Any first-time visitor to Austin expecting the dusty, flat brown prairie of Texas lore is in for a surprise. It is a graceful city of wooded hills, tall trees and period architecture amid a bustling, modern metropolis.

The 32,000-square-mile Texas Hill Country begins on Austin's western rim. By many measuring sticks, Austin is one of America's most lively business, cultural and intellectual hubs.

In the last decade, its entrepreneurial and high-tech economic vigor, the musicians who launch major music careers here and its ecological policies have brought widespread recognition to the city.

There is much to see, do and explore in Austin and its environs. A temperate climate encourages al fresco music and theater programs, shopping markets, festivals, bazaars and patio dining during Austin's milder months. Thirty miles of urban hike-and-bike trails, 172 city parks, 18 golf courses, nine wilderness areas and more than 11,000 acres of park land offer quiet refuge in a city of half a million. Texas' fourth largest natural spring, Barton Springs, is three miles from Austin's downtown business district.

As the capital city of Texas and the home of a major United States research university, as well as four other colleges and universities, Austin's political and intellectual stature attracts millions of visitors each year to the LBJ Presidential Library, The University of Texas' permanent collections and the Texas State Capitol.

A magnet for creative souls, Austin has given rise to a live music culture where many popular rock-'n'-roll, blues, jazz, rap and country and western singers got their start. The city's 100-plus music clubs, many of which are located in the renowned Sixth Street district, showcase local, national and international talent nightly. Also, the Frank Erwin Special Events Center, home of UT's basketball teams, attracts many of the nation's top performers.

A traditional and avant garde visual and performing arts community brings acclaimed legends as well as home-grown local talent to Austin's stages.

Thirty-three galleries, more than 25 theaters, a performing arts center, dance and ballet companies, a symphony and an opera fill the city's busy performing calendar, while a steady flow of high school, collegiate and national competitions highlight the athletic seasons.

Nine historic districts and nine major museums help uncover the area's fascinating prehistoric, Republic and pioneer heritage.

The Hollywood of the Southwest
Austin has emerged as the "Hollywood" of the Southwest, as the city is becoming well known for its burgeoning film industry. Not only does Austin have the most movie screens per capita in the U.S., itis the No. 1 location for movie making in the state of Texas, as the state ranks as the third most popular destination for film-making behind Los Angeles and New York City. The production budgets for films made in and around Austin in 2000 are expected to total $100 million.

Stars and filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Costner, Sandra Bullock, Ron Howard, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Hurley are some of those who have graced the red carpet at local Austin film premieres of "The Newton Boys," "EdTV," "The Faculty," "U-571" and "For Love of the Game." Bullock has moved her film production company, Fortis Films, from Los Angeles to Austin.

Films that were produced in and around Austin: A Perfect World … Austin Stories … Courage Under Fire … Dazed and Confused … D.O.A. … Home Fries … Hope Floats … Lonesome Dove … Michael … Office Space … Slacker … The Big Green … The Faculty … The Newton Boys … The Soul Collector … Spy Kids … The Substitute Wife … Varsity Blues … What's Eating Gilbert Grape? … Where he Heart Is

Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World
Whether you spend a day or a month in Austin, you'll be able to identify with this common local complaint. Live country, blues, folk, rock, jazz, Latino, rap and reggae are everywhere around Austin, pouring out of the city's 100+ clubs, honky-tonks, performance halls, amphitheaters and outdoor stages, including Auditorium Shores on Town Lake. Best of all, you'll find many of the venues close together downtown either on Sixth Street or in the Warehouse District.

Musicians and popular groups, past and present, who have their musical roots in Austin: 8 1/2 Souvenirs … Asleep at the Wheel … Shawn Colvin … Derailers … Dynamite Hack … Joe Ely … Fabulous Thunderbirds … Fastball … The Gourds … Eric Johnson … Janis Joplin … Robert Earl Keane … Ian Moore … Trish Murphy … Willie Nelson … * Toni Price … Pushmonkey … Charlie Robison … Reckless Kelly … Sister 7 … Storyville … Rose Taylor … Jimmie Vaughan … Stevie Ray Vaughan … Vertical Horizon … Jerry Jeff Walker … Don Walser … Kelly Willis

Other Interesting Facts about Austin
» The November 1999 issue of Money magazine named Austin one of its top six cities in its "Best Places to Live" national survey.
» According to the July/August 1997 issue of Swing magazine, a publication about life for those in their 20s, Austin is one of the top 10 best places in the country to live if you are younger than 30.
» In June of 1999, The Wall Street Journal ranked Austin No. 4 in the top 10 American cities for livability — a term referring to those qualities that cause people to CHOOSE to live in a particular place.
» In 1998, Fortune magazine named Austin the No. 1 best city for business in North America.
» Austin's thriving high-tech sector has become one of the most prominent in the nation, with global players such as Dell Computer Corporation, Motorola, IBM, 3M and Advanced Micro Devices headquartered here.
» A 1999 study conducted by CyberDialogue reveals that Austin leads the nation in the percentage of wired residents, with 59 percent of Austin‘s population using the Internet.