Austin

Originally known as Waterloo, Austin is a major city in Texas. It was given its present name in honor of Stephen F. Austin, who is considered the "Father of Texas," soon after it was chosen to replace Houston as state capital. It is the county seat of Travis County and the fourth-most populous city in the state. With a 2016 estimated population count of 931,830, Austin is the second-largest state capital in the U.S., trailing only Phoenix. It is considered the fastest-growing among the 50 largest cities in America. City residents are called Austinites.

Austin has several neighborhoods for people of different income levels. The wealthiest can be found mostly in West and Central Austin as well as a part of South Austin (zip code 78704). Middle-income neighborhoods are mainly in North Austin, South Austin, and parts of East and Central Austin. Downtown is the central business district and the main hub of activity in the city. Inhabitants of Austin are mostly Whites and Hispanics.

Over the years, Austin has emerged as a major technology and business hub, with some Fortune 500 companies maintaining presence there. Oracle Corporation, Apple Inc., ARM Holdings, Google, IBM, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices, and Intel have their headquarters or regional offices in the city. The influx of tech companies in the 1990s earned Austin the nickname, "Silicon Hills."

The City is also called "The Live Music Capital of the World" for its numerous musicians and music-related venues and activities.