Aqua Vista Realty Austin Links

Moving to Austin- A Pleasant Surprise

Whether you're looking at Austin real estate because you're relocating, or for investment, what makes Austin tick is important to you.

Austin may be known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," but it's also much more than that. Many Austinites simply wouldn't live anywhere else. What makes Austin so special?

It's a combination- an interesting mix of technology, education, government, and the arts. It's also a beautiful city that often surprises first time vistors. Can this really be Texas? Rolling hills covered with green, rivers, lakes, parks, and gorgeous old oak and pecan trees is not what you'd expect. With a mild climate, 300 days of sunshine a year, and more than 15,000 acres of parkland- Austin's outdoor lifestyle is a big draw. Golfers, joggers, bikers, hikers, swimmers, boating enthusiasts and more enjoy the trails, parks and lakes every day.

Austin is the state capital and a tour of the grand domed Capitol Building is a must when downtown. With a population of 1.4 million over five counties that make up the Austin metro area (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop), Austin is smaller than other major Texas cities, but it's appeal is varied and far reaching.

The arts culture in Austin is alive and well thanks to a thriving music industry, a talented creative community and the youthful influence of 50,000 University of Texas students. Music is king- from two-step country to hard rock, jazz and classical. Wonderful restaurants range from Tex Mex to Bar-B-Q (this is Texas, after all) to elegant fine dining.

Austin's job market is thriving, thanks to such major local tech employers as Dell, Inc, IBM, AMD, Applied Materials, National Instruments, Apple Computer, and Freescale Semiconductor. The State government is another major employer, as are schools and healthcare.

Shopping in Austin offers all of the major stores in several large indoor malls. For a real Austin experience try the great vintage and antique shops on South Congress, South Lamar, and Guadalupe St. A brand new outlet mall in Round Rock offers hundreds of brand names and the Premier and Tanger Outlet Malls in San Marcos is just 30 minutes away.

Where and how to live in Austin is as varied as the city itself. Modern downtown lofts, traditional brick homes on tree lined streets, master planned golf communities, luxury townhomes, country estates and lakeside condos are just some of the great housing options. The Austin real estate market is one of the healthiest in the country, with an average 4% appreciation while much of the country has seen major declines this year.

Whether your passion is city nightlife, your boat docked at your doorstep or acres to roam on horseback- investing in Austin will be the best move you'll make! Contact me for help with your search for the perfect Austin home.

Smile....You're in Texas! Funny Texas facts

More Reasons Austin is Hot!

Austin ranks 3rd in Most Reccession Proof Cities by CNNmoney.com 2010
Kiplingers Personal Finance magazine ranks Austin 1st for 10 Best Cities For the Next Decade 2010
Forbes.com ranks Austin 2nd in America's Most Innovative Cities 2010
Austin is in the top 5 of Entrepeneur.com's Creative Centers 2010
Austin ranks 3rd in Best Cities for Jobs in 2008 by www.forbes.com, January 2008

Austin ranks 1st in Fastest Growing Metros in 2008 by www.forbes.com, March 2008

Austin Ranks in the 10 Best Places to Live and Boat by Boating Life Magazine, August 2007

Texas Ranks #1 in the USA for Economic Development in Business Facilities Mag, Dec 2007

Family Circle named Cedar Park as one of America’s Top 10 Cities for Families, August 2007

Austin ranks 2nd among the Top 10 Best Big Cities in the country by cnn.money.com, 2006

Austin ranks as the 3rd Smartest City in the country by Bizjournals.com, June 2006

Austin MSA ranked the best place for business in the US by MoodysEconomy.com, Aug 2007

Austin ranks in the Top 5 “Smart Places to Live” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and Austin Business Journal, June 2006

Austin ranks 2nd in the 50 Best Places to Live by Mens Journal, March 2006

Austin ranks 6th in the Top 10 Cities for Walking by Prevention magazine, August 2006

Austin ranks 2nd among the 10 Best Places to Live, judging on financial, educational and quality of life criteria by Money magazine, July 2006

Austin was included in the 8 Cheapest Places You'd Want to Live survey by Sperling's BestPlaces.com and msn.com, July 2006

Austin ranks 2nd in the 50 Best Places to Live comparing adventure, attractiveness, and affordability by Men’s Journal, April 2006

Austin was voted the Best Place to Live for Future Business Locations by Expansion Magazine, August 2006

Austin ranks 10th in the Top 10 Healthiest Cities in America by Sperling's, July 2006

Austin ranks 3rd in the Top 100 U.S. Cities with the Greatest Number of Commercial and Public Wireless Internet Access Points October 2006

Austin ranks 3rd in a list of America's Most Innovative Cities by the Wall Street Journal

Austin Links

The University of Texas Library has a wealth of information, and hundreds of maps on everything Austin.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/refsites/austin.html

Music, Theatre, Films, Museums, Art Galleries and Festivals
Art and Culture Guide

Demographics Map

http://austintitle.com/demographics.php