Living in Austin, TX

Austin is more than just the capital of Texas. Austin has a unique flavor all its own. It regularly ranks in the top of quality of life surveys. In 2004, Hispanic Magazine called it the "Best City for Hispanics." It's been in the top 15 for "Best Cities for Singles" according to Forbes for the past decade and Sperling Magazine named Austin the "Best City for Dating." In 2006, MSN Encarta ranked it the fifth most educated city.

In a recent survey of the top 50 largest metropolitan areas by job search Web site indeed, Austin had 56 job postings per 1000 people. It was number four in the nation. Finally, CNN Money just ranked Austin ninth for "best jobs in the hottest markets."

"Keep Austin Weird" has become an unofficial motto for the city, and reflects the unique, eclectic, and varied cultures of the city. Austin is a young and vibrant city. The median age in Austin is thirty, according to the 2000 US Census and this is reflected in the activities and attitudes of its residents.

Transportation

With gas prices rising like they are, you may be thinking that living in such a large city will put a hefty dent in your gas budget. Thanks to our excellent public transportation, this is much less a concern than you might think. Capital Metro Transit Authority provides the residents of Austin with low-cost public transportation throughout the city. Most students live in close proximity to a plethora of restaurants, clubs, museums, campus, shopping and downtown parks.

Because there is a substantial amount of student housing on or near campus, many students walk, bike or ride the bus to class. The bus is the best way to travel around town, and students, faculty and staff may ride Capital Metro buses for free. Routes from the university to areas where many students live are the most frequent routes in the city. Many students don't even own cars, and rely on the buses as their main form of transportation. In addition, with the upcoming commuter rail, getting around Austin will get even easier.

Nightlift & Music

Austin is dotted with trendy clubs, bars, and restaurants. The main entertainment center of Austin is historic Sixth Street. For the more upscale restaurants and clubs, Austinites head down to the Warehouse District.

Many of these venues offer great live music. Of course, Austin, TX is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," and deservedly so. The yearly Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) and SXSW (South by Southwest) are known the world over, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. There are other regular festivals, and dozens of clubs which have live music on a weekly, or even daily basis. Quite simply, if you love music, you'll find just about everything you'll want Austin, TX. For a list of current shows, check out the Austin, TX Showlist.

Museums

While Austin is certainly best known for its live music scene, Austin entertainment doesn't stop there. For example, if you like museums, Austin has an abundance. To name a few, we have the Austin Museum of Art, the Austin Children's Museum, the Mexic-Arte Museum, and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which features a 400-seat IMAX theater. That doesn't include the handful of museums on campus.

Outdoors Activities

It doesn't stop there. If you bike, Austin has miles of biking trails, including The Veloway, a 23-ft wide, 3.17-mile long paved trail exclusively for cyclists and rollerbladers. If you enjoy hiking, Austin has, among many other hiking and biking locales, a number of Greenbelts, Mount Bonnell, and Zilker Park.

Zilker Park and the Austin Hike & Bike Trails lie along Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake), which is just a few blocks south of campus and in close proximity to much student housing. Some student housing is actually built right on the Hike & Bike trail. Residents run, swim, kayak, canoe, row, picnic, and attend sporting events and concerts in these parks all year long. Zilker Park (one of Austin's many parks) it has the Zilker Zephyr, a miniature train to ride, large picnic areas, canoe and kayak rentals, soccer fields, rugby fields, and multi-use fields. It also houses the Zilker Hillside Theatre, which regularly puts on outdoor theatre, which is free to the public, and the crown jewel of Austin, Barton Springs, a massive natural, spring-fed pool.

There are also several state and LCRA parks for hiking, biking, mountain climbing, boating, fishing, riding and swimming within an hour's drive from campus.

Austin is such a wonderful city that even the busiest engineering student should make some time to enjoy the city, parks, sporting and entertainment venues available here.