The City: Waterloo, Austin and the Austinites
Ulm/Austin. The city of Austin was founded in 1835, and was originally called Waterloo before being renamed in 1838 to honor Stephen F. Austin. He was the founder of what was then the independent Republic of Texas. Austin has been the capital of the “Lone Star State” since 1839. Today, the metropolis has about 750,000 inhabitants, who call themselves “Austinites.” A total of about 1.7 million people live in the greater metropolitan area. Of these, 65 percent are white, 31 percent are Hispanic or Latino, and about 10 percent are black or African American. The rest are Asian, Native American or other races. Both the city of Austin and Texas as a whole have a strong Mexican influence. This reveals itself in many ways, including the menus in popular Tex-Mex restaurants. Spanish is not something that just appears off on the margins; there are Spanish radio and TV stations, and signs are often bilingual.

Silicon Hills: Austin is an important technological center
The Austinites are a diverse mix of university professors, students, politicians, musicians, government employees, IT professionals, employees and laborers. At 32, the average age is relatively low, and 55 percent of residents are younger than 35. There are about 50,000 students on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, which makes it one of the largest universities in the United States. It is also considered one of the best public schools in the country. In addition, the city has many smaller private universities, such as Concordia University and Saint Edward's.
Austin’s nickname is “Silicon Hills,” which is no wonder, since many large companies have an office here. For example: Dell Computer, IBM, Wincor Nixdorf, HP and Applied Materials. Over the years the city has become an important center for technology companies. Dell is one of the largest employers, following only the State of Texas and the University of Texas.

Assessment: Environmentally conscious, well-liked and cool
Environmental consciousness is setting the agenda in Austin: By 2020, renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar are expected to meet about one third of the city's needs. This has also been recognized: In a vote for the "Greenest City in America 2009," Austin came in third. The Travel Channel chose the city as the most well-liked by students. And in 2006, Money Magazine ranked Austin second in its listing of cities with the best quality of life. Word must have gotten around that life is good in the beautiful Hill Country with its picturesque lakes, since Austin was also awarded second place for the "coolest people and the best personalities," according to CNN’s travel and leisure magazine. What is it exactly that accounts for the charm and uniqueness of Austin and the Austinites?

Motto: Keep Austin weird
Austin and its residents are open to newness and innovation. And therefore it was more than just empty talk when outgoing mayor Will Wynn said the following in an interview with car2read: “Protecting the environment is a true concern for the people of Austin. And car2go is the perfect mobility concept! Therefore I am also very proud that we have been chosen as the first international partner. car2go has my full support."
In addition to a spirit of innovation, there is another spirit that also has a strong presence in Austin, and its motto can be seen printed on almost every souvenir and t-shirt: “Keep Austin weird” (which means roughly: "Make sure that Austin stays crazy” or “Keep Austin strange”). Basically, Austinites are proud to be unusual and diverse and not to conform to the cliche of the typical Texan. Instead, they're weird http://www.keepaustinweird.com/. This is also the credo of the locals and of independent businesses. They don’t want to be like the large chains and supermarkets that make many US cities so banal and indistinguishable from one another. On South Congress Avenue there are now many small shops that stay open extra late every first Thursday of the month. There is also art and live music along the length of the street: www.firstthursday.info/. Incidentally, Austin is the only city in the United States where there is no law that prevents women from going topless.

Music City: Austin rocks!
Don’t forget: Music! Here Austin is well ahead of the pack. First, in March of every year there is the “South by Southwest Festival” (SXSW, www.sxsw.com). The festival draws people from all over the world and is America's largest musical exhibition for rock, folk, pop and country, with over 1000 bands performing at 60 different venues around Austin. About 1600 media representative come to SXSW every year, and many musicians have already been discovered here. (Source: Study projektzukunft.berlin.de).
In addition to the festival, there are almost 200 venues where both Austinites and visitors can experience live music year round. Just as renowned as the SXSW is the Austin City Limits Music Festival, where over 100 bands perform. This year the festival will be held at the beginning of October, and it will feature the following musicians (among others): Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, Thievery Corporation, Phoenix, Mos Def, the legendary Sonic Youth and cult favorites The B-52s. For more information: http://2009.aclfestival.com. In the Sixth Street entertainment district and on other nearby crossroads, there are hundreds of clubs where bands often play for tips. And some of the best musicians regularly make a stop at Antone’s blues club. For more information: http://www.antones.net.

Architecture: Hot Spots in Austin
One tourist attraction is the Texas State Capitol, the seat of government for the State of Texas. The building, which was designed by Elijah E. Myers, was completed in 1885 and is considered an architectural highlight. At the time of its construction it was the seventh-tallest building in the world. In Austin there are few high buildings in general. This is the result of a special directive according to which the view of the capitol building was to remain unobstructed from anywhere in Austin. And thus the residential high-rise 360 Condominiums and the Frost Bank Tower are no higher than 172 and 157 meters tall, respectively. The tower was the first high-rise to be built after the attacks on September 11th. The Austin Chronicle has expressed the opinion that the building is doing its part to keep Austin “characteristically weird.”

Another hotspot is the Harry Ransom Center. The library and archive hosts an original manuscript by Ernest Hemingway and a copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Not to mention 36 million other rare manuscripts, 1 million rare books and 5 million photos. Art exhibitions are also held here regularly, but the most striking thing about the center is its extraordinary architecture.

Nature: Enchanted by bats and the Hill Country
During the summer months, an impressive natural spectacle takes place on Congress Bridge. About 1.5 million bats prepare themselves to hunt insects and then rise into the air. The colony is the largest urban bat population in the world. Thousands of spectators gather at the appropriate time every day to watch this event.
If you’re looking for a place to relax, you can visit Zilker Metropolitan Park, a green oasis in the heart of South Austin. With an area of 350 acres (142 hectares) the park is a great place for walking, hiking, biking or for a nice picnic. Anyone who likes kites will enjoy the Zilker Park Kite Festival. The park is also where the aforementioned Austin City Limits Music Festival is held. The highlands surrounding Austin, called Hill Country, also have a lot to offer. The Wild West beckons with operating ranches in Mountain Home, Sonara and Bandera, while Fredericksburg features rustic breakfast pensions, wine bars and boutiques. Every year, New Braunfels celebrates its famous “Wurstfest”, while the German town Gruene is home to the oldest known dance hall in Texas.

Daughters and sons of the city
Many people from Austin have become famous, including film and music stars. To name just a few: The actor and wrestler Steve Austin (true to his name); Carly Fiorina, the CEO of HP from 1999 to 2005; fashion designer Tom Ford; actor and writer Ethan Hawke; the rapper Nelly; and Christian Waldvogel (www.waldvogel.com), a Swiss artist who was actually born in Austin.

Austin allows people to live comfortably and, first and foremost, without being bothered, which is why it is appreciated by many American actors. Sandra Bullock, who is of German descent, lives here with her husband and her children, free from the usual Hollywood stress. In November 2006 she finally realized her dream of opening a restaurant in Austin, which is called Bess (www.bessbistro.com). The menu features Brussels sprouts and spaetzle – Sandra Bullock loves German food and is nostalgic for it.
Cult director Quentin Tarantino is another celebrity who can often be seem in Austin. He is always around when exceptional films are being shown at Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas (www.drafthouse.com).

Additional links:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/
http://www.keepaustinweird.com/
http://sxsw.com/
http://www.aclfestival.com/default.aspx

Ute C. Latzke