Friday, October 21, 2011

On Home in Austin

By Felton Seagroves


Its Climate

Yes, Austin is getting hot in the summer. It is in Texas, after all. But there is usually a nice breeze blowing especially near the lake, and as the coastal cities like Houston, there is not as much humidity. For the rest of the year, it is milder than many places in the country. Austin winters are moderate by most standards, with snow being very rare.

1. The Culture

Austin has a rich culture that blends Mexican heritage, state politicians, cowboy roots, and a healthy dose of urban hip. "Keep Austin Weird" is considered to be the unofficial slogan, and you'll see it emblazoned on everything from bumper stickers to t-shirts. Austin takes great pride in being ... well, being just Austin.

A. The Outdoors

Do you want to go backpacking? Could it be cycling? Or is it canoeing you like? Would you want to go water skiing? Around the Austin area, you can do all of that in a day. From the lakes to the trails, Austin can provide an outdoor scene that is hard to beat.

A. The Music

Austin is not going to be called "The Live Music Capital of the World" for nothing. It is the vast array of musical venues offering everything from jazz to country to rock which the city boasts. There are musical festivals throughout the year and Austin City Limits is filmed here as well.

A. The Bats

In downtown Austin, Texas, there is the Congress Avenue bridge which is home to North America's largest urban colony of Mexican free-tails bats.There are experts who estimate the colony includes some 1.5 million bats. The bats started immigrating en masse around the year 1980, and after a brief period of public fear, they've become another Austin institution. Right on Congress Avenue, they even have their own statue there. People come from all around at dusk to see the bats pour out of the bridge.

A. The Housing Costs

There is a new program on HGTV which is called as "What You Get for the Money".In order to show what you get for the money, it compares housing costs from different cities. Austin is regularly featured on the show, because at the time of this writing, housing dollars go a long way here. For a detailed information on new homes in Austin, see the note at the end of this article.

1. The Roads (Soon)

There are massive highway projects that are underway, so the traffic situation around Austin will soon improve dramatically. The population of Austin has exploded during the "tech boom" a few years back, declined a bit during the subsequent "tech bust," and is once more on the rise. But while the population has been growing considerably, the highway infrastructure has mostly remained static.

As a result of that, rush hour can be totally an ordeal if you are heading into the city. But you don't have to worry. Currently, Austin has one of the largest highway expansion projects of any state in the country. It's a growing pain, but it will be behind us in the near future.




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