Greater Austin

The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, also called the Capital Region or Greater Austin, is a five-county area in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Central Texas, near where the American South meets the American Southwest, and is close to Greater San Antonio. This area is part of an even larger region known as the San Antonio-Austin Metroplex.

According to the 2020 U.S. census, the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos area is the 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with over 2 million people living there. The main city in this area is Austin, which is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 10th-largest city in the country, with almost 1 million people. Other important towns in Greater Austin include Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, San Marcos, Leander, and Pflugerville.

History

Further information: History of Austin, Texas

People have lived in the Greater Austin area for thousands of years. The earliest known inhabitants lived there during the Ice Age, between 12,000 to 22,000 years ago. We know this from discoveries at places like the Gault archaeological site and the Wilson-Leonard Site, where important artifacts were found.

In the 1700s, Spanish explorers traveled through the area, but few permanent settlements were created at first. In the early 1800s, after Texas became part of Mexico, settlers began to arrive. The town of San Marcos was established in 1807, and later, settlements grew along the Colorado River.

In 1839, the town of Waterloo was chosen to be the new capital of Texas and was renamed Austin. During the 1840s, there were conflicts between Texas forces and Native American tribes in the area.

During the American Civil War in the 1860s, many people from Austin and nearby areas joined the Confederate forces. After the war, new communities formed, and the area grew quickly. Railroads helped Austin become an important trading center, and new schools and universities were established.

In the early 1900s, oil discoveries brought economic growth to other parts of Texas, but Austin grew more slowly at first. However, in the 1920s and 1930s, Austin began building parks and infrastructure. During the mid-20th century, nearby towns like Round Rock and Georgetown became popular places for people to live while working in Austin.

Geography

Greater Austin is found in Central Texas close to the Balcones Fault and Interstate 35, just northeast of San Antonio. The fault splits the area, making the eastern part flat and the western part gently hilly, sitting on the edge of the Texas Hill Country.

The region is crossed by the Colorado River, which has several large, man-made lakes called the Highland Lakes. The western hills are made mostly of limestone rock with a thin layer of soil, so flash floods can happen there from heavy thunderstorms. To help control these floods and make electricity, the Lower Colorado River Authority built dams to create the lakes.

The Austin area sits where four big natural areas meet, making it a warm, green place with a changing climate. It has some desert-like, tropical, and wetter area features. The place has many different plants and animals.

Greater Austin has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. Austin usually gets about 33.6 inches of rain each year, mostly in spring and fall. Summers are hot and humid, often reaching above 90°F, while winters are mild and dry. Snow is rare, but ice storms can happen sometimes.

As of March 2020, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget says the Austin–Round Rock-San Marcos area includes Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

The area includes many cities and towns of different sizes, from places with over 20,000 people to small communities with fewer than 1,000. Some nearby places like Marble Falls, Burnet, Johnson City, Killeen, and Lampasas are sometimes thought of as part of Greater Austin, even though they are not officially included.

Demographics

Greater Austin is one of the fastest-growing big cities in the U.S. In 2020, there were about 2.3 million people living there. Most people, about 66%, identified as White. About 7% were African American, and smaller groups included Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander people. Many people, around 31%, were Hispanic or Latino.

In 2010, the population was smaller, about 1.7 million. The number of people grew over the years. The average income for a family was around $54,000, with men earning a bit more than women.

Economy

Greater Austin has a strong and varied economy. Important parts of its economy include government, technology (like software and computer chips), and education. In 2020, the area’s economy was worth about $168.4 billion, making it the 24th largest in the United States.

Big companies such as Dell, Oracle Corporation, and Tesla, Inc. have their main offices in Greater Austin. Other important employers include Accenture, Amazon, Apple, Applied Materials, Austin Independent School District, H-E-B Grocery, IBM, NXP Semiconductors, the Texas State Government, the United States Federal Government, The University of Texas at Austin, Whole Foods, and Wal-Mart.

Culture and recreation

The Greater Austin area is full of fun activities and events for everyone to enjoy. Austin is famous for its music and film festivals, like the South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which attract people from all over the world. Other popular festivals include the Old Pecan Street Festival, Blues on the Green, and the Laguna Gloria Art Museum Fiesta. There are also many events outside of Austin, such as the Bluebonnet Blues and Fine Arts Festival in Marble Falls, the Spring Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet, and the Old Settler's Music Festival in Driftwood, which features live music from many genres.

Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World" because it has so many music venues and performances. The city has famous music clubs and shows a lot of country and popular music. Other towns in the area also have their own music groups and performances.

Austin has one major professional soccer team, Austin FC, which started playing in 2021. The area also has many other sports teams and events, including baseball, hockey, basketball, and motor racing. There are also fun running and biking trails, such as the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail.

The Austin area has many beautiful parks and nature places to explore. Some popular parks include McKinney Falls State Park, Emma Long Metropolitan Park, Zilker Park, and Mount Bonnell. There are also many parks and preserves outside of Austin, such as Bastrop State Park, Lockhart State Park, and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which is great for hiking and climbing. The Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is the largest nature preserve in the area, perfect for seeing wildlife.

Education

Universities and colleges

The Greater Austin area has many universities. The main ones are the University of Texas at Austin, which is the main school in the University of Texas System, Texas State University, and Southwestern University in Georgetown. Austin also has several other schools such as Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Concordia University, Huston–Tillotson University, St. Edward's University, and Austin Community College. There are also schools in nearby areas like Temple College in Taylor.

In 2006, about 35% of adults in Austin had college degrees, which was fourth highest among the largest U.S. cities. By 2010 this grew to 43.3%. Other cities in the area like Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, and San Marcos also had many adults with degrees, higher than the average for Texas and the U.S.

Primary and secondary

Many school districts serve the Greater Austin area. As of 2010, there were 29 public school districts, 17 charter schools, and 69 private schools.

The main school districts include Austin ISD, Bastrop ISD, Del Valle ISD, Eanes ISD, Georgetown ISD, Hays CISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and Round Rock ISD. Together with the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, these make 11 core districts. As of 2009, one district, Eanes, was rated the highest, called “Exemplary”. Three others, Del Valle, Leander, and Round Rock, were rated “Recognized”, which is the second highest. The rest were rated “Academically Acceptable”. These 11 districts run 330 schools total.

Some major private schools in the area include Redeemer Lutheran School, Brentwood Christian School, Hill Country Christian School, Hyde Park Baptist School, the Regents School, Round Rock Christian Academy, Summit Christian Academy, St. Andrew's Episcopal School, and St. Michael's Academy.

Transportation

Highways

Greater Austin has important highways like Interstate 35 and the MoPac Expressway. These roads help people travel north and south. Other key roads include U.S. Highway 183, also called "Research Blvd.", and U.S. Highway 290 for east-west travel. There are also highways like State Highway 71 that connect Austin to places such as Houston and Marble Falls. New toll roads like State Highway 130 and State Highway 45 help make travel easier for many people.

Public transportation

Buses from the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, known as Capital Metro, serve the area. They have many routes within Austin and nearby towns. There is also a commuter rail service called the Red line of Capital MetroRail that started in 2010, linking Downtown Austin to Leander. The main airport for the region is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Politics

Greater Austin usually supports the Democratic Party, though it has chosen Republican leaders before, like when George W. Bush won Texas in 2000 and 2004. In Congress, Austin is mainly represented by two Democrats: Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar.