Austin, Tx Factoids
Area code: 512
Time zone: Central
Founding Date: 1839
Original name: Waterloo (Capital of the Republic of Texas)
City population: 718,912 (2006)
Austin regional population: over 1.45 million (2006)
Total City of Austin land area: 294.79 sq. mi. (2006)
Mayor: Will Wynn
County: Travis
County Judge: Samuel T. Biscoe
Average days of sunshine per year: 300
Average temperature: 70 F
Elevation: 125 to 1000 ft. above sea level
Taxes: No corporate income tax, state or local. No personal income tax, state or local
Distance to the Border: It is 225 miles from the Mexican border. San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas are all within 200 miles of Austin.
Dress: Spring, summer and fall are all suitable for shorts, short sleeves and light dresses. In winter, a sweater or light jacket may be needed. A few days of the year during the colder months may require a heavy coat.
Official slogan: "Live Music Capital of the World"
Texas Factoids
State name: Texas, from the Native American word tejas, meaning friends.
State nickname: "The Lone Star State"
State motto: "Friendship"
State song: "Texas, Our Texas"
State tree: Pecan
State flower: Bluebonnet (blooms from late March to early April)
State dish: Chili
State bird: Mockingbird
Governor: Rick Perry, Republican
Population: About 22.9 million (2005)
6 national flags flown over Texas: Spain (1519-1685; 1690-1821), France (1685-1690), Mexico (1821-1836), Republic of Texas (1836-1845), Confederate States of America (1861-1865), United States of America (1865-present)
Surrounding Counties
Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Blanco
A Brief History of Austin
1838: Austin was recommended as the site for the new capital by Mirabeau B. Lamar, Vice President of the young Republic of Texas. Lamar dreamed that the beautiful area around Waterloo, a city that once stood on the banks of the Colorado River, would become "the seat of a future empire". As president of the Republic in 1839, Lamar recommended the site to a congressional commission appointed to pick the new capital. Despite Sam Houston’s objections, the commission chose Lamar’s site, now present-day Austin.
1840: Austin population is 856.
1881: Austin public schools admit their first classes.
1882: The cornerstone for Old Main, the first building at UT, was dedicated Nov. 17. The following September, the first 221 UT students attended class.
1888: The Capitol building was dedicated on May 16.
1893: The Great Granite Dam on the Colorado River is constructed. This dam would later be replaced by a series of government-funded dams.
1917: Barton Springs Pool becomes part of the city park, which would be later known as Zilker Park.
1941: Lake Travis is created by the impounding of the Colorado River and the completion of Mansfield Dam.
1982: The 360 bridge is erected.