Austin, Texas

The City of Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Austin has a population of 656,562 people, making it the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th largest in the United States. A 2004 U.S. Census estimate placed the population of the city at 681,804. Austin is the county seat of Travis County and is situated in Central Texas. The Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing in the United States and is home to an estimated population of 1.4 million as of 2003.

People and culture

Austin has a vibrant live music scene (boasting more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city) revolving around many nightclubs on 6th Street and a yearly film/music/multimedia festival known as South by Southwest. The longest-running concert music program on American television, Austin City Limits, is videotaped on the University of Texas campus.

Related Topics:
Music scene - Nightclub - 6th Street - Film - Music - Multimedia - South by Southwest - Austin City Limits

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Austinites take great pride in being eccentric and celebrate the differences between themselves and other U.S. cities. "Keep Austin Weird" has become a local motto in recent years, featured on innumerable bumper stickers and t-shirts.

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Famous people

Famous Austin residents include cyclist Lance Armstrong, businessman Michael Dell, tennis player Andy Roddick, actors Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey, musician Willie Nelson, directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, and science fiction writer Bruce Sterling. Former residents include Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush. Austin was also the longtime home of the late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan as well as, for several years, rock singer Janis Joplin.

Related Topics:
Lance Armstrong - Michael Dell - Andy Roddick - Sandra Bullock - Matthew McConaughey - Willie Nelson - Richard Linklater - Robert Rodriguez - Science fiction - Bruce Sterling - Lyndon B. Johnson - George W. Bush - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Janis Joplin

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Education

Austin is home to University of Texas at Austin, the largest university in the state of Texas and a flagship institution of The University of Texas System, also the largest state system of higher education in Texas. Other institutions of higher learning include Austin Community College, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University and St. Edward's University.

Related Topics:
The University of Texas System - Austin Community College - Concordia University - Huston-Tillotson University - St. Edward's University

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Media and entertainment

The University of Texas at Austin has an outstanding Radio, Television, and Film (RTF) department http://rtf.utexas.edu/ and, partly because of this, Austin has been the location of a number of movies, including Man of the House, Secondhand Lions, Waking Life, Spy Kids, Dazed and Confused, Office Space, The Life of David Gale, Miss Congeniality, and Slacker. In order to draw future film projects to the area, the Austin Film Society has converted several disused buildings from the now-defunct Austin Airport into a state-of-the-art digital filmmaking center known as Austin Studios. Among the projects to have used facilities at Austin Studios are music videos by The Flaming Lips, and feature films such as 25th Hour and Sin City.

Related Topics:
Man of the House - Secondhand Lions - Waking Life - Spy Kids - Dazed and Confused - Office Space - The Life of David Gale - Miss Congeniality - Slacker - Austin Film Society - Austin Studios - The Flaming Lips - 25th Hour - Sin City

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Austin is home to several well-known directors, including Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and Tim McCanlies. It is also home to several other entertainers including Sandra Bullock, Willie Nelson, and Shawn Colvin. Austin hosts the annual Austin Film Festival, as well as the South by Southwest Festival, which draw films of many different types from all over the world. In 2004 the city was named #1 in Moviemaker Magazine's Annual Top 10 Cities to live and make movies. Austin also hosts the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, which attracts musical artists from around the world. The 2005 Show included Oasis, Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand.

Related Topics:
Tim McCanlies - Austin Film Festival - South by Southwest Festival - Austin City Limits Music Festival

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MTV taped an Austin season of its hit reality television series The Real World in 2005.

Related Topics:
MTV - Austin season - Reality television - The Real World

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Sports

Among the professional sports teams in Austin are the Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League and the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League. The Round Rock Express, affiliated with the Houston Astros, are located in nearby Round Rock, Texas and play Triple-A baseball in the Pacific Coast League. In 2005, the National Basketball Association awarded an NBDL team to the city of Austin. The name of this team was finally released on August 10th, 2005, and will be called the Austin Toros.

Related Topics:
Austin Ice Bats - Central Hockey League - Austin Wranglers - Arena Football League - Round Rock Express - Houston Astros - Round Rock, Texas - Pacific Coast League - National Basketball Association - NBDL - Austin Toros

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