Austin, TexasSkyline from Town Lake |
|
| City nickname: "Live Music Capital of the World" | |
Location within the state of Texas |
|
| State | Texas |
| Mayor | Will Wynn |
| Area - Land - Water |
669.3 km² 651.4 km² 17.9 km² |
| Population - Total (2000) - Density |
656,562 1,007.9 persons/km² |
| Time zone - summer (DST) |
CST (UTC-6) CDT (UTC-5) |
| Latitude Longitude |
30°18'01" N 97°44'50" W |
| Official website: http://www.cityofaustin.org/ | |
The City of Austin is the capital of the state of Texas, within the United States of America. As of the U.S. Census 2000, Austin has a population of 656,562 people, making it the fourth-largest city in Texas (behind Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio), and the 16th largest in the United States. Austin is the county seat of Travis County and is situated in Central Texas. The Austin metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing in the United States and is home to more than 1.2 million people.
Austin was founded in 1835 and was first named Waterloo. In 1838, Mirabeau B. Lamar renamed the city in honor of Stephen F. Austin. Its original name is honored by local business establishments such as Waterloo Ice House and Waterloo Records. Austin is situated on the Colorado River, with three lakes within the city limits: Town Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis, including Mansfield Dam, is located within the city's limits. Town Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are all on the Colorado River. The city is also situated on the Balcones Fault, which, in much of Austin, runs roughly the same route as the MoPac expressway. The eastern part of the city is flat, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of scenic rolling hills on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Because the hills to the west are primarily limestone rock with a thin covering of topsoil, the city is subjected to frequent flash flooding from the excessive runoff caused by thunderstorms. To help control this runoff and to generate hydroelectric power, the Lower Colorado River Authority operates a series of dams that form the Texas Highland Lakes. The lakes also provide venues for boating, swimming, and other forms of recreation within several parks located on the lake shores.
Residents of Austin are called "Austinites" and include a heady mix of educators and their students, politicians and lobbyists. It is also the self-proclaimed "live music capital of the world," with a vibrant live music scene revolving around many nightclubs on 6th Street and a yearly film/music/multimedia festival known as "South by Southwest." Austin City Limits, the longest-running concert music program on American television, is videotaped on the University of Texas campus.
Austin is home to The University of Texas at Austin, the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. Other institutions of higher learning include Austin Community College, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University and St. Edward's University.
Austin is served by the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Before the arrival of European settlers, the area around present-day Austin was inhabited for several hundred years by a mixture of Tonkawa, Comanche, and Lipan Apache Indians, who fished and hunted along the creeks, including present-day Barton Springs.
In the late 1700s the Spanish set up temporary missions in the area, later moving to San Antonio.
The first Anglo settlers arrived in the area in the 1830s when Texas was still part of Mexico. They founded the village of Waterloo along the banks of the Colorado River. According to local folklore, Stephen F. Austin, the "father of Texas", negotiated a peace treaty with the local Indians at the site of the present day Treaty Oak after several settlers were killed in raids.
In 1839, Waterloo was chosen to become the capital of the new Republic of Texas, and the town was renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin.
A grid plan for the city streets was surveyed by Judge Edwin Waller (after whom Waller Creek was named). The grid survives nearly intact as the streets of present-day downtown Austin. The north-south streets of the grid were named for the rivers of Texas, following an east-west progression from Sabine Street to Rio Grande Street (Red River Street being "out of order" to the west of Sabine Street). The exception was the central thoroughfare Congress Avenue, which leads from the far south side of town over the river to the foot of the hill where the new Texas State Capitol was to be constructed. The original north-south grid was bookended by West Street and East Street (now I-35).
The east-west streets of the grid followed a progression uphill from the river and were named after trees native to the region, with Pecan Street as the main east-west thoroughfare. The east-west streets were later renamed in a numbered progression, with Pecan Street becoming Sixth Street. The original tree-named streets survive in nostalgic names, including Pecan Street, which is the name of a locally-produced beer.
In October 1839, the entire government of the Republic of Texas arrived by oxcart from Houston. By the next January, the population of the town was 839 people.
In 1842, Austin almost lost its status as capital city during the event known as the Texas Archive War. President Sam Houston had tried to relocate the seat of government from Austin to Houston, and then to Washington-on-the-Brazos. In the dead of night on December 29, 1842, a group of men was sent to take the archives of Texas from Austin to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Mrs. Angelina Eberly fired a cannon at the men, who made their escape, only to be caught by another group of men who returned the archives back to Austin.
After Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845, two statewide elections were held that attempted to move the capital elsewhere, but Austin remained the capital.
In September 1881, the city schools admitted their first classes. That same year, the first institution of higher learning, the forerunner of Huston-Tillotson College, opened as the Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute.
Texas State CapitolThe Texas State Capitol was completed in 1888 on the site specified in the 1839 plan. At the time it was billed as the "Seventh largest building in the world."
In 1891, the Hyde Park neighborhood was developed north of the University as a streetcar suburb.
In 1893, the Great Granite Dam on the Colorado River was constructed, stabilizing the river's flow and providing hydroelectric power.
In 1910, the concrete Congress Avenue Bridge across the Colorado River opened, fostering development along South Congress. The Littlefield Building at 6th and Congress also opened in 1910.
In 1911, a streetcar line was extended into South Austin, allowing for the development of Travis Heights in 1913.
In the 1930s, the original dam was replaced by a series of seven dams built by the federal government which created the string of reservoirs that now define the river's course through Austin. Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a member of the House of Representatives, was instrumental in getting the funding authorized for these dams.
On August 1, 1966, Austin was terrorized by Charles Whitman, who shot and killed 16 people with a high-powered rifle from the clocktower of the Main Building on the University of Texas campus. The event is considered the most traumatic event in the city's history.
In the 1970s, Austin became a refuge for a group of Country and Western musicians and songwriters seeking to escape the corporate industry domination of Nashville. The best-known artist in this group was Willie Nelson, who became an icon for the local "alternate music industry." In the following years, Austin gained a reputation as a place where struggling musicians could come and launch their careers in informal live venues in front of receptive audiences. This ultimately led to the present situation where the city touts itself as the "live music capital of the world."
During the 1970s and 1980s, the city experienced a tremendous boom in development that temporarily halted with the Savings and Loan collapse in the late 1980s. The growth led to an ongoing series of fierce political battles that pitted preservationists against developers. In particular the preservation of Barton Springs, and by extension the Edwards Aquifer, became an issue which defined the themes of the larger battles.
In the 1990s, the boom resumed with the influx and growth of a large technology industry. Initially the technology industry was centered around larger, established companies such as IBM, but in the late 1990s, Austin gained the additional reputation of being a center of the dot-com boom and subsequent dot-com bust.
In 2000, Austin became the center of an intense media focus as the headquarters of presidential candidate and Texas Governor George W. Bush. Ironically, the headquarters of his main opponent, Al Gore, were in Nashville, thus re-creating the old Country Music rivalry between the two cities.
According to the 2000 United States Census Bureau, Austin is located at 30°18'01" North, 97°44'50" West (30.300474, -97.747247)1. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 669.3 km² (258.4 mi²). 651.4 km² (251.5 mi²) of it is land and 17.9 km² (6.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water.
A popular point of prominence in Austin is Mount Bonnell. At about 780 feet above sea level, it is a natural limestone formation overlooking Lake Austin on the Colorado River approximately 200 feet below its summit.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 656,562 people, 265,649 households, and 141,590 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,007.9/km² (2,610.4/mi²). There are 276,842 housing units at an average density of 425.0/km² (1,100.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 65.36% White, 10.05% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 4.72% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 16.23% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. 30.55% of the population are Hispanic American or Latino of any race.
There are 265,649 households out of which 26.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% are non-families. 32.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $42,689, and the median income for a family is $54,091. Males have a median income of $35,545 vs. $30,046 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,163. 14.4% of the population and 9.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.5% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Famous Austin residents include cyclist Lance Armstrong, businessman Michael Dell, tennis player Andy Roddick, actors Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey, musician Willie Nelson, and directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez. Former residents include Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush. Austin was also the longtime home of the late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Austin is the center of a high-technology region known as Silicon Hills. Thousands of graduates each year from the Computer Science and Engineering programs at UT provide a steady source of young, talented, and driven employees. The metro Austin area also has much lower housing costs than, for example, Silicon Valley. As a result of the relatively high concentration of high tech companies in the region, Austin was strongly affected by the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and subsequent bust, although recovery is proceeding rapidly.
Austin's biggest employers include the State of Texas, the University of Texas, Dell, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor (spun off from Motorola in 2004). Other high-tech companies in Austin include Apple Computer, Vignette, AMD, Intel, Cirrus Logic,Samsung and National Instruments. The proliferation of technology companies has led to the region's nickname, "the Silicon Hills," (Austin was originally "Silicon Gulch", but it seems that San Jose, Ca. already has that distinction) and has spurred rapid development that has greatly expanded the city to the north and south.
The University of Texas has an outstanding Radio, Television, and Film (RTF) department [1] (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. 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 and Willie Nelson. 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.
The Congress Avenue Bridge houses the world's largest urban bat population. In the summer, the colony has up to 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats; in the winter they migrate to Mexico.
The iconic Pennybacker Bridge, also known as the "360 Bridge," crosses Lake Austin to connect north and south Loop 360.
At night, parts of Austin are lit with "artificial moonlight." Several "Moonlight Towers", built in the late 19th century and recognized as historic landmarks, illuminate the central part of the city. The towers were prominently featured in the film Dazed and Confused. The "Zilker Tree" is a Christmas "tree" made of large lights strung from the top of the Moonlight Tower that stands in Zilker Park. The Zilker Tree is lit in early December along with the "Trail of Lights," an Austin Christmas tradition.
Austin is administered by a city council of seven members, each of them elected by the entire city, and by an elected mayor. Council and mayoral elections are non-partisan, with a runoff in case there is no 50% majority winner. Austin remains an anomaly among large Texas cities in that the council is not elected by districts, and there has been a strong effort to change the election system to one of single districts.
The main political actors within Austin city politics are interest groups such as the pro-environmental Save Our Springs Alliance, the Austin Police Association, Austin Toll Party and the Austin Business Council.
The political controversy that dominated the 1990s was the conflict between environmentalists, strong in the city center, and advocates of urban growth, who tend to live in the outlying areas. The city council has in the past tried to mitigate the controversy by advocating smart growth, but growth and environmental protection are still the main hot-button issues in city politics.
Austin is well known as a center for liberal politics in a generally conservative state, leading some conservatives to deride the city as the "People's Republic of Austin." Austin's suburbs, especially to the west and north, and several satellite municipalities, however, tend towards political conservativism.
As a result of the major party realignment that began in the 1970's, central Austin became a stronghold of the Democratic Party while the suburbs tend to vote Republican. One consequence of this is that the central city has been gerrymandered by the Republican-controlled state legislature into several U.S. Congressional districts to dilute its influence vis a vis the suburbs. To a limited degree the division between Democratic and Republican precincts coincides with the aforementioned divisions between supporters of environmental regulations and supporters of unfettered urban growth.
Overall, the city leans to the Democrats; in the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry defeated George W Bush by a wide margin in Austin. Of Austin's six state legislative districts, three are strongly Democratic, one strongly Republican, and two are swing districts (one presently held by a Republican and the other by a Democrat). However, two of its three congressional districts are presently held by Republicans; this is largely due to the 2003 redistricting, which left Austin with no congressional seat of its own.
The combination of economic conservatism with political liberalism has also made Austin an active area for the Libertarian Party. Although the Libertarians remain a third party, the party is very active in the Austin area, and two past Libertarian presidential candidates, Ron Paul and Michael Badnarik have come from the vicinity of Austin.
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 of the Pacific Coast League play Triple-A baseball in nearby Round Rock, Texas.
|
The Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League play Triple-A baseball in nearby Round Rock, Texas. Baltimore is a sister city of these municipalities:. 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. See:Baltimore City Public School System. Although the Libertarians remain a third party, the party is very active in the Austin area, and two past Libertarian presidential candidates, Ron Paul and Michael Badnarik have come from the vicinity of Austin. List of Baltimore neighborhoods. The combination of economic conservatism with political liberalism has also made Austin an active area for the Libertarian Party. Out of the total population, 30.6% of those under the age of 18 and 18.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. However, two of its three congressional districts are presently held by Republicans; this is largely due to the 2003 redistricting, which left Austin with no congressional seat of its own. 22.9% of the population and 18.8% of families are below the poverty line. Of Austin's six state legislative districts, three are strongly Democratic, one strongly Republican, and two are swing districts (one presently held by a Republican and the other by a Democrat). The per capita income for the city is $16,978. Overall, the city leans to the Democrats; in the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry defeated George W Bush by a wide margin in Austin. Males have a median income of $31,767 versus $26,832 for females. Congressional districts to dilute its influence vis a vis the suburbs. To a limited degree the division between Democratic and Republican precincts coincides with the aforementioned divisions between supporters of environmental regulations and supporters of unfettered urban growth. The median income for a household in the city is $30,078, and the median income for a family is $35,438. One consequence of this is that the central city has been gerrymandered by the Republican-controlled state legislature into several U.S. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.9 males. As a result of the major party realignment that began in the 1970's, central Austin became a stronghold of the Democratic Party while the suburbs tend to vote Republican. For every 100 females there are 87.4 males. Austin is well known as a center for liberal politics in a generally conservative state, leading some conservatives to deride the city as the "People's Republic of Austin." Austin's suburbs, especially to the west and north, and several satellite municipalities, however, tend towards political conservativism. The median age is 35 years. The city council has in the past tried to mitigate the controversy by advocating smart growth, but growth and environmental protection are still the main hot-button issues in city politics. In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The political controversy that dominated the 1990s was the conflict between environmentalists, strong in the city center, and advocates of urban growth, who tend to live in the outlying areas. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.16. The main political actors within Austin city politics are interest groups such as the pro-environmental Save Our Springs Alliance, the Austin Police Association, Austin Toll Party and the Austin Business Council. 34.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. Austin remains an anomaly among large Texas cities in that the council is not elected by districts, and there has been a strong effort to change the election system to one of single districts. There are 257,996 households out of which 25.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.7% are married couples living together, 25.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% are non-families. Council and mayoral elections are non-partisan, with a runoff in case there is no 50% majority winner. 1.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Austin is administered by a city council of seven members, each of them elected by the entire city, and by an elected mayor. The racial makeup of the city is 31.63% White, 64.34% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. The Zilker Tree is lit in early December along with the "Trail of Lights," an Austin Christmas tradition. There are 300,477 housing units at an average density of 1,435.8/km² (3,718.6/mi²). The "Zilker Tree" is a Christmas "tree" made of large lights strung from the top of the Moonlight Tower that stands in Zilker Park. The population density is 3,111.5/km² (8,058.4/mi²). The towers were prominently featured in the film Dazed and Confused. As of the census2 of 2000, there are 651,154 people, 257,996 households, and 147,057 families residing in the city. At night, parts of Austin are lit with "artificial moonlight." Several "Moonlight Towers", built in the late 19th century and recognized as historic landmarks, illuminate the central part of the city. in every census up to the 1980 census. The iconic Pennybacker Bridge, also known as the "360 Bridge," crosses Lake Austin to connect north and south Loop 360. S. In the summer, the colony has up to 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats; in the winter they migrate to Mexico. It was among the top 10 cities in population in the U. The Congress Avenue Bridge houses the world's largest urban bat population. In the 1830, 1840, and 1850 censuses of the United States of America, Baltimore was the second largest city in population. In 2004 the city was named #1 in Moviemaker Magazine's Annual Top 10 Cities to live and make movies. The major highways serving the city are I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway), I-95, I-83 and I-70 (its eastern terminus is just beyond the city limits). 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. Additionally, MARC commuter rail connects Washington, DC's Union Station with the city's two rail stations, Camden Station and Penn Station. It is also home to several other entertainers including Sandra Bullock and Willie Nelson. Baltimore City has many bus routes, and a light rail and a subway system. Austin is home to several well-known directors, including Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, and Tim McCanlies. Public transit in Baltimore City is provided by the Maryland Transit Administration. The University of Texas has an outstanding Radio, Television, and Film (RTF) department [1] (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. The city has a humid subtropical climate, moderated by the warming influence of the bay and nearby ocean, with hot summers, cool winters, and moderate precipitation. The proliferation of technology companies has led to the region's nickname, "the Silicon Hills," (Austin was originally "Silicon Gulch", but it seems that San Jose, Ca. already has that distinction) and has spurred rapid development that has greatly expanded the city to the north and south. The total area is 12.240% water. Other high-tech companies in Austin include Apple Computer, Vignette, AMD, Intel, Cirrus Logic,Samsung and National Instruments. 209.3 km² (80.8 mi²) of it is land and 29.2 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is water. Austin's biggest employers include the State of Texas, the University of Texas, Dell, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor (spun off from Motorola in 2004). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 238.5 km² (92.1 mi²). As a result of the relatively high concentration of high tech companies in the region, Austin was strongly affected by the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and subsequent bust, although recovery is proceeding rapidly. Baltimore is in the north central part of the state of Maryland, on the Patapsco River, not far from the Chesapeake Bay. It is on the western edge of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with low hills rising in the western part of the city. The metro Austin area also has much lower housing costs than, for example, Silicon Valley. The headquarters of the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are located in Woodlawn, just outside the city limits. Thousands of graduates each year from the Computer Science and Engineering programs at UT provide a steady source of young, talented, and driven employees. On November 2, 2004, Dixon won re-election in a two-way contest; Joan Floyd, a Green Party candidate, was the only challenger; the Republicans did not field a candidate. Austin is the center of a high-technology region known as Silicon Hills. Sheila Dixon is the current Council President. Austin was also the longtime home of the late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn. The Baltimore City Council is now made up of 14 single member districts and one elected at-large Council President. Bush. A coalition of union and community groups, organized by ACORN, backed the effort. Johnson and George W. Grassroots pressure for reform, voiced as Question P, restructured the City Council in November of 2002, against the will of the Mayor, the Council President, and the majority of the Council. Former residents include Lyndon B. For a full list of mayors that served the city, see: List of Baltimore Mayors. Famous Austin residents include cyclist Lance Armstrong, businessman Michael Dell, tennis player Andy Roddick, actors Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey, musician Willie Nelson, and directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez. His ambition to run for Governor of Maryland is well known. Out of the total population, 16.5% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Despite being a conservative Democrat in a city with a deep progressive history, O'Malley has maintained a high approval rating through both of his terms in office. 14.4% of the population and 9.1% of families are below the poverty line. The current Mayor of Baltimore is Martin O'Malley. The per capita income for the city is $24,163. For most governmental purposes under Maryland law, Baltimore City is treated as a "county"-level entity. $30,046 for females. Baltimore is an independent city; in other words, not part of any county. Males have a median income of $35,545 vs. Water levels rose some 20 feet in areas, flooding underground parking garages and displacing thousands of cubic yards of trash and debris. The median income for a household in the city is $42,689, and the median income for a family is $54,091. Many places were flooded including the sports center ESPN Zone, the Baltimore World Trade Center (The World Trade Center remained closed for approximately a month during cleanup efforts) and most of the Inner Harbor. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.7 males. Also in 2003, Baltimore was affected by Hurricane Isabel from flooding as a result of tidal surge, affecting primarily the Fells Point community and the Inner Harbor and surrounding low areas. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. The City of Baltimore hopes to have it finished and opened by 2005 or 2006. The median age is 30 years. The hotel is expected to be built near the Baltimore Convention Center. In the city the population is spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who are 65 years of age or older. In 2003, the Baltimore Development Corporation announced that three hotel projects were being reviewed. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.14. Three weeks later, manhole covers flew into the air as underground explosions along West Pratt Street followed due to residual explosive chemicals from the fire left in the sewers. 32.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The derailment sparked a chemical fire that raged for six days and virtually shut down the downtown area until the heat caused a water main to rupture, largely extinguishing the fire but also causing significant flooding in the streets above. There are 265,649 households out of which 26.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% are non-families. A 60-car train derailment occurred in a tunnel in Baltimore on July 18, 2001. 30.55% of the population are Hispanic American or Latino of any race. The concept has been highly successful, and numerous other American municipalities have since implemented the practice. The racial makeup of the city is 65.36% White, 10.05% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 4.72% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 16.23% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. On October 2, 1996, Baltimore became the first city in the United States to adopt 311 as a non-emergency "hot line" telephone number, in order to reserve the use of 911 for genuine emergencies. The population density is 1,007.9/km² (2,610.4/mi²). There are 276,842 housing units at an average density of 425.0/km² (1,100.7/mi²). In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball moved downtown to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and six years later the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League moved next door into the newly renamed M&T Bank Stadium, formerly known as PSINet Stadium until PSINet went bankrupt. As of the census2 of 2000, there are 656,562 people, 265,649 households, and 141,590 families residing in the city. In 1979 the Baltimore Convention Center was opened and was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1996. Harborplace, a modern urban retail and restaurant complex, was opened on the waterfront in 1980, followed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland's largest tourist destination, in 1981. At about 780 feet above sea level, it is a natural limestone formation overlooking Lake Austin on the Colorado River approximately 200 feet below its summit. In recent years, efforts to redevelop the downtown area have led to a revitalization of the Inner Harbor. A popular point of prominence in Austin is Mount Bonnell. Many movies such as Hairspray, scenes from 12 monkeys and the film Hardball were filmed there, in fact many scenes from the 1972 cult classic film Pink Flamingos were shot in the city's Waverly section (the film was made by John Waters, a Baltimore native). Additionally, television shows such as NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" and HBO's "The Wire" have also been filmed in the city. The total area is 2.67% water. Baltimore has become a prime city for filming movies and television. 651.4 km² (251.5 mi²) of it is land and 17.9 km² (6.9 mi²) of it is water. The buildings were eventually demolished in 2001. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 669.3 km² (258.4 mi²). In 1955 Flag House Courts, public housing project made up of 3 12-story buildings was built. According to the U.S. Baltimore is also the location of Pimlico Race Course, the home of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The Preakness has been run since 1873. According to the 2000 United States Census Bureau, Austin is located at 30°18'01" North, 97°44'50" West (30.300474, -97.747247)1. Baltimore is the location of the Baltimore World Trade Center, the world's tallest equilateral five-sided building (the five-sided JPMorganChase Tower in Houston, Texas is taller, but has unequal sides). Ironically, the headquarters of his main opponent, Al Gore, were in Nashville, thus re-creating the old Country Music rivalry between the two cities. The Great Baltimore Fire on February 7, 1904 destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours. Bush. After the riot, Union troops occupied Baltimore and Maryland came under direct federal administration — in part, to prevent the state from seceding — until the end of the war in April 1865. In 2000, Austin became the center of an intense media focus as the headquarters of presidential candidate and Texas Governor George W. Pro-Southern sentiment led to the Baltimore riot of 1861 when Union soldiers marched through the city. Initially the technology industry was centered around larger, established companies such as IBM, but in the late 1990s, Austin gained the additional reputation of being a center of the dot-com boom and subsequent dot-com bust. Many, if not most, people in Baltimore at the time were sympathetic to the Confederacy. In the 1990s, the boom resumed with the influx and growth of a large technology industry. During the Civil War, Maryland was officially part of the Union but kept slavery legal. In particular the preservation of Barton Springs, and by extension the Edwards Aquifer, became an issue which defined the themes of the larger battles. Baltimore became an independent city in 1851, being detached from Baltimore County at that time. The growth led to an ongoing series of fierce political battles that pitted preservationists against developers. The city is also the site of the first architectural monument honoring George Washington, a 178 foot doric column erected in 1829 and designed by Robert Mills, who later designed the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. During the 1970s and 1980s, the city experienced a tremendous boom in development that temporarily halted with the Savings and Loan collapse in the late 1980s. Baltimore's harbor is the location of Fort McHenry, which came under attack by British forces in the War of 1812 and whose defense inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," which furnishes the lyrics to the United States national anthem. This ultimately led to the present situation where the city touts itself as the "live music capital of the world.". The relatively shorter distance between Baltimore and the Caribbean colonies allowed swift transport and minimized the spoilage of flour. The best-known artist in this group was Willie Nelson, who became an icon for the local "alternate music industry." In the following years, Austin gained a reputation as a place where struggling musicians could come and launch their careers in informal live venues in front of receptive audiences. The profit from sugar encouraged the maximum possible cultivation of cane and the importation of food. In the 1970s, Austin became a refuge for a group of Country and Western musicians and songwriters seeking to escape the corporate industry domination of Nashville. Baltimore grew swiftly in the mid-late 18th century as the granary for sugar producing colonies in the Caribbean. The event is considered the most traumatic event in the city's history. During the 17th century, various towns called "Baltimore" were founded as commercial ports at various locations on the upper Chesapeake Bay. The present city dates from July 30, 1729 and is named after Cęcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore who was the first Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. On August 1, 1966, Austin was terrorized by Charles Whitman, who shot and killed 16 people with a high-powered rifle from the clocktower of the Main Building on the University of Texas campus. Because there is also a Baltimore County adjacent to (but not including) the city, it is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City when a clear distinction is desired. Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a member of the House of Representatives, was instrumental in getting the funding authorized for these dams. The city is a major part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and a major U.S.seaport. In the 1930s, the original dam was replaced by a series of seven dams built by the federal government which created the string of reservoirs that now define the river's course through Austin. It is the largest city in Maryland, named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Cęcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. In 1911, a streetcar line was extended into South Austin, allowing for the development of Travis Heights in 1913. As of July 1, 2002, the population is 638,614, and the population of the Baltimore-Washington Metroplex as of 2000 is 7.6 million, up from 6.7 million in 1990. The Littlefield Building at 6th and Congress also opened in 1910. state of Maryland. In 1910, the concrete Congress Avenue Bridge across the Colorado River opened, fostering development along South Congress. Baltimore is an independent city located in the U.S. In 1893, the Great Granite Dam on the Colorado River was constructed, stabilizing the river's flow and providing hydroelectric power. Frank Zappa. In 1891, the Hyde Park neighborhood was developed north of the University as a streetcar suburb. Montel Williams. At the time it was billed as the "Seventh largest building in the world.". John Waters. The Texas State Capitol was completed in 1888 on the site specified in the 1839 plan. Johnny Unitas. That same year, the first institution of higher learning, the forerunner of Huston-Tillotson College, opened as the Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute. Anne Tyler. In September 1881, the city schools admitted their first classes. Anne Truitt. After Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845, two statewide elections were held that attempted to move the capital elsewhere, but Austin remained the capital. Tupac Shakur. Angelina Eberly fired a cannon at the men, who made their escape, only to be caught by another group of men who returned the archives back to Austin. Pam Shriver. Mrs. Babe Ruth. In the dead of night on December 29, 1842, a group of men was sent to take the archives of Texas from Austin to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Cal Ripken, Jr. President Sam Houston had tried to relocate the seat of government from Austin to Houston, and then to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Adrienne Rich. In 1842, Austin almost lost its status as capital city during the event known as the Texas Archive War. Edgar Allan Poe. By the next January, the population of the town was 839 people. Jada Pinkett-Smith. In October 1839, the entire government of the Republic of Texas arrived by oxcart from Houston. Michael Phelps. The original tree-named streets survive in nostalgic names, including Pecan Street, which is the name of a locally-produced beer. Nancy Pelosi. The east-west streets were later renamed in a numbered progression, with Pecan Street becoming Sixth Street. Jim Palmer. The east-west streets of the grid followed a progression uphill from the river and were named after trees native to the region, with Pecan Street as the main east-west thoroughfare. Ric Ocasek. The original north-south grid was bookended by West Street and East Street (now I-35). Mo'Nique Imes-Jackson. The exception was the central thoroughfare Congress Avenue, which leads from the far south side of town over the river to the foot of the hill where the new Texas State Capitol was to be constructed. Kweisi Mfume. The grid survives nearly intact as the streets of present-day downtown Austin. The north-south streets of the grid were named for the rivers of Texas, following an east-west progression from Sabine Street to Rio Grande Street (Red River Street being "out of order" to the west of Sabine Street). Mencken. A grid plan for the city streets was surveyed by Judge Edwin Waller (after whom Waller Creek was named). H.L. In 1839, Waterloo was chosen to become the capital of the new Republic of Texas, and the town was renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin. Jim McKay. Austin, the "father of Texas", negotiated a peace treaty with the local Indians at the site of the present day Treaty Oak after several settlers were killed in raids. Thurgood Marshall. They founded the village of Waterloo along the banks of the Colorado River. According to local folklore, Stephen F. Laura Lippman. The first Anglo settlers arrived in the area in the 1830s when Texas was still part of Mexico. Barry Levinson. In the late 1700s the Spanish set up temporary missions in the area, later moving to San Antonio. Francis Scott Key. Before the arrival of European settlers, the area around present-day Austin was inhabited for several hundred years by a mixture of Tonkawa, Comanche, and Lipan Apache Indians, who fished and hunted along the creeks, including present-day Barton Springs. William Henry Cardinal Keeler. Austin is served by the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Johns Hopkins. Edward's University. Billie Holiday. Other institutions of higher learning include Austin Community College, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University and St. David Hasselhoff. Austin is home to The University of Texas at Austin, the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. Dorothy Hamill. It is also the self-proclaimed "live music capital of the world," with a vibrant live music scene revolving around many nightclubs on 6th Street and a yearly film/music/multimedia festival known as "South by Southwest." Austin City Limits, the longest-running concert music program on American television, is videotaped on the University of Texas campus. Philip Glass. Residents of Austin are called "Austinites" and include a heady mix of educators and their students, politicians and lobbyists. Johnny Gill. The lakes also provide venues for boating, swimming, and other forms of recreation within several parks located on the lake shores. Drew. To help control this runoff and to generate hydroelectric power, the Lower Colorado River Authority operates a series of dams that form the Texas Highland Lakes. Charles R. Because the hills to the west are primarily limestone rock with a thin covering of topsoil, the city is subjected to frequent flash flooding from the excessive runoff caused by thunderstorms. Elijah Cummings. The eastern part of the city is flat, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of scenic rolling hills on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Ben Carson. The city is also situated on the Balcones Fault, which, in much of Austin, runs roughly the same route as the MoPac expressway. Cab Calloway. Town Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are all on the Colorado River. David Byrne. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis, including Mansfield Dam, is located within the city's limits. Charles Joseph Bonaparte. Long. Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues. Austin is situated on the Colorado River, with three lakes within the city limits: Town Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Eubie Blake. Its original name is honored by local business establishments such as Waterloo Ice House and Waterloo Records. Carmelo Anthony. Austin. Baltimore Thunder - (National Lacrosse League) - moved to Pittsburgh, then D.C.; now Colorado. Lamar renamed the city in honor of Stephen F. Baltimore Skipjacks - (American Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League, Southern Hockey League). In 1838, Mirabeau B. Baltimore Clippers - (American Hockey League). Austin was founded in 1835 and was first named Waterloo. Baltimore Bandits - (American Hockey League). The Austin metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing in the United States and is home to more than 1.2 million people. Baltimore Blades - (World Hockey Association ). Austin is the county seat of Travis County and is situated in Central Texas. Baltimore Bays - (North American Soccer League). Census 2000, Austin has a population of 656,562 people, making it the fourth-largest city in Texas (behind Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio), and the 16th largest in the United States. Baltimore Bayrunners - (International Basketball League). As of the U.S. Baltimore Claws - (American Basketball Association). The City of Austin is the capital of the state of Texas, within the United States of America. Baltimore Bullets - (National Basketball Association). Kwangmyong, Korea. Baltimore Colts - (National Football League). Old Orlu, Nigeria Saltillo, Mexico Koblenz, Germany National Museum of Dentistry. National Aquarium in Baltimore. Maryland Science Center. Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame Museum. Harborplace. Fort McHenry National Monument. Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. Dime Museum. B&O Railroad Museum. Blacks In Wax Museum. Baltimore Maritime Museum. Baltimore Museum of Industry. Baltimore Museum of Art. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. American Visionary Art Museum. Ashkelon, Israel. Xiamen, China. Pireaus, Greece. Odessa, Ukraine. Alexandria, Egypt. Luxor, Egypt. Kawasaki, Japan. Genoa, Italy. Gbarnga, Liberia. Enoch Pratt Free Library. University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). University of Baltimore (UB). Morgan State University. Coppin State University. Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). Sojourner-Douglass College. Peabody Institute. Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Loyola College in Maryland. Johns Hopkins University (JHU). College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Baltimore International College (BIC). Baltimore Hebrew University. Martin State Airport - (general aviation), located in Baltimore County. Baltimore-Washington International Airport - Located in neighboring Anne Arundel County. |