Aah, Austin, laid-back city in the lake-laced hills, home to cyberpunks and environmentalists, high culture and haute cuisine. A leafy intellectual enclave lying well outside the realm of Lone Star stereotypes, Austin has been compared to Berkeley and Seattle, but it is at once its own place and entirely Texan.
The University of Texas (UT), vastly expanded beyond the 40 acres deeded to it in 1883, is a key source of the city's cultural savvy. Its assets include a presidential library; theater, dance, and concert venues; prominent literary archives (UT was the model for the wealthy American university in A.S. Byatt's novel Possession); and an important art collection. But UT's funding comes from oil money, and Austinites display typical Texan fervor when it comes to rooting for the Longhorns.
Despite its growing concrete nexus of business parks, many devoted to high-tech enterprises, like the one started by UT graduate Michael Dell, Austin's heart is green. It has a vast municipal system of parks and preserves, and a bustling hike-and-bike trail near downtown's Town Lake. And there isn't a species in the region, no matter how small or ugly, that isn't vociferously defended if its extinction is threatened.
When they're not exercising or espousing environmental causes -- or even when they are -- Austinites love music. Their obsession is large-scale: The city has gigantic record stores, a shop devoted solely to music arts, and more than 100 live music venues. One of the most appealing aspects of the local scene is the wide range of good sounds to be found at unexpected, completely original places: barbecue joints, Mexican restaurants, converted gas stations. The atmosphere almost everywhere is assiduously laid-back; legends like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez still perform at intimate spots like the Backyard, and covers in the smaller clubs are still relatively low.
Many Texans who live in faster-paced cities like Dallas or Houston dream of someday escaping to Austin, which, although it grew by 41% in the 1990s and passed the half-million population mark, still has a small-town feel. Meanwhile, they smile upon the city as they would on a beloved but eccentric younger sister; whenever an especially contrary story about her is told, they shrug, shake their heads, and fondly say, "Well, that's Austin."
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Austin is such a plugged-in city that it's tough to select just a few websites. However, some do stand out for their depth and breadth:
www.austin360.com: Movie times, traffic reports, restaurant picks, homes, jobs, cars . . . this site, sponsored in part by the Austin-American Statesman, the city's daily newspaper, is a one-stop clicking center for a variety of essentials. It's easy to navigate, too.
www.austinchronicle.com: The online version of Austin's excellent alternative tabloid, the Austin Chronicle, has everything you would expect: muckraking stories; hard-hitting book, movie, and restaurant reviews; personal ads; and above all, attitude. And it looks a lot better online than it does on paper.
www.ci.austin.tx.us: Talk about big government. Austin City Connection is proof positive that practically everything in Austin falls under the aegis of its municipal system, from air quality to bus schedules and parks and recreation. A surprising number of museums (including the one devoted to O. Henry) are covered on this site, too.
www.utexas.edu: After the city government, the University of Texas might have the largest network of influence in town. In addition to providing info about the many on-campus museums, entertainment venues, and sports teams, this website links to an array of visitor-oriented sites, including the Austin Chronicle Restaurant Guide, the City of Austin Hike and Bike Trails, and the Austin Ice Bats hockey team. Wouldn't want the students -- or their visiting parents -- to get hungry or bored, right?
