 |
Learn more about what Austin has to offer at Austin 360. |
| 
 Spanning the width of Lake Austin is the Loop 360 suspension bridge.
During the past decade, Austin has been rated the third best place to live in the U.S., the second fastest growing city in the U.S., the nation's best-read and most computer literate city, and the most fit city in the U.S. In essence, Austin is not a place to sit around getting bored. Opportunities for outdoor activities are plentiful, and Austin's temperate climate is perfect for a life filled with recreation.
The City of Austin has approximately 14,300 acres of parks, and the hills west of the city encompass more than 7,566 public areas. Town Lake borders the southern edge of downtown and surrounding the lake there are more than 30 miles of trails, including the 10.1-mile Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail shown here.
Barton Springs, a 1,000 foot-long spring-fed pool with a year-round water temperature of 68 degrees is also located on the shores of Town Lake within the 360-acre Zilker Park. Austin is near many other outdoor recreation facilities and sites including Bastrop State Park, Enchanted Rock, Natural Bridge Caverns, and Pedernales Falls.
Austin Still Hot for Technology
Chief Economist of Texas A&M Optimistic About Austin
Despite massive cutbacks in jobs and the failures of dot-com businesses, Dr. Mark G. Dotzour, chief economist for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, is optimistic about the long-term future for Austin's technology industries and the city's economy.
Dotzour sees Austin as an attractive location for technology firms because of its skilled workforce and relatively inexpensive real estate. He notes that while Austin home prices have increased substantially in recent years, they are still attractive compared with prices in the Silicon Valley. Homes in west Austin range in price from $160 to $260 per square foot. New homes in California's San Jose area sell for $300 to $500 per square foot. Similarly, office space in Austin is attractively priced compared with other major U.S. technology centers. "While Austin office rents may seem pricey at $30 to $35 per square foot, this is a bargain compared to San Francisco at $74, San Jose at $68 and Boston at $46," Dotzour says.
He also notes that the U.S. economy may be in early stages of recovery. He believes the semiconductor industry will lead recovery in the technology sector, due to strong demand for mobile phone chips.
| |  |
