About Austin

Overview

Austin is truly a city with heart and soul that brims with both southern tradition and quirky eccentricity. The area is politically charged and culturally rich. A high-tech, big city meets a low-key, college town … all be that a VERY big college town and an EXTREMELY attractive business location!

A city far from ordinary, it’s the kind of place where you check your worries at the city limits sign, trade in suits for something a bit more casual and prepare for experiences you’ll find only in Austin.

There’s a lot of excitement about the Austin area. Over 50% of the jobs created in the entire USA were created in Texas between 2009 & 2010 (Sep-Sep) and Austin itself saw an increase in excess of 17,300 new jobs during the same period with a 2.4% job growth rate, as of October 2010, the highest among major cities for the fifth month in a row.

The city was also recently recognized as one of the Top 30: Most Dynamic Cities in the World … the only city in the entire USA to be ranked.

Climate and Environment

Austin is located on the Colorado River where the stream crosses the Balcones escarpment separating the Texas Hill Country from the Blackland Prairies to the east.

Within the City of Austin, elevations range from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The climate is classified as “humid subtropical” with hot summers, while mild weather prevails during most of the winter.

Freezing temperatures occur only about 25 days per year with cold spells rarely lasting more than two days. Summer days are hot, summer nights are usually pleasant. Most of the time, the moderate affects of the Gulf of Mexico limit daytime highs; however, they also add higher humidity. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The heaviest amounts of precipitation occur in May and September.

Population & Diversity

Austin boasts a diverse labor force in its young, growing, talented and increasingly diverse population.

At the University of Texas at Austin, the largest University in Texas and one of many schools in the Central Texas area, 50,000 students were enrolled in 2009. Over one quarter of Austin holds a Bachelor’s Degree, one of the many reasons companies are moving to this exciting area. Almost half the region’s population is in peak working age; 20-44, which lends itself to a strong entrepreneurial culture with creative energy.

Economy

Austin is not only an enjoyable and enriching city in which to live, but a great place to work and do business. Many companies prefer Austin because of the relatively low cost of living; the quality lifestyle that the area provides; the very solid real estate market; and, the well-educated and diverse workforce.

Just a few of the large local employers include:

• Dell Computer equipment
• IBM Corporation
• Freescale Semiconductor
• Advanced Micro Devices
• Austin School District
• City of Austin
• State Government
• Federal Government
• University of Texas (and other advanced institutions)
• Samsung
• EBay / Paypal
• Google
• Many recent medical centers

Roads and Infrastructure

Austin’s top-notch airport facilities, coupled with the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and major U.S. and state highways, makes Central Texas a convenient location for materials distribution and business travel.

The city’s public transportation system and bicycle lanes provide viable alternatives to driving, although motoring around town is still popular and convenient with several major highway routes.

Three of the nation’s largest cities—Dallas, Houston and San Antonio—are less than 3 hours away by road.

Laredo is a major port of entry between U.S. and Mexico and is only 4 hours from Austin on I-35.