In short
Austin is the capital of Texas and its exception: a university and technology city, markedly more progressive than the state around it — which the local slogan "Keep Austin Weird" claims outright.
Downtown and Sixth Street hold the bars and the live music. South Congress, known as SoCo, is the street of boutiques and food trucks. East Austin is the rapidly changing district. Zilker borders the river and the park.
Arriving and getting around
Austin-Bergstrom airport is some twenty minutes from the centre, served by bus.
Austin is a car city. The CapMetro network exists but covers poorly; the distances between districts are real and traffic on the I-35 corridor is bad at peak hours.
The centre and South Congress are walked; the cycle paths along Lady Bird Lake link a good part of the city.
What it really costs
Austin has been one of the American cities where rents have risen most in recent years, driven by the arrival of technology companies. It is no longer the cheap city of its reputation.
Texas levies no state income tax, which forms part of the argument for moving here.
When to come
March–May and October–November. Summer is crushing: July and August commonly exceed 38 °C for weeks at a time.
SXSW, in March, and Austin City Limits, over two October weekends, fill the city and multiply accommodation prices. Book far ahead or avoid those dates.
What nobody tells you
A bat colony lives under the Congress Avenue Bridge — the largest urban colony of its kind in North America. They emerge en masse at dusk, from March to October, and the spectacle is watched free from the bridge or the banks. They are absent in winter.
Barton Springs Pool is a natural spring-fed pool that stays around twenty degrees all year. It is the most authentically local institution in the city.
Texas barbecue is a matter of queueing: the most celebrated places open in the morning, sell until they run out and close. Arriving at midday is arriving too late.
