, 'cedar fever', as the local allergy it is.
- Flash floods are a genuine risk — 'turn around, don't drown' is state policy — and the creeks rise fast after a storm.
Work & study
- The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship, with around 50,000 students and top departments in engineering, computer science, business and law; St Edward's, Huston–Tillotson (the historically Black university), Concordia and Austin Community College round it out.
- Technology is the biggest private industry — Dell, Apple, Oracle, Tesla, Samsung and a long list of start-ups — followed by state government, the university, healthcare and a growing life-sciences sector. Music and film are real but small employers.
- Texas has no state income tax; property taxes are high to make up for it, and the sales tax is 8.25%. The legislature meets in Austin for 140 days every odd-numbered year and the city fills up with lobbyists.
- Salaries are strong but rents, though off their 2022 peak, remain well above the rest of Texas; the commute from Round Rock, Pflugerville and Kyle is the compromise many make.
Money & manners
- US dollars; cards everywhere. Tip 20% in restaurants and a dollar or two a drink, and put cash in the tip jar for the band — most musicians in town are playing for it.
- Sales tax is 8.25%, added at the register. Dress is casual to the point of doctrine — shorts and sandals in the office are normal — and 'y'all' is grammar, not affectation.
- It is a friendly, talkative city; strangers strike up conversations and impatience reads as rudeness. Politics are liberal by Texas standards and it is polite not to assume anyone's from here, because most people are not.
- Summers are long and brutally hot, from May to September; October to April is the good time, with mild winters and the occasional hard freeze. Spring brings wildflowers, thunderstorms and the SXSW crowds.